New Milford is set to enhance its special education services by adding a new special education teacher and four paraprofessionals. This move is in response to a rise in students joining the district’s inclusive preschool program.
Superintendent Janet Parlato confirmed that the district will finance these new positions through its regular budget, avoiding the need for additional funds from the town. She clarified that no existing budget allocations were reduced to accommodate these new roles. “Thanks to retirements and departures, we were able to hire new teachers at lower salaries, freeing up funds to cover the cost of the new special education teacher and paraprofessionals,” Parlato said. The district will soon advertise for these new positions.
The additional teacher will join the Experiential Center for Early Learning (EXCEL), a program designed to offer high-quality preschool education for both children with special needs and their typically developing peers. Enrollment for children with special needs is managed through a planning and process team, while “community friends” can apply through a lottery system.
During the school board meeting on August 20, where the board unanimously approved the new positions, Parlato reported receiving 58 referrals to the EXCEL program after the October 1 deadline. “The complexity and severity of the students’ needs are greater than we have seen in very young children before,” Parlato noted.
Currently, 18 students will remain in the program because they are not yet old enough for kindergarten, as per the state’s new cutoff law requiring children to be 5 years old by September 1, unless granted special permission.
Laura Olson, the district’s special services and pupil personnel director, highlighted that many students are being referred with autism diagnoses, necessitating more intensive services. At least 24 of these students require one-on-one paraprofessional support.
Parlato recommended hiring one full-time special education teacher to work across the EXCEL programs at Hill and Plain Elementary School and Northville Elementary School, along with four additional paraprofessionals. The anticipated cost for the teacher is $95,000, and the total for the paraprofessionals is $80,000.
Although this increase in referrals was not accounted for in the budget, school board Chairperson Wendy Faulenbach acknowledged the necessity of these additions. “The numbers justify the need,” she said, and inquired about the possibility of filling the new special education position quickly.
Faulenbach also pointed out the challenge of managing additional staffing costs, especially given the anticipated expiration of federal Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) funds this fall. The district had used over $2.5 million in ESSER funds to create 13.5 staff positions to address pandemic-related needs but had to cut these positions in the 2024-25 budget. “We need to be cautious and plan carefully,” Faulenbach added.
Board member Eric Hansell emphasized the need to address the financial implications of hiring the new staff promptly. “I want to understand the cost implications now, rather than waiting until March, when it might be too late to plan effectively,” he said.