Staffing and instruction remain unsettled
The Langan School serves K-12 students from 58 Capital Region districts. Last year, one of its 15 classrooms had a certified special education teacher; aides in the other classrooms carried out lesson plans prepared by that teacher, according to Times Union reporting. The school’s current number of certified special education teachers is unclear.
A parent’s complaint about instruction for her autistic son prompted a state Education Department investigation. The department found that an aide cannot be the sole instructor when a student’s Individualized Education Program requires a certified special education teacher. The investigation letter did not order the Center for Disability Services to hire certified teachers for all of its other students, the Times Union reported.
Center for Disability Services CEO Gregory Sorrentino told the Times Union that hiring the 14 special education teachers the school would ideally need would be difficult. He said recruiting is a daily priority, including for the planned campus. The school has relied on substitutes and aides amid the shortage.
The new site will expand the school’s space
The Center for Disability Services has $6.5 million in state funding to redevelop a vacant former ShopRite at 41 Vista Blvd. in Slingerlands as the Langan School’s new location, according to the Times Union. The center plans to buy the building. Price Chopper, which acquired the site’s lease in 2023, will pay a buyout to the property owner; the sale price and buyout amount have not been disclosed. The lease is in place through 2032.
The Slingerlands school is expected to serve 50 children with disabilities and open in about two years, according to the Times Union. Sorrentino said the center is already prioritizing recruitment for the new campus. Whether it can hire enough certified special education teachers remains unresolved.
How private-school tuition rates are set
For approved special-education programs serving students ages 3 to 21, the New York State Education Department’s Rate Setting Unit establishes tuition rates, including for programs run by private-school providers. The agency’s description explains rate-setting but does not specify how districts are reimbursed for placement costs.
The staffing challenge extends beyond Langan
Special education had the highest number of teaching vacancies in 45 states last year, the Times Union reported. Separate research from the Institute of Education Sciences found shortages in specific subject areas in New York. A companion study found that special education was the most common shortage certification area in which experienced teachers earned additional certificates.
The Center for Disability Services has also pursued state and federal funding for its health-care work. The organization’s partnership with Albany Medical Center received a $1.5 million state Health Care Facility Transformation Grant and $2 million in federal funding for capital improvements to the Center’s Primary Care Clinic, equipment, and building modifications, according to News10.
