SCS Enrollment Down, Number of Special Ed Students Up

By David Avitabile

SCHOHARIE - While the Schoharie school district enrollment has declined steadily over the past seven years, the number of students with disabilities has increased sharply due to several factors.

Matthew Wright, the SCS director of curriculum and pupil personnel services, spoke to school board members at their December meeting about the increase in the number of special education students in the district.

Mr. Wright told school board members that the district enrollment has gradually declined from 2018-19 to 2025-26. The number of students with disabilities transferring into the district are disproportionately high. Despite the gradual decline in overall enrollment, the number of transfer students with disabilities is 1.5 to two times the number of students with disabilities who graduate each year.

Student needs are becoming more complex, he added. The district is seeing an increase in complex student needs that require intensive and highly individualized instructional support.

The total number of identified students with disabilities has sharply increased from 2020-21 through 2025-26, Mr. Wright said. The number of transfer students with disabilities enrolling in the district has increased over time directly impacting the overall classification rate. The district's classification rate mirrors this increase, projected to reach 20 percent in the 2025-26 school year.

The key drivers to the increase are: Increasing number of students who require a higher level of support and service, slowing enrollment, increased enrollment of transfer students with disabilities, and parent referrals are up. Mr. Wright added. The district cannot turn away parent referrals.

The 20 percent rate is "not bad" compared to other local districts but could be better, Mr. Wright said,

"Everyone is struggling with the same thing," he added.

There are action plans in place, he added.

The action plan to address the classification rate and parent referrals goals are: strengthen early interventions and data analysis to ensure students are only classified after intensive, data driven Least Restrictive Environment attempts, family engagement activities providing resources for families across domains, and others.

The action plan to address out-of-district placements goal is to work to provide a comprehensive continuity of services within the district to allow for consideration of bringing students back to their local high school, Mr. Wright said.

Schoharie is responding to declining enrollment and rising transfer SWD populations by focusing on strengthening classroom/building level intervention and data driven decision making to ensure compliance with the Least Restrictive Environment mandate for all students, he added.