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Board reviews plan to bring Laurel Life therapeutic classroom to Shippensburg High School, citing potential savings
Summary
Administration and Laurel Life representatives proposed a district‑based therapeutic classroom to return students currently placed out of district; presenters estimated program costs and possible near‑term savings by reducing out‑of‑district placements and transportation.
Representatives from Laurel Life and district staff presented a proposal April 27 to house a Laurel Life therapeutic classroom at Shippensburg High School to serve students who currently receive out‑of‑district services.
Laurel Life CEO Mark Kek and district staff summarized a fiscal model showing an in‑district program cost of about $338,500 per year, and potential savings if seats currently contracted out (examples: SOAR, River Rock, Yellow Breeches) are reduced. Administration estimated eliminating some out‑of‑district slots and transportation could save roughly $135,000–$267,000 in the district's current mix of placements, depending on which slots are shifted back in‑district.
Laurel Life representatives said the model typically staffs a classroom with a teacher, a therapeutic counselor and a behavioral coach; those staff would be Laurel Life employees working inside the district classroom. The presenters said the classroom can serve up to about 15 students at a given time with fluid usage that could touch 25 students over a school year, and that placements would remain subject to district gatekeeping and parent consent.
"This is a transfer of programs into the district," district staff said, adding an expectation that fewer costly out‑of‑district placements and associated transportation would lower net special‑education spending over time. A district social worker told the board the approach keeps students in their home buildings and reduces stigma associated with sending students off campus.
Board members asked about year‑to‑year variability in placements, sustainability and whether the district had space; administration said it has identified suitable space at the high school and would phase enrollment based on need and capacity. Board members also discussed the possibility that slots might later be offered to other districts on a consortia or tuition basis.
The matter remained in discussion; the board did not vote on a contract that night.
