SLPS special-education director warns of staffing gaps as DESE reviews disproportionality

Candice Boyd, the district’s executive director of special education, told the St. Louis Public Schools board on May 12 that 2,817 students receive special-education services across the district and that staffing shortages have forced the district to pivot to contracted and virtual clinicians.

“Special education is not optional. It is a fairly mandated system with legal accountability tied to every student that we serve,” Boyd said, outlining obligations under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) and listing in-district services, early childhood programs and partnerships with private separate facilities.

Boyd described heavy reliance on contract partners: she said roughly 452 district employees provide services and about 293 contracted or partner staff support the district’s work. Because of clinician shortages, the district is increasingly using models that pair virtual clinicians with on-site support staff, a practice that, she said, can multiply staffing needs and add cost.

Board members pressed for details. A member asked how services at the Griscom juvenile-detention center operate; Boyd said the district assigns two certified teachers to provide required minutes and that students return to their neighborhood schools with services continued after transfer. Asked how parents can obtain behavioral or special-education evaluations, Boyd said parents may request assessments and the district will convene an IEP team to determine eligibility and next steps.

Several board members raised concerns about disproportionality. Boyd said the district is working with the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) after a finding that the district may be overidentifying Black students for intellectual disability diagnoses; she said the district expects to meet with DESE officials to review methods, perform self-analysis, and allow DESE to follow up if necessary.

“We’re going to be on the 21st with DESE officials to talk about what that looks like,” Boyd said, adding that the district uses state profiles and standards as part of its evaluation process.

Board members asked for implementation data. Boyd said she did not have a current IEP-implementation rate in the presentation materials and described the need for better family-facing literacy around special-education terminology and processes; she pointed to Parent University as a vehicle for that outreach. Boyd also noted a recent DESE grant award intended to expand in-district capacity and reduce external placements, funding professional development, curriculum and equipment to build services in public separate locations.

Members pressed on the district’s tracking of contracted staffing versus peer districts and on whether “creative” models could harm students who need licensed clinicians. Boyd said any alternative staffing model the district uses — such as certified occupational therapy assistants (COTAs) or speech-language pathology assistants (SLPAs) — are DESE-approved models intended to preserve access to services in the face of statewide shortages.

The exchange ended with board members asking for follow-up: implementation and compliance rates, school-by-school indicators, and clearer descriptions of how the new grant funds will be spent. Boyd said the district will provide additional data in forthcoming reports and that the office remains focused on ensuring legally required services are delivered.