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Staffing Plan

Calvert County Public Schools Special Education Staffing Plan School Year 2022-2023

Introduction

The intent of the staffing plan is to provide guidance to the Superintendent and to the Board of Education in determining the number of special education teachers and related services providers needed annually to implement the Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) for students with disabilities. The focus of the plan is on professional staff and instructional assistants who are responsible for the delivery of special education instruction at the school level. It does not include the professional and support staff assigned to the central office Special Education Department or the Infants and Toddlers Program. Calvert County Public Schools has a dedicated Transition Specialist to support Secondary Transition needs.

Calvert County Public Schools is committed to ensuring the provision of a Free Appropriate Public Education (FAPE) to eligible children by providing sufficient staffing for the provision of special education and related services, as well as fulfilling all requirements under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA).

Calvert County Public Schools uses a hybrid census staffing model to determine its special education staffing. The hybrid census model is based on total student population in a school and is directed towards providing the appropriate services and supports to meet the needs of students with disabilities in the least restrictive environment. Although it permits building administrators the flexibility to use special education staff to appropriately implement students’ Individualized Education Programs (IEPs), the hybrid census model does not have a built-in incentive for schools to over-identify students for special education services and can be used effectively as a long-range planning tool.

Requirements

“A public agency shall develop a staffing plan consistent with the procedures provided by the Department, to ensure that personnel and other resources are available to provide a Free Appropriate Public Education (FAPE) to each student with a disability in the least restrictive environment. (COMAR 13A.05.02.13D)

  1. A public agency shall submit a staffing plan consistent with the procedures provided by the Department to ensure that personnel and other resources are available to provide FAPE to each student with a disability in the least restrictive environment as determined by an IEP team.

  2. The local board shall approve the staffing plan.”

Calvert County Public Schools Current Staffing Plan

One special education teacher is assigned for every 175 students in elementary, middle and high schools; although the number of students with IEPs may also be considered. This student count is based on the total school enrollment and not “full time equivalent” counts. Each school is assigned at least one special education instructional assistant; often more. The need for additional staff would be based on the unique student characteristics and existing staffing patterns.

Requirements Beyond Direct Service

The continuum of services at each building ranges from consultation and collaborative services, to co-teaching, to separate classes for students who require a more restrictive environment. In assignment of staff, consideration is given to additional tasks required of special education teachers and the time needed to complete these tasks.

The following tasks are unique to special education and consume time beyond that which is allotted for daily planning:

  • Writing IEPs using the Maryland Online IEP system
  • Preparing for, attending, and presenting information at IEP meetings
  • Billing for Medicaid case management and health related services
  • Evaluating students for determination of a disability
  • Reevaluating students at least on a triennial basis
  • Scoring assessments and writing assessment reports
  • Consulting and planning with general education staff and other providers
  • Travel time for itinerant staff
  • Conducting the daily preparation of multiple lesson plans to meet the needs of diverse learners
  • Administering informal reading, written language and math assessments
  • Completing quarterly progress reports in addition to report cards.

Service Providers Needed to Provide a FAPE in the Least Restrictive Environment

The Special Education Department will include the following providers responsible for the delivery of special education services at the school level at the beginning of the 2022-2023 school year using local and restricted funding. The related services staffing is determined and assigned based on caseloads by building and time allotted to complete the tasks unique to special education as stated above.

Provider Number of Staff
Special Education Teachers 169.69
Instructional Assistants 176.00
Speech-Language Pathologists 29.00
Behavior Specialists 5.50
Behavior Technicians 6.00
Audiologists 2.00
Teacher of the Visually Impaired 2.00
Teacher of the Hearing Impaired 1.60
Adapted Physical Education Teacher 1.00
Physical Therapists 3.00
Occupational Therapists 9.10
Social Worker 1.00
Sign Language Interpreters 1.00

Regional Programs Staffing Recommendations 2022-2023 School Year

Position Number of Staff
Co-Taught Pre-Kindergarten 1 teacher per 8 students
Intensive Structured Learning Environment (ISLE) Pre-K 1 teacher/1-2 assistants* per 4-6 students
Special Pre-Kindergarten — 3 years old 1 teacher/1 assistant* per 6-8 students
Special Pre-Kindergarten — 4 years old 1 teacher/1 assistant* per 8-10 students
Special Kindergarten 1 teacher/1 assistant* per 8-10 students
Elementary Behavior Development Programs (BDP) 1 teacher/2 assistants* per 6-8 students
Elementary Structured Learning Environment (SLE) 1 teacher/2 assistants* per 6-8 students
Elementary Intensive Structured Learning Environment (ISLE) 1 teacher/2 assistants* per 6-8 students
Middle School Behavior Development Programs (BDP) 1 teacher/1 assistant* per 8-10 students
Middle School Structured Learning Environment (SLE) 1 teacher/1 assistant* per 8-10 students
Middle School Intensive Structured Learning Environment (ISLE) 1 teacher/2 assistants* per 6-8 students
High School Functional Skills Program 1 teacher/2 assistants* per 8-10 students
High School Behavior Development Programs (BDP) 1 teacher/1 assistant per 8-10 students
High School Intensive Structured Learning Environment (ISLE) 1 teacher/2 assistants per 8-10 students
Learning for Independence (LFI) 1 teacher/1 assistant per 8-10 students
Calvert Country Functional Skills Programs 1 teacher/1 assistant per 4-6 students
Calvert Country Behavior Development (BDP) 1 teacher/1 assistant per 4-6 students

*Additional instructional assistants may be needed when the nature and intensity of a child’s disability warrants increased staff to provide a safe learning environment. These recommendations reflect an average teacher-to-student ratio. Staff may be increased or decreased based upon the needs of the students in the class.

Current Vacancies

A list of current vacancies can be viewed in our applicant tracking system.

Evaluation of Staffing Plan

The Special Education Department administrative staff will be responsible for evaluating the staffing plan through:

  • The review of special education teachers’ and related services providers’ schedules, as necessary, to ensure that staff-to-student ratios are adequate and that sufficient time is included to meet the needs of students as prescribed by IEPs.
  • Meetings between the Director of Special Education and principals to discuss staffing as needed to plan for the current and following school year.
  • Input from special education lead teachers and lead related service providers
  • Meetings with special education administrative staff as needed to assess adequacy of staffing.
  • Ongoing communication with the Human Resources Department to address vacancies and potential candidates.

The staffing plan will also be monitored by:

  • The number of Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE) complaints filed related to staffing.
  • The number of requests for mediation/ due process hearings directly related to staffing.
  • Results of meetings with principals and other special education staff regarding the adequacy of staffing.

Public Review

The Special Education Citizens Advisory Committee (SECAC) provides public comment on the staffing plan each year. The SECAC is made up of representatives from community agencies and support groups, parents, and general and special education teachers and administrators. The group meets on a regular basis to discuss issues and concerns regarding special education in CCPS.

The Special Education Staffing Plan was reviewed and discussed with the SECAC on May 10, 2022. Feedback from the Committee will be added to the plan in the public comment section.

The plan was presented to the CCPS Board of Education on June 9, 2022. The plan was posted on the CCPS Website for public review for four weeks. The plan was approved by the Board of Education on July 14, 2022.

Public Comment

Public comment submitted was reviewed and considered.

Definitions

Note:  Since different terms are sometimes understood differently, these definitions are provided as clarification regarding the terms throughout this plan. There is no intent that these definitions must be accepted as standardized, but are simply to assist understanding the recommendations of this report.