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District proposes closing some special‑education open‑enrollment seats amid staffing shortages
Summary
District staff said current special‑education staffing is at capacity and recommended closing some seats to out‑of‑district placements to ensure in‑district students receive required services. Directors noted reliance on contracted providers for hard‑to‑fill roles and warned contracting costs exceed typical aidable costs.
Director Jackie Houser briefed the board on open‑enrollment space designation for special education and recommended keeping seats closed to out‑of‑district students because current staffing allocations are at capacity.
Houser said about 14–16% of the district’s students have Individualized Education Programs (IEPs). With that staffing level the district is meeting the needs of resident students but lacks surplus capacity to accept additional out‑of‑district special‑education enrollments without adding staffing. "With our current allocations of staffing, we are currently full," she said, adding that some programs are contracting for services such as speech‑language pathologists, vision teachers and educational interpreters.
Board members asked whether neighboring districts are likewise closed to new special‑education enrollments; Houser said Brown County directors report most neighboring districts are also full. Trustees also asked about the cost of contracting for services and whether contracted providers are more expensive than aidable costs; Houser said the contracted costs are generally higher.
Several board members expressed concern that closing seats to out‑of‑district students should not be conflated with denying services to resident students; Houser clarified the recommendation seeks to preserve capacity to serve students who live in the Green Bay district. The board did not vote on a final designation at the work session.
