Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Special Education Center topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Wyoming Valley West to open in-district center for students with highest needs
Summary
Superintendent Dr. Supa told the board the district will convert 3rd Avenue into a center-based special education program to reduce costly out-of-district placements and generate long-term savings; evening registration dates and community supports were also announced.
The Wyoming Valley West School District outlined plans to convert 3rd Avenue into a district-run center-based special education program intended for students with the most significant needs.
"The transformation of 3rd Avenue into Wyoming Valley West's own center based special education center is exciting," said Dr. Supa. He told the board the move aims to provide services closer to home and to reinvest savings into classrooms and programs.
Board members heard that the district has been sending some students to outside placements that can cost "upwards of a 100,000 per student each year," a practice the superintendent said the new center would reduce. Dr. Supa said the district expects the initiative to "generate millions of dollars in long term savings" that could be returned to local programs.
The superintendent framed the change as both educational and fiscal: keeping students in-district, near familiar staff, and reducing long-term special-education placement costs. He thanked staff and parents for supporting the plan and said the district is pursuing grant funding to help with implementation and sustainability.
