Conroe ISD reviews rising costs, decentralization plan for special education department

On June 16, the Conroe ISD board of trustees discussed the district’s special education department's increasing costs and student population as well as an update on the district's “homecoming plan,” which will return students to their zoned neighborhoods.

The discussion

Kendra Wiggins, CISD executive director of special education, presented the annual special education update to the CISD board. CISD currently serves 12,282 special education students, which makes up 17% of the total student population. Along with that, there are 5,977 Section 504 students who make up 8.3% of the total student population. Section 504 students are students who have a history of disability or who are perceived to be disabled.

Wiggins said that due to cuts in Medicaid, CISD has lost an estimated $10 million since the 2022-23 school year. CISD participates in the School Health and Related Services program, which allows districts to request reimbursement for health-related services provided to Medicaid-eligible students, specifically related to special education students.

With the rising special education population, the district has continued to hire more personnel to meet these needs, including but not limited to:

• 15 new dyslexia teachers
• Four new speech pathologists
• Four new diagnosticians
• Four new school psychologists

About the program

As part of the special education update, the board also received an update on the CISD “homecoming” plan. As previously reported, the homecoming plan is a districtwide effort to decentralize special education and allow students to be able to attend school in their zoned neighborhoods.

Wiggins said the homecoming plan is not a budget shift but a structural shift, instead using district resources to keep kids closer to home effectively.

CISD had announced in April that it would host student orientation nights across the district to familiarize special education students with their future surroundings. Wiggins said the orientation nights were a large success, and multiple parents and teachers have supported the initiative to familiarize students.

One more thing

Wiggins also presented an official request for the CISD board to formally adopt the Conroe ISD Special Education Parent Advisory Committee. The official vision of the committee is to ”move beyond compliance and into a culture of inclusion where communication is seamless, and every child's potential is championed by a united front of educators and teachers.”

As of now, the committee's bylaws and board policies are currently drafted for consideration by the board, and the council will formally launch Aug. 31.

The organization currently has four quarterly meetings planned for the following dates:

• Sept. 24, 6-8 p.m.
• Nov. 12, 6-8 p.m.
• Jan. 21, 6-8 p.m.
• April 8, 6-8 p.m.