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Parents urge Granite School District to protect special-education staff after $1.3 million shortfall
Summary
At the June 2 board meeting, parents and an educator warned that proposed cuts to paraeducators and special-education teachers would harm vulnerable students after the district reported a $1.3 million shortfall tied to student undercounting and paperwork errors.
Christa Dimmick, a parent of three children in Granite School District, told the school board on June 2 that special-education staff are already overstretched and urged officials to avoid cutting frontline supports after the district disclosed a $1.3 million shortfall.
"We have a special education teacher who according to the program has 32 plus students over two schools. When projected in the middle of the year, we estimate this will be around 40 plus students," Dimmick said, arguing that overloading teachers would be "detrimental to these students." She said the shortfall was tied to student undercounting and paperwork issues and asked the board to "find one-time emergency funds to bridge this gap while administrative errors are corrected."
Katie Foronberry, a psychologist who spoke as a parent, said the proposed reductions would have immediate consequences for individual students. She described her daughter Alice, who has multiple disabilities and an individualized education program, and said the supports Alice received allowed her to learn to read and write.
"These aren't abstract changes for my daughter. This means less instruction, less communication support, and more time sitting in the classroom confused and falling farther behind," Foronberry said. She asked the board to "please don't let administrative shortfalls become lifelong setbacks for students like her" and urged the board to prioritize protecting paraeducators and special-education teachers.
Board members acknowledged the public concerns during consent-agenda discussion and said the district has been working through budget adjustments. At the budget presentation later in the meeting, district staff said they had included a one-time allocation for special education in the tentative budget. Brian (district finance presenter) told the board that the budget includes "$1.5 million of one-time funding that's set up in the budget to balance the special education program in fiscal year 27."
No formal vote on special-education staffing changes occurred at the June 2 meeting; the board proceeded with routine consent and personnel items and will consider the tentative budget during a public budget hearing on June 16. Members of the public will be able to address proposed budget actions, including any staffing changes, at the June 16 hearing and at the district's truth-in-taxation hearing scheduled for Aug. 18.
