Drastic cuts to special needs programs carried out over the last five years could be on the list for restoration when School District 43 meets to discuss its budget next Tuesday.
This week, trustees were given an eye-opening look about what has been happening with programs serving students with autism, mental health and behavioural issues.
And while members of SD43's Inclusion Support Team gave a positive view of changes, without any pleas for additional resources, the picture they painted was one of programs starved of resources.
And with court-mandated restoration of the teachers collective agreement, the hope is that many of these supports for special needs will be put back.
"We knew the cuts were hitting you hard," said Port Coquitlam Trustee Judy Shirra, referring to program cuts initiated in 2012 to help the district balance its budget.
She was referring to graphs that showed the startling decline in staff serving some of the district's most at-risk students while the number of those students has increased substantially.
Since 2012, for example the number of students with moderate to severe mental health or behaviour issues rose from 481 to 634, a 32% increase, while the number of specialist teachers assisting them were cut by more than half — from 23 to 11 for teachers — and the number of education assistants dropped from 15 to six.
Meanwhile, the numbers of students diagnosed with autism increased by 34.7% to 477 from 354 while staffing was cut from 3.6 FTE positions to 2.9 — a 19.4% decrease.
In total, the number of staff in these programs was cut from 37 to 17, with many of the professionals going into other areas of need in the district, while the number of youth workers helping in this area was cut from six to just one.
A mental health counsellor was added to address concerns about anxiety and other issues facing students today.
The cuts resulted in the closure of most of the pullout programs, in which students leave their classrooms to work with specialist teachers. Instead, new strategies were implemented to assist classroom teachers while only the most needy students received intensive services.
And instead of four teams serving district geographical areas, only one team, now called the Inclusion Support Team, serves this high-needs student population with 148 requests for service from elementary, middle and secondary teachers since September.
Much of the change has been in line with efforts to make schools more inclusive and deliver services more efficiently and equitably throughout the district, said Warren Crowley, an itinerant behaviour teacher. He said teachers are now getting help to teach special needs students in their own classrooms instead of sending them off to special programs.
But the move towards greater inclusivity is adding more pressure on the classroom teacher, said Coquitlam Teachers' Association president Ken Christensen.
He said the model of more inclusive classrooms had to change to "adapt to our improved understanding" about the needs of students with autism and mental health and behaviour issues.
"But we're still needing extra support," he said.
