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Special‑education caseload tops 12,000; district flags staffing shortfall and audit work for state funding recoding
Summary
Conroe ISD reported 12,139 students in special education (16.9%) and 5,929 Section 504 students (8.3%). Administration said it completed 2,634 initial evaluations this year and is recoding students for a new tiered state funding model; the district identified a significant staffing and funding gap.
At the board’s annual special‑education update Dr. Kendra Williams reviewed caseloads, staffing and a statewide funding transition. The district reported 12,139 students receiving special‑education services (16.9% of enrollment) and 5,929 students eligible under Section 504. Williams said the district completed 2,634 initial evaluations this school year, expected to rise to roughly 3,200 when summer work concludes, and that 645 evaluations remained in progress at the time of presentation.
Key points from the update: - Caseload: 12,139 special‑education students (16.9%); 5,929 504 students (8.3%). - Staffing: the department employs specialized staff (speech, psychologists, dyslexia, related services) but reported critical gaps; district estimated several million dollars of additional personnel funding would be required to reach best‑practice staffing levels. - Funding and recoding: the state’s new tiered (intensity‑based) funding model replaces a ‘‘setting’’‑based approach; the district is recoding more than 12,000 IEPs this summer to align with the new tiers. Administration said the district expects some increase in funding (e.g., $1,000 per certain evaluations) but that projected increases do not close the overall gap.
Trustees asked about the deadline and accuracy of recoding; staff said they aim to finish recoding before school starts and are using spot checks and TEA monitoring percentages to validate accuracy. Trustees and staff discussed retention; administration said it is pursuing targeted supports, differentiated onboarding and training to retain special‑education staff.
Why it matters: Special‑education enrollments are driving material budgetary and staffing pressures for the district. The new state funding model is intended to better align dollars to student needs, but the district says the initial funding adjustments will not close the shortfall and urged continued legislative advocacy.
