DATE:
January 10, 2018
TO:
Principals
Resource Team Leaders
FROM:
Laura Finlinson, Admin. of Curriculum/Staff Development & Special Programs
Lisa Robinson, Director of Special Education
SUBJECT:
Projected Caseload Process for 2018-19 Resource Allocations
Based on Administrative recommendations, the hiring window has been moved up to meet the increasing demands caused by teacher shortages, particularly in specific job categories. The Staffing 2.0 allocations are scheduled to be released by mid-February. To address this advanced timeline, the Special Education Department will be making resource staffing allocations differently than in the past. This method should make the workload on special education teachers and team leaders much easier. Please read through this information carefully because it is a new process. If you have any questions, please contact your assigned teacher specialist.
Caseload Information
- No mid-year SCRAM report will be required. Please continue to send in SCRAM changes as they occur throughout the year. You will still be completing an End-of-Year SCRAM report.
- Your December 1 SCRAM report will be used as the baseline for next year’s caseload estimate.
- A 3-year average of incoming students to your school has been calculated to provide an estimate of incoming students in the youngest grade at your school. This number was added to your December 1 SCRAM numbers.
- The number of students leaving your school in the exiting grade has been calculated. This number was subtracted from your December 1 SCRAM numbers.
- Finally, we’ve maintained a trend line (for some schools since the 2002-03 SY) that shows estimated caseload versus actual caseloads on Oct. 1 and Dec. 1 SCRAM. We will use this trend line to make adjustments to estimates as needed.
- All allocations will be conservative and may be re-evaluated at the end of this school year or after the Oct. 1 2018 count has been finalized.
Timeline
- Initial allocations of certified special education FTE will be provided to the Human Resources Department in time for your 2.0 FTE Allocation.
- Each Principal will receive a letter outlining their estimated caseload numbers for 2018-19 and the projected resource FTE allocation for 2018-19.
- We will only be sending the allocation letter to each school’s principal.
Requests for Resource Instructional Assistants
In April, we will send a packet of information to each Resource and Support Class team to request instructional assistants for 2018-19. This will include a regular resource assistant allocation and the information needed to request Critical Needs Instructional Assistants. This timeline should allow your teams to have a better idea of which students with additional staffing needs will be attending your school for 2018-19.
