Federal ESSER funding that dries up at the end of this school year is going to cause impacts to many areas of the Warren County School District’s budget.

Budgetary constraints in turn mean changes to programs for students.

The school board heard this week from Director of Pupil Services Dr. Patricia Mead about how the district will respond to those challenges in the realm of special education.

According to a report presented to the board, those federal COVID-19 dollars funded programs including recovery services, an additional psychological counselor, art therapy, an elementary student assistance program and a virtual home school visitor.

“All of the school mental health services we are currently providing with grants are going to be going away in June,” she said. “That was a lot of services for the last three years.”

She said they’re trying to preserve some of those offerings “but it’s hard to pick.”

Goals for 2024 and 2025 that Mead outlined included increased collaboration with mental health service providers and to “remove gaps in our system.

“If we can work together to do that,” she said, “perhaps we can create some positive change.”

Additional objectives include training for staff that evaluate students with autism and getting three sensory rooms up and running.

The sensory rooms, located at Warren Area Elementary Center, Beaty-Warren Middle School and Warren High School, will “help students with coping skills that interact with sensory input in a safe supportive environment,” the report states.

Mead said that procedures, training and the development of guidelines will need to be completed before that resource can open to students.

Changing demographics are also reflected in the report.

“We do see an increase and fluctuation in unaccompanied youth,” Mead said.

That refers to any youth living with someone other than their birth parent. She said the number of students in foster care is “very high this year” as some have come from Erie County.

Board member John Wortman asked what can be done as student populations continue to decline.

“How do we ensure (those students) have access to a certificated person as we continue to face these challenges in finding certified teachers?” Wortman asked. “That’s one of my great concerns.”

Mead said the district currently has 16 emergency certified special education teachers.

“We do a lot of recruiting, a lot of support,” she said. “Sometimes the motto is ‘find someone with the degree that has the heart for students.'”

Data shows that the district’s students population is down 15 percent since 2013-2014 but the number of students with an IEP (individualized education program) has increased 19 percent.

“Special education teachers are overwhelmed,” Mead said. “Everyone’s overwhelmed.”

She said the data shows, though, that those challenges are “not just isolated to Warren County.”