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DARIEN, Conn. Darien schools have added five special education teachers and eliminated 10 aides in an effort to make special education more effective.
The move will reduce each teacher's caseload and allow them to provide more support to their students, Assistant Superintendent Judith Pandolfo told the Board of Education on Tuesday night.
The administration determined that special education students would be able to spend more time with their teachers, and the need for instructional aides would be reduced. The move was made at no additional cost to the district, Pandolfo said. Special education teachers are usually working with no more than two grade levels.
Seven of the 10 instructional aides reductions were through attrition, and the other three positions were eliminated. One aide has been rehired as a full-time replacement aide, and another is working as a part-time teacher, Pandolfo said.
Special education has long been a headache for the Board of Education. Rising costs have been attributed to decreasing reimbursements from the state and the high cost of tuition for students who must go out of the district to meet their special education needs.
The district has taken efforts to make special education more efficient, such as restructuring how teachers are grouped together. The administration will be collecting data this fall and examining how changes have affected costs and services to students.
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