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District reports progress reducing special‑education vacancies and rolling out new supports
Summary
District staff gave an extensive Exceptional Children update that showed reduced vacancies, improved early‑career teacher retention metrics and a plan for evidence‑based instruction, file audits and progress monitoring. Staff flagged chronic absenteeism as an area requiring further school‑level analysis.
District leaders presented a multi‑part update on Exceptional Children (EC) services, staffing and instructional supports. Presenters described updated headcounts (April 1 child count context) and staffing: 124 EC teachers employed, 71 paid from state funds and 22 from federal funds, and seven EC teacher vacancies plus eight EC teaching‑assistant vacancies as of June 10. Mark Bailey, director of recruitment and employee engagement, said recruitment and retention efforts had improved vacancy metrics and that a staff‑referral program and targeted hiring efforts reduced central‑office vacancies from 85% filled to 87% at time of reporting.
The EC presentation covered four core areas—specially designed instruction (SDI), compliance, progress monitoring and professional capacity—highlighting recent work: an updated EC manual and standard operating procedures, a menu of services for buildings, co‑teaching walkthroughs, a toolkit for non‑evaluative classroom observations, and a three‑year implementation plan focused on evidence‑based practices and progress monitoring. Staff also reported progress on student outcomes using state literacy measures for K–3 and noted year‑over‑year improvements in some indicators for students with disabilities.
Board members pressed for more detailed analysis on chronic absenteeism and withdrawals among students with IEPs; staff said they would drill down at the school level and report back. Staff also flagged an upcoming comprehensive review by the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction that will cover fiscal monitoring, staffing and compliance.
What’s next: staff will continue with planned onboarding, PD and EC‑specific cohorts, implement stay‑interviews for retention, and provide follow‑up school‑level analyses on absenteeism and compliance timelines.
Quotes: “We are committed to continuing to work with our EC department to recruit and retain the high‑quality special educators that our kids deserve,” Mark Bailey said.
