NORTHAMPTON — Students receiving special education services in Northampton elementary schools could see a dramatic change in the way they’re taught if proposals put forward by the superintendent are approved.
Superintendent John Provost will present two proposals during a School Committee meeting on Feb. 23 — one that looks at reconfiguring elementary school classrooms and another to address creeping budgetary constraints. The meeting is at 7 p.m. in the JFK Middle School community room.
While he declined to get specific about the proposals until he presents them in their entirety at the public meeting, Provost previewed the thrust of his plan in a letter distributed to elementary school leaders earlier this month. If approved, the proposal would eliminate some teacher’s aides and put a special education teacher in every classroom with 15 or more students, shifting students in special education programs into the mainstream.
“Our student population is changing very quickly. Some types of student needs that were formerly considered low-incidence are now much more common,” Provost said in the letter. “It has become increasingly clear that we need to rethink our approach.”
At the same time Provost and other school leaders seek to address what they call a growing need for social and emotional learning, budgetary constraints loom. Provost and Mayor David Narkewicz say fixed costs for educating city children are rising as state support appears to dwindle.
“Under any scenario, next year’s budget will require reductions as well as tapping into reserves,” Provost told school leaders in the letter.
If the city has to dip into reserves, he wrote, he’d need to ask schools to close the budget gap based on their share of the budget — cuts ranging from $36,000 to $100,000 per school.
“We’re not being funded the way that we should be,” Northampton Association of Scool Employees President Julie Spencer-Robinson said of reductions in state funding. “It just means we are always scrambling for money.”
While it appears some paraprofessionals could lose their jobs, some in the community are excited at the prospect of adding special education teachers to classrooms.
“I think it’s a fantastic idea to put special education teachers in the classroom — that is something I would love to have seen when my kids were in school,” said Valle Dwight, a former chairwoman of the Special Education Parent Advisory Council who has two children with disabilities. “I think that’s going to really benefit everyone in the classroom, and I look forward to hearing the details.”
School leaders have been saying for months that they need more behavioral support for an increasing number of students.
“Our special education numbers have not gone up significantly, but the need throughout the district — not just in special education — has,” Laurie Farkas, the district’s director of student services, told the School Committee in a presentation on Dec. 8.
District trends mirror those statewide.
“We’ve seen a steady increase in student mental health needs over the last five to 10 years,” Farkas said.
With the proposals, Provost hopes to simultaneously address these needs, as well as address an ever-tightening budget.
“What we’re all very much considering is how can we make our schools more supportive and how can we strengthen the safety nets within the schools to make sure we’re serving all of our students well,” Provost said Monday.
Narkewicz said there’s no end in sight to budgetary constraints plaguing the district. He called the governor’s proposed $57,000 reimbursement increase “infinitesimal” considering rapidly rising costs like health care, charter school tuition and school choice programs.
“Our costs are continuing to go up and create pressure,” Narkewicz said. “It puts more pressure on the city to try to make up that gap.”
Provost said it’s still early in the budget process, and there remains plenty of time for the public to weigh in on these issues.
“I really value transparency in the budget process and I really value our employees, which is why I wanted to give them the heads-up,” he said of his decision to distribute the letter. “There will be different options to consider.”
Amanda Drane can be contacted at adrane@gazettenet.com.