Spring can be a challenging time in the education business, and that can be especially true with education service agencies. April and May are always busy, and people's patience can begin to wear thin. People feel like they are running out of school year, and that in itself can cause a spurt for demands for services. So, yes, spring can always be a tough time of year in education, but I want to acknowledge that the challenges many of you are facing this spring are more significant than those experienced in past, perhaps more typical, years. This year is different, and we have some data to bear that out. Someone told me years ago that one major function of leadership is to define reality and give hope. I want to attempt to do both those things here.
The Reality at Heartland AEA
First of all, in regard to defining our reality, I want you to know that all of our leaders understand we are experiencing some significant changes in the area of special education this year. Some of these changes may be more temporary and some may be permanent, but either way, they are impacting workloads for many of you. Changes in the use of suspicion of disability in many districts combined with new evaluation requirements resulting from the “AW case” have both increased the number of open cases we have at any time and the length of time it often may take to complete an evaluation.
We are monitoring closely how these changes are impacting our staff. For example, we know that during the period from July 1, 2016 to April 11, 2017, Heartland AEA had 2,139 open referrals. One year later, over the same length of time (July 1, 2017 to April 11, 2018), we have seen 2,523 open referrals. This represents an increase of nearly 18% in one year. So if you are feeling a bit overwhelmed at the moment, it's easy to see why. We haven't yet analyzed the average number of days required to complete the evaluation process, but we are assuming that those numbers may be increasing as well. So in terms of our efforts to define the current reality, please know that our regional directors and APC know what is happening, and also that we are concerning ourselves with how to address this situation. I realize that our mere awareness doesn’t help you get your work done, but it is step one, and we are actively seeking solutions to address the situation.
What We've Done
Here is what else we know: from the 2016-17 school year to the 2018-19 school year, we will have added 41 Certified (non-administrative) staff. This year, we added 20 Certified staff, and for next school year, we will add 14 new positions. Our staffing level has increased at a rate double that of our increase in student enrollment. Even so, our increase in staffing is not matching the 18% increase in referrals referred to above. We also know that these increases vary by region and school district. In fact the change in referral rate by district varies from a decrease of 36% to an increase of 166%. No two school buildings are alike, and some simply generate more referrals per capita and require a greater investment of our time than others. This may be due to varying levels of district talent and capacity, or it may be due to the beliefs that permeate the school culture. Whatever the reason, the variance is concerning, and we need to dig deeper into its causes. We try to account for unique district qualities and the impact they can have on staffing needs in a region. We also try to take into consideration things like travel time and rural sparsity.
However, we try to keep staffing ratios relatively consistent across regions based on student enrollment. We would love to continue to add significant numbers of staff to every region every year, but our ability to do so will be impacted by future funding levels from the State, and in some cases, a shortage of qualified candidates to hire. We also need to be mindful of balancing our need for adding new staff with our need to maintain a competitively compensated workforce. The reality is our resources are limited.
And What We're Considering
Since we know our desire to increase staff is important but limited, what else can we do to address this new and increased demand for services? One common challenge to all AEAs (beyond annual funding) is that we are trying to balance our ability to build internal capacity by supporting the learning needs of our own staff with our ability to increase direct service days to districts. We can add to direct service capacity by adding more staff (and we are attempting to do that as much as possible), but we can also increase service time by having our staff taken away from buildings less often by reducing the number of meetings they are required to attend. I have used this analogy before, but if we could put each of our Certified staff in a building one more day per quarter (4 days a year), we could add the equivalent of nearly 10 FTEs. Cutting back on meetings that take people away from buildings may or may not help when it comes to having multiple ongoing referral cases, but I think it's a dimension we have to consider.
The Hope
So enough about our current reality—what about the hope piece? I have appreciated my opportunities to get out and meet with our regional teams and have more of these meetings scheduled in the coming weeks. We have had productive conversations about our current reality and the steps we might consider as an organization going forward. Many of the best ideas I hear about improving our efficiency as a system come from those of you who are actually out in the field doing the work. It’s when I have these opportunities to interact with you and gain your perspectives that I find hope.
I’m hopeful because I see a staff that is responding to new work demands by doing more for kids than ever before. I see talented professionals committed to supporting one another and working together. We are seeing new challenges, but we have faced challenges before. We are going to figure this out together. Your ideas and perspectives are valued, and that’s why we’ll continue to take steps to be intentional in maintaining on-going, two-way communication between our regions and APC. Please remember that we have much to celebrate and that your work is appreciated now more than ever. I am humbled by the investment so many of you are currently making. I know it’s hard work, but I also know it’s extremely important work. Thank you for all you do.
- Jon
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