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CFBISD presents first annual special‑education report under SB 568; district cites steady compliance and areas for growth
Summary
Assistant Superintendent Sarah Roland told trustees the district’s first SB 568‑required special‑education report shows steady compliance and progress on state indicators, a four‑year enrollment increase of 14.9%, a special‑education graduation rate of 81% (class of 2024), and uncertainty about funding under a new service‑intensity model.
Sarah Roland, the district’s assistant superintendent for special services, presented Carrollton‑Farmers Branch ISD’s first annual special‑education report required by Senate Bill 568, summarizing enrollment trends, program outcomes and pending state funding changes.
Roland said special‑education enrollment has grown 14.9% over the past four years, with a 2.1% increase in the most recent year. The district completed 954 initial evaluations during the 2024–25 school year, a 9% decrease from the prior year, and reported that more than half of special‑education students spend 80% or more of the school day in general‑education settings.
Roland outlined two federal and state monitoring frameworks: SPI (state performance indicators) and RDA (Results‑Driven Accountability). She said the district has made steady progress on those indicators and that no significant areas of concern were identified in the most recent RDA cycle. For the class of 2024, the special‑education graduation rate was 81%, with 4% meeting CCMR benchmarks, 7% graduating with advanced diplomas and 1% completing an IEP with workforce readiness preparation.
Roland described programmatic efforts including name‑and‑need meetings to ensure students receive services in the least restrictive environment, expansion of dyslexia supports (including parent nights and a planned summer dyslexia camp), partnerships for decoding interventions, and an investments in staff professional development (writing compliant IEPs, de‑escalation, progress measures, and other topics). She said the district hosted a Special Olympics event and Casey’s Run, which raised $76,425.
On funding, Roland said Texas is transitioning from an instructional‑setting funding model to a service‑intensity model under House Bill 2 and Senate Bill 568. That transition will be a multi‑year process: the state will require reporting under both systems for a transition year, and final funding details may not be clear until the end of the 2026–27 school year. Roland emphasized that the state has guaranteed funding will not drop below current levels during the transition but said the district faces uncertainty about how much additional special‑education funding it can expect.
Trustees asked for additional reports on post‑graduation destinations for special‑education graduates and for more detailed breakdowns of which programs produce the highest CCMR rates. Roland said the district maintains additional reports (SP14 series) and will provide more detail in future updates.
