Roanoke County board hears plan to add behavior specialists, expand special‑education capacity
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Summary
Administrators proposed adding three board‑certified behavior analysts (for a total of five), extend preschool assessment and program manager contracts for year‑round services, add speech‑language pathology support, and establish another autism self‑contained classroom to ease capacity constraints.
During the budget preview, special education and student‑support staff asked the board to authorize several staffing increases and contract extensions to meet rising special‑education caseloads.
Peterson said special education counts rose and staff are requesting year‑round contract extensions for a preschool program manager and for a preschool assessment team teacher to support ongoing assessments. The division reported 53 more students in the December child count than the prior year.
The special‑education request includes hiring up to three board‑certified behavior analysts (BCBAs) to expand coaching and interventions across the county; staff framed this as prevention and support so fewer students become dependent on more intensive services. “These are the highest trained people that deal with behavior,” a speaker said, noting the BCBA staff would float to schools with greatest need.
Staff also asked to add a speech‑language pathology assistant to free licensed clinicians to cover higher‑level caseloads and to create another self‑contained autism classroom (teacher plus five behavior coaches) so each feeder pattern would have a dedicated classroom.
Board members generally supported the proposals and suggested staff bring more specific placement and cost data for the next workshop.