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Pelham board highlights growing special-education caseloads, plans a new kindergarten integrated co-teach class
Summary
Pupil Personnel Services staff told the board that classifications and 504 plans have risen notably in recent years (CSE +32% in five years; 504 +94%), and the district plans to open a new kindergarten ICT class at Prospect Hill while shifting some intervention delivery to classroom teachers.
District pupil-personnel staff described rising special-education and related-service needs during the March 4 budget review, and proposed targeted program changes for 2026–27 to respond to student needs while limiting cost growth.
Tracy, presenting the PPS section, said the district has seen substantial increases in categorized students and related services demand: "In the last five years, just in CSE, we've seen a 32% increase in students that are classified," Tracy said, and added that "504 itself in the last 5 years has increased 94%." She explained that those trends drive related-service needs (speech, OT/PT, psychological services) and sometimes require out-of-district placements that are more expensive.
Program changes: PPS staff said the budget includes a proposal to open a kindergarten integrated co-teach (ICT) classroom at Prospect Hill next year based on current entrant cohorts and the district’s goal of maintaining specialized-program footprints at each school. The district also plans to shift some elementary interventions back into classroom instruction (a staffing reallocation) rather than reduce services, and to hold two contingent monitors/positions to respond to late move-ins or newly documented IEP needs.
Costs and contracts: Administrators said some related services are delivered via contracted providers rather than additional full-time hires to avoid new benefits costs; they recommended monitoring whether conversion to FTE would be more economical over time. Out-of-district tuition lines were reallocated in part to BOCES services for students aging out of private programs while maintaining compliance with IEP legal requirements.
Next steps and caveats: Presenters emphasized projections are preliminary because annual reviews and IEP processes continue; they committed to updating the board as enrollment and IEP outcomes clarify program needs.
