Staffing Special Education Positions for Benton Stearns Education District

1. Staffing Special Education Positions forBenton Stearns Education District Supervision of Special Education EDAD 609 Margy Bailey

2. Benton Stearns Education District • Purpose is to increase coordination and cooperation among member districts • Education District Board applies, receives, and administers funding on behalf of member districts • Member Districts: Foley, Holdingford, Kimball, Rocori, Sartell, Sauk Rapids/Rice • Approximate total student population: 13,000 • Duane Borgeson – Special Education Director

3. Benton Stearns Education District Services • Assistive Technology • Child Count • Day Treatment • Early Childhood Intervention • Interagency Programs • Level IV • Low Incidence Programs • Physical and Occupational Therapists • School Psychologists • Special Education Coordination Services

4. Determining Staffing Needs • Determining factors vary by position • Workload Analysis • Minnesota Department of Education caseload limit requirements • Perceived or expressed needs of member districts

5. Workload Analysis • Can be done using Sped Forms, an internet server-based program for special education due process and paperwork • Can be a formula developed by an administrator, group or team. • ex. Occupational and Physical Therapists, School Psychologists. • Can be compared to other education districts in the region

6. Minnesota Department of Education • Manual for Early Childhood Intervention • Caseload Limits • Birth to Two – 12-14 children per IFSP manager

7. Reductions in Staff • Shifts in workload and FTE are made • Frequently works out “naturally” • Requires/allows flexibility • Reductions of FTE of a position are made if necessary • Often times not an issue

8. Increases in Staff • Review job description and revise as needed (team) • Advertise position (administrator) • Review/screen resumes and applications (administrator and/or team) • Interview (team) • Make selection (team) • Board approval board makes final decision

9. Role of Special Education Director • For Education District • Listening to teams/employees • Reviewing workloads and district needs • Gathering information • Reviewing job • Screening applicants • Hiring team • Presenting information to Board • For Member Districts • Advising districts • Gathering information and helping check references

10. Example of Increase in Staff • Team of School Psychologists expressed need • Districts expressed need • Workload analysis and information gathering • Board Presentation • Board suggestion and approval

11. School Psychologists Expressed Need • Disproportionate numbers of evaluations • New criteria for three Disability Areas effective 2001 • Autism Spectrum Disorder • Emotional/Behavioral Disorder • Other Health Disability • Additional evaluation requirements • Functional Behavioral Assessment • Increase in required meetings effective 2000 • District Feedback

12. Districts Expressed Need • Overall increasing enrollment • Increased number of Special Education Teachers • High percentage of Special Education students in some districts • High numbers of students tested for Special Education not qualifying indicating need for stronger pre-referral process • High ratio of students to School Psychologist

13. Workload Analysis: School Psychologists Caseloads by Evaluation Numbers

14. Workload Analysis: Caseloads by Population ‘99-’01

15. Information Gathering • Change in criteria for three disability areas was resulting in an increase of comprehensive evaluation load of school psychologists by 20% • Timelines for completion of evaluations were clarified and tightened • Districts wanted help improving their pre-referral processes and wanted more consultation time

16. Information Gathering • School Psychologists, Special Education Teachers and Administrative Staff felt that psychologists time was spread too thin • Ratio of student population to Psychologist (2166:1) was higher than the state and national average and much higher than the National Association of School Psychologists recommendation (1000:1)

17. Board Presentation • Special Education Director and Assistant director presented data and information at May 2002 board meeting • Director and Assistant Director offered options for funding additional School Psychologist time

18. Board Recommendation • Adding one School Psychologist position to the Education District would only be putting a “band-aid” on the problem • Board approved the addition of two School Psychologist positions

19. School Psychologists Caseloads by Evaluation Numbers

20. School Psychologist Caseloads by Evaluation Numbers

21. Caseloads by Population - Current

22. Caseloads by Population – ’99-’00 and Current

23. Pros • Considering caseload and workload information from a number of different angles helps to create a clearer picture • Soliciting District input increases “customer satisfaction” • Monitoring of evaluation and population changes and district needs improves service to students

24. Cons • Workload and caseload analysis is time consuming and not exact • Populations increase and decrease • District needs increase and decrease • Changes in assignments of staff results in instability for districts • Needs frequent analysis