Superintendent unveils community‑driven plan to explore dedicated special‑education facility; parents push back

Superintendent Mike Sida outlined a conceptual plan to study creating a county‑accessible special‑education facility and to return sixth graders to elementary schools, calling it the start of a year‑long community process to determine whether the change would benefit students, staff and taxpayers.

Sida said the district’s enrollment has fallen by about 1,300 students over the past decade while the special‑education population rose “from about 2,500 students to 3,207,” and that special‑education spending had increased from roughly $38–$39 million to an anticipated $75 million. He said the district currently sends about 116 students to out‑of‑district programs that can cost between $90,000 and $150,000 per student and suggested building in‑district capacity could reduce those outlays.

The announcement prompted an extended public comment period in which parents, classroom staff and advocates raised concerns about the proposal and the way program changes have been communicated. Parent Christa Whitaker, who identified herself as a pediatric nurse and the parent of two children with learning disabilities, warned that consolidating students into one building could run afoul of the requirement to educate students “with their non‑disabled peers to the maximum extent appropriate,” and said recent classroom staffing changes had already reduced inclusion opportunities.

Parent Lily Panella said inclusion opportunities that had existed at the start of the school year were “quietly removed with no notice,” and said staff across multiple schools had expressed “serious concern” and inconsistent explanations about what would change. She urged the board to “pause these discussions,” demand consistent messaging and involve parents before any decisions are made.

Other parents described long bus rides to specialized placements and the emotional cost of moving students who have found stable placements. Kristen Zalinski, whose son has attended an out‑of‑district program since elementary school, said moving him now “would not be in his best academic or emotional interest.”

Sida and other board members repeatedly framed the plan as exploratory. He said no decisions have been made about specific students or placements and that any future placements would continue to be made on an individual basis through each student’s IEP team with parent involvement. He also said district leaders plan to form community committees, publish a goals and FAQ page on the district website and hold town halls and open committee meetings to collect parent, teacher and community input before moving forward.

On financing, the superintendent said a rough estimate to bring current out‑of‑district placements for 116 students in‑district would be about $13 million and suggested outfitting a building would likely require grants or reallocated funds rather than an immediate tax increase; he said no grant applications had been submitted at the time of the meeting.

The board took no formal action on the concept at this meeting. Members agreed to create open, public committees and additional outreach as the next step. The board closed public comments and adjourned, with the district promising to post the FAQ and meeting schedule on its website and to notify families through ParentSquare.