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School committee recommends package of new special‑education positions to support 19 Chestnut classrooms
Summary
The subcommittee recommended multiple new positions — including a director of specialized curriculum, senior compliance analyst, director of related services, secondary exceptional‑learner coach and supervisor for autism specialists — intended to staff 19 new classrooms at Chestnut and five additional rooms elsewhere and to improve compliance and service delivery.
Springfield Public Schools’ Budget & Finance subcommittee on Monday recommended to the full committee a package of new positions intended to expand services for exceptional learners as the district opens 19 new classrooms at Chestnut and five additional classrooms elsewhere.
Superintendent and Dr. Marissa McCarthy said the package is designed to create district‑level capacity to oversee specialized curricula, improve IEP processing and compliance, coordinate related services (speech, OT, PT, audiology, vision and deaf services) and provide instructional coaching to special‑education teachers. Dr. McCarthy described the director of specialized curriculum and instruction as a role that will work “K through 12” to ensure low‑incidence curricula are implemented with fidelity. She said the senior compliance analyst will help process new enrollments with IEPs and ensure timely compliance, and that a director of related services will streamline scheduling, workloads and monitoring across the district.
Committee members repeatedly framed the package as responding to long‑standing capacity shortfalls: speakers said related duties had been spread among existing staff for years and that the new positions will consolidate responsibilities so services are more timely and staff have clearer roles. Members also raised sustainability questions about long‑term funding and retention; district officials said the positions were built into the FY2027 budget where possible and that the roles exist in some other departments but are now being added specifically to the Exceptional Learning department.
All positions on the package were moved, seconded and passed on roll call to be recommended to the full committee.
What’s next: the package will be considered by the full school committee. If approved, district leaders said they will move forward with job postings, selection and onboarding to staff the new classrooms and to support existing schools.
