Task force recommends behavior interventionists, training and a possible therapeutic program as special‑education numbers climb

District leaders presented findings from a special‑populations task force that identified a roughly 30% increase in students identified with disabilities and recommended a suite of responses across five domains: stakeholder engagement, behavior support, instructional support, department structures and professional development.

"As doctor Ortling stated that we have increased our disability population, more than 30 percent," a district official said while summarizing task‑force data. Speakers described the largest categories as specific learning disabilities and developmental delay, noted a corresponding need for additional behavior‑support staffing and training, and urged the board to consider either renovating the Federal Programs Building into a dedicated behavioral/therapeutic program or building a new, state‑of‑the‑art facility; staff said they will return with cost options. The task force recommended adding behavior interventionists at each school, expanding training (safety care and autism/extreme‑behavior programming), exploring co‑teaching/staffing models and expanding special‑ed facilitators who provide coaching.

Board members and staff debated whether the Federal Programs Building could be used in the short term and whether a long‑term new build would be preferable. Trustees expressed support for moving forward with cost estimates and asked administrators to return with plans and timelines for next steps and for professional development implementation.