Wake County Schools Cut Special Ed Services

0:00This is Cory with the story with Durham News today, powered by the Daily News Now. Wade County Schools are planning major cuts to special education services next year, affecting 22,000 students. The district wants to slash the budget by $18 million, which means eliminating 130 teaching positions. They also plan to end the cross-categorical kindergarten program entirely and phase out the middle school's essentials program over three years. These changes target cross-categorical resource teachers who help special needs students in regular classrooms develop their individualized, education plans, and monitor behavior. The district says remaining teachers will handle bigger caseloads, but insist every student's plan will still be followed. They promise extra support like more behavior specialists in elementary schools and better scheduling in high schools and middle schools. Teachers and parents are pushing back hard with protests outside schools. The local teachers union warns heavier work loads will bury educators in paperwork, lead to burnout, and drive many to quit. Critics say this will hurt

1:04the hands-on help kids need most. On the kindergarten front, the program serves 184 students, many with autism, as a diagnostic year to ease them into regular. Classes. Officials note 87% transition successfully and argue general education settings with added training for teachers will work better. They'll boost behavior techs and social emotional coaches to fill the gap. For middle schools, the essentials program offers small classes in math and reading to meet education goals, but staffing certified teachers has been tough with mixed grade levels. The phase out starts by dropping it for six graders next year with plans for more training on instruction and behavior management. The Daily News Now is powered by our sponsor. Link in the description. Your pillow just got smarter. It plays your podcast and music. S-O-L-I solely pillow dot com.