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Wakefield school leaders flag rising special-education costs, nursing vacancies and $6M tuition projection
Summary
Interim special-education director told the School Committee about transition work, a DESE monitoring finding and major budget pressures — including about 45 out-of-district students and an estimated $6,000,000 in tuition costs — and said staff are pursuing hiring and program strategies to reduce out-placement.
Interim Director of Special Education Shannon Blacker told the Wakefield School Committee on Feb. 24 that special-education transitions, out-of-district placements and staffing shortages are driving sharp cost pressures in the district.
Blacker outlined a series of transition efforts (fourth-to-fifth, eighth-to-ninth and other year-to-year transitions) intended to align services across buildings and to make sure students on Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) receive consistent supports. She described collaborative planning with curriculum coordinators and principals and said the district is integrating special-education staff into curriculum walks and data-team meetings to spot needs early.
On monitoring and…
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