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Board approves FY27 special-education staffing plan; district reports nearly full staffing
Summary
The board unanimously approved the FY27 special-education staffing plan. Dr. Wendy Maine reported 1,520 students (about 19% of enrollment) receive special education services and that vacancies have dropped to a few positions.
The Allegany County Board of Education on June 16 approved the fiscal 2027 special-education staffing plan after a presentation by Dr. Wendy Maine.
Dr. Maine told the board the district currently serves 1,520 students through special-education services, which she said is approximately 19% of the student population. She described current staffing goals and caseload targets — for example, one special-education teacher per 12–15 students in inclusion settings and one per six students in elementary self-contained classrooms — and listed the system's vacancies: she reported three special-education teacher vacancies (and three long-term substitute fills), 12 instructional-assistant vacancies among full-time IAs and contractual IAs, and other specialist vacancies the department is actively recruiting to fill.
"Based on our current needs, this is the recommended staffing positions and it's a great day for me because in the first time I can remember, we are almost fully staffed," Dr. Maine said.
The board moved to approve the staffing plan; the motion passed unanimously.
Why it matters: staffing levels and caseload ratios directly affect service delivery for students with disabilities. Dr. Maine said the district aims to maintain caseload standards and is continuing recruitment efforts for remaining vacancies.
Next steps: the staffing plan is approved for FY27; administrators will continue recruitment to fill the remaining vacancies before school starts.
