(KNOX)- Some Grand Forks School District teachers and parents say that the limited amount of staff and resources for special education students is unsustainable, one month into the school year.
The School Board held its regular meeting Monday night, and the board heard several complaints from meeting attendees. Stephanie Britton is an elementary autism resource teacher in the district, and she says the reduction of one paraprofessional for every three students is problematic.
Superintendent Terry Brenner says he hopes the district by January will be able to lease a building where staff can give their full attention to students who are considered some of the more challenging to care for. District leaders also had a meeting with roughly 200 staff members to hear their concerns.
The cuts to paras comes from the district’s new staffing model that is expected to save $1.5 million, as the district is already dealing with budget cuts and an expected loss of $1 million because of a projected enrollment decline of 70 to 100 students.
A woman who is the mother of a Kelly Elementary School student was another of the many who addressed the school board. Her daughter is a second grader with autism spectrum disorder and says her daughter used to spend the majority of her day in her general education classroom with students she would call her friends.
Her daughter spends the majority of her day this school year in a resource room with other special needs children. The mother says her daughter has a hard time in chaotic environments and that the daughter is scared to go to school.
She also blamed the district for making this staffing decision, and she is considering legal action.
Brenner also says the district is in a catch 22 because it is obligated to fulfill state and federal requirements that both state and federal governments won’t provide.
North Dakota Department of Public Instruction Superintendent Levi Bachmeier is coming to Grand Forks Wednesday as part of his statewide listening tour. There are plans to have a discussion with him about the district’s special education needs.
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