Midland ISD unveils phased multi‑year strategic plan to overhaul special education services

Midland ISD presented a multi‑year special‑education strategic plan designed to address audit findings and improve services for students with disabilities.

Miss Shockley, who led the presentation, told trustees the plan is organized around nine goals—starting with student safety, written processes and behavior supports—and includes timelines, targets and owners for each element. It uses a three‑phase approach: immediate stabilization (phase 1), capacity building (phase 2) and system sustainment (phase 3).

"Every goal links back to specific audit findings," Miss Shockley said, noting the plan attaches measurable action steps, monitoring cycles and monthly dashboards to track staffing, discipline and compliance metrics. She said the district will recruit diagnosticians, psychologists and speech‑language pathologists and implement caseload dashboards to identify pressure points.

Trustees asked about staffing numbers and bilingual paraprofessional recruitment; Shockley said staffing analyses and recommended ratios will be provided in the final audit report next month. The plan sets targets such as increasing students in general‑education settings to 80% or more of the day where appropriate and improving IEP quality through training and monthly sampling.

The board and administration agreed the plan requires sustained engagement and that the district will report progress formally on a quarterly and semiannual basis. Trustees complimented the plan’s clarity while reserving questions about final staffing costs and implementation timelines.

What’s next: The special‑services audit will be finalized next month and the strategic plan will be embedded into the district improvement plan with scheduled reporting to the board.