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Board approves assistant director of student services to strengthen in-district special education supports
Summary
The board unanimously approved an assistant director of student services position intended to reduce out-of-district placements and expand in-district programming; administrators described the hire as a hands-on role to coordinate services across elementary, middle and high schools.
The Portsmouth School Board voted unanimously on April 14 to appoint an assistant director of student services, a new role the district described as aimed at curbing costly out-of-district placements and building more robust in-district programs for students with special needs.
Administrators said the new position will absorb work previously handled by a remote out-of-district coordinator and will focus on developing programs across elementary buildings as well as supporting principals and case-carrying special-education teachers. A principal who addressed the board said asking classroom special-education teachers to take on coordinator duties would overtax them and reduce service delivery; instead the assistant director will provide hands-on support and help design programs to enable families to keep students in their neighborhood schools.
The district described a competitive, committee-based search process that produced a single consensus finalist with experience as both a special-education administrator and principal; references were checked and the candidate was discussed with district coordinators before final interviews with the superintendent and assistant superintendent. The board approved the appointment by roll call vote.
