The Greece Central School District is looking for long term solutions to meet a growing need for specialized instruction for students.
Assistant Superintendent Michael Zaffuts outlined three key areas of need — space for special education instruction, funding for a program designed for vulnerable students — for instance who have mental illness diagnoses, low grades, or are chronically absent — and adjustments to account for shifting enrollment at schools.
"These long-standing challenges led us to a place where we felt like we needed a long-term systemic effort to try to tackle them to represent not only solutions to those problems but also what our community values and matching a solution to those and a path forward with what our community values," Zaffuts said at a school board meeting Tuesday.
Special education enrollment at Greece schools is up by about 150 students compared with five years ago.
"We currently have services being delivered in hallways and cafeterias on a regular basis, and we need to figure out what is a long-term and viable solution to support those students and staff members," Zaffuts said, referring to the increased enrollment of students who need specialized instruction.
The district's Alcott Road campus is also in need of long-term financial support he said. The campus houses programs like Phoenix Academy which provides trauma-sensitive support for high schoolers, GED classes, and tutoring.
The district is working with consultants at Leadership Solutions Advisors to find potential solutions. The school board expects to hear about next steps on Dec. 1, followed by a presentation of three possible pathways by June.
"It's a huge undertaking, and it's something that everyone will have to kind of adjust in certain ways," School board member Mary Lyke said. "But I think for the district in the long run, it's just such a healthy thing to do."
