Cherry Creek presents special-education data showing rising enrollment, new supports

Cherry Creek School District officials on March 9 presented a comprehensive update on special education services, telling the board the district now serves 7,934 students with disabilities and has introduced new tools and community partnerships to support those students.

Michelle Weiner Robb, chief of health and student services, said district special-education enrollment has risen from 13.1% in 2020 to 14.58% in 2024 and that the district provides services across grade levels: “At the elementary level, we have just over almost 3,400 students identified in special education,” while middle and high school counts were described separately. The presentation said 372 elementary students and 160 high‑school students are identified as twice-exceptional (gifted and disabled).

Weiner Robb and her team described a substantial professional‑development effort: more than 230 sessions this year for special-education staff and supports such as de-escalation and crisis‑prevention training, occupational therapy and physical‑therapy training, and guest presentations on executive functioning. The team said 75% of special-education students spend at least 80% of their school day in general‑education classrooms.

Presenters highlighted partnerships intended to smooth transitions and reduce stress in high‑stress interactions: the district’s transition staff support the Blue Envelope program launched by the Aurora Police Department, meant to improve communication during traffic stops and in-home responses involving people with disabilities. Weiner Robb said the envelope can be used beyond school settings.

To address concerns about disproportionality, the district described a new special-populations workbook and dashboards that refresh every 48 hours. “That tool is in available to staff in real time,” the presentation said, enabling school‑level conversations to identify and investigate inconsistent identification patterns rather than set quotas.

The presentation also pointed to outcomes the team described as promising: district one‑year post‑graduation figures for students with IEPs exceed the state average for competitive employment or higher education, and the district reported above‑state averages on certain reading and math measures for select grades.

Board members pressed for clarity and next steps. Director Hamri asked whether the Blue Envelope is supported beyond Aurora law enforcement; presenters said it is currently offered through the Aurora Police Department and that conversations with other county agencies are taking place. Director Bates asked why two charter schools showed much lower percentages of students in special education; presenters said district staff would need to consult those charter schools to understand their enrollment and identification practices. On proportionality, presenters said dashboards and school‑level review—not quotas—are the safeguard.

The update closed with the team identifying pilots (including a K–12 Math 180 intervention) and continued work to align special and general education practices, and board members thanked staff for the work.

What’s next: board and staff will continue monthly budget and program updates leading into the district’s FY2027 budget process and annual program review. The presentation materials and the special‑education dashboards are available through district channels.