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Special‑services audit finds compliance gaps; district outlines staffing, Medicaid and transportation steps
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Summary
District special‑services leaders presented a third‑party audit, noting strengths in staffing and several compliance shortcomings. They reported about 1,500 students with IEPs (~23% of enrollment), $472,000 reimbursed last year through Medicaid billing, and a plan to tighten timelines and reconfigure programs to increase students' access to general education.
Shay Bonnell, director of special services for pre‑K–6 at Anderson Community Schools, told the board the district commissioned a voluntary audit and has begun implementing its recommendations to improve special‑education compliance and services. "We've been able to reimburse the district approximately $472,000 as a result of that billing through Medicaid," Bonnell said, describing both past reimbursements and steps to expand transportation billing for additional reimbursement.
Bethany Seemar, director of special services for grades 7 through adult, provided enrollment and compliance figures. "We have approximately 1,500 students who have IEPs, and that's roughly 23% of our enrolled student body at ACS," Seemar said, and noted roughly 70 students were in the evaluation pipeline. The auditors reviewed more than 260 IEPs and performed 11 building visits, she said.
The audit highlighted areas of strength, including retention and staffing for hard‑to‑fill roles such as speech‑language pathologists, occupational and physical therapists and school psychologists. District staff also cited programs intended to support staff: quarterly resource‑staff town halls, monthly mentoring moments that include stipends for staff professional development, and building‑level admin designees who can serve as public‑agency representatives for IEP conferences.
But presenters said the audit identified gaps that district leaders are addressing. Bethany Seemar said some related services were not completing quarterly progress monitoring; the district plans training so progress monitoring aligns with report‑card timelines. The presentation also cited inconsistent attendance by general‑education teachers at IEP conferences and delays in initial delivery of services early in the school year. Bonnell said the district has given building administrators clearer oversight responsibilities and rolled out tools (Loom videos, Google calendars) to coordinate staffing and timelines.
Bonnell outlined transportation and financial context: the district spends about $6.5 million annually on student transportation, of which roughly $2,750,000 is for students with special needs. "If we can recoup and reimburse approximately 1.5 million of that…we're off to a pretty good start in terms of our processes," he said, describing a goal to maximize Medicaid reimbursement for eligible services.
Presenters also described proposed program reconfigurations designed to keep students in neighborhood schools when possible. The plan would rebrand cross‑categorical and resource classrooms around student need rather than a specific disability label, expand services at Eastside Elementary and move certain functional‑skills classrooms back to Erskine, while continuing to evaluate options for Valley Grove and other sites.
Board members asked about a district 'day school' option and parent engagement; staff said the day‑school pilot is intended to provide an intermediate continuum of therapeutic services to reduce the need for outside placements and that it is in its first year of development. District staff committed to continued training and follow‑up and to convening meetings with parents and building administrators where appropriate.
The presentation closed with a request for ongoing oversight of compliance timelines and an assurance that administrators would be supported to meet IEP and evaluation deadlines. "You have to inspect what you expect," Bonnell told the board, summarizing the district's approach to tightening timelines and increasing accountability.
Ending: District staff said the audit is informing immediate adjustments and longer‑term planning; they listed training and hiring support and said more details will be shared as the district refines policies and program placements for the coming school year.
