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Little Falls board hears review of joining Midstate special‑education cooperative
Summary
Partner Ed consultant Renee Ouellette told the Little Falls School Board that member districts are generally supportive of expanding Midstate to include Little Falls, recommended updating the joint powers agreement, and said joining would not automatically move all local special‑education programming to Midstate. The board will continue transition planning and hopes for a decision by December 2024.
A consultant presented to the Little Falls School Board on July 15 on the feasibility and potential benefits of the district rejoining Midstate, a regional special‑education cooperative.
Renee Ouellette of the Partner Ed consulting firm told trustees she and her team interviewed member superintendents and Midstate leadership and reviewed child counts and program capacity. "There was unanimous support among the superintendents for expanding Midstates include Little Falls," Ouellette said, adding that member districts value Midstate itinerant services (occupational, speech and physical therapies) and specialized programs that serve students who require more intensive placements.
Ouellette outlined several recommendations if Little Falls pursues membership: update and realign the joint powers agreement to reflect current member needs; increase superintendent‑level involvement and transparency with Midstate leadership and business services; and better define Midstate board and executive roles. She said leadership turnover at Midstate over the past five years has left some member districts wanting clearer collaboration and stability.
Addressing community concerns, Ouellette said joining would not mean moving all Little Falls special‑education programming out of district. "That would mean that all special ed programming that's currently in Little Falls would move to mid state, and that is not accurate," she said, adding that districts generally keep as much programming locally as is prudent and only use Midstate services where appropriate.
Ouellette said initial transition planning has begun and that, if the districts agree, she would expect work this year to allow service and staffing coordination for the 2025‑26 school year. She said she hopes member districts could make a decision by December 2024 to permit staffing and planning timelines to proceed.
The presentation produced questions from trustees about governance, billing transparency and whether Midstate would have capacity to absorb additional students without creating waiting lists. Ouellette said capacity analyses had been done and that Midstate leaders would need to confirm availability; she urged updating the joint powers agreement and conducting collaborative transition planning before any membership decision.
Next steps noted by the board and administration include further financial analysis, continued conversations with Midstate and related member districts, and follow‑up presentations to the board as more information becomes available.
