3 school districts join program for deaf, hard-of-hearing students

North East Independent School District Board of Trustees voted unanimously during its Nov. 11 meeting to allow three additional school districts to join its shared services agreement to provide services for deaf and hard-of-hearing students.

The gist

The vote allows New Braunfels ISD, Seguin ISD and Marion ISD to join a joint services agreement between NEISD, Alamo Heights ISD, Comal ISD and Judson ISD to provide specialized services to eligible students.

The program is designed to serve deaf or hard-of-hearing individuals ages 0-21. Students will receive 180 minutes of daily direct instruction from a teacher certified in deaf and hard-of-hearing communications systems in clusters divided by age group.

NEISD Executive Director Vanessa Kosar said the regional day school program would not require additional staff and learning would not be impacted by the addition of three new school districts.

“There are only a few students who need this level of support per district, that's why we house a program for everyone,” Kosar said.

The breakdown

According to NEISD district officials, each district pays approximately $25,000 in tuition per student and covers transportation costs for travel to NEISD.

The program currently has roughly 32-35 students and the addition of the three new ISDs will bring the number to roughly 40 students.