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District presents proposed 2026–27 student support services budget; additional life-skills classroom proposed
Summary
Dr. Oliver presented the proposed 2026–27 Student Support Services budget, detailing increases tied to private-placement tuition rates and AIU services, a number of decreases tied to one-time purchases, and proposed adding an additional life-skills/autistic support/emotional support classroom at the intermediate school.
Dr. Oliver presented the proposed 2026–27 Student Support Services budget and described multiple line-item changes across special-education and support services.
She said some decreases reflect anticipated savings from a state revision to the cyber charter school funding formula and the conclusion of one-time purchases (for example, the initial Teachtown life-skills curriculum purchase), while increases reflect higher AIU-related services costs, inflationary price adjustments, equipment and furniture replacement, and anticipated tuition-rate increases for private-school placements. Dr. Oliver called out tuition-related increases of $70,587 and $62,551 in two line rows tied to anticipated tuition-rate increases and increased need for approved private-school placements. She also listed other increases and decreases across many line items and summarized that her budget shows both offsets and net changes; she reported an overall cost savings of $15,000 and stated the total change in her submitted budget was a decrease of $12,199.
Dr. Oliver proposed adding one additional life-skills/autistic support/emotional support classroom at the intermediate school for the 2026–27 school year to meet growing student needs.
Board members asked several clarifying questions. When asked why costs change when students move between buildings, Dr. Oliver explained that costs follow where services are delivered and that moving a student to an approved private school can shift costs into different line items. On the difference between “approved private” and “private” schools, she explained approved private placements are coded differently for state recoupment and may allow the district to recoup part of tuition; private-school placements may not allow recoupment. When asked who sets private-school tuition rates, Dr. Oliver said, “We have no control.”
Dr. Oliver also described program decisions: the district plans to review SEAL and Second Step curriculum choices for different buildings and to monitor implementation to determine whether program consolidations are possible in later years.
No formal vote on the Student Support Services budget was recorded at this meeting; the presentation and Q&A provided the board with the numbers and rationale to inform future action.
