FARMINGTON — Regional School Unit 9 is seeing increasingly complex special education needs, even as its overall identification rate remains relatively steady, driving expansion of specialized programs, staffing, training and transportation services.

Director of Special Services Cynthia Bernstein said the district has seen significant changes in the types of services students require over the past five years.

Identification of students with specific learning disabilities has decreased by nearly 31% during that period, while autism identification has increased nearly 26%. Identification under other health impairments, including attention challenges or anxiety, has increased 67%.

Bernstein said the local increase in autism reflects a broader rise in diagnoses as well as students entering the district with existing needs.

“Each year students who transfer into the district come to us with these challenges, including new kindergarten students and this year pre-K students,” Bernstein said.

She also pointed to the effects of disrupted education during the COVID-19 pandemic and difficulty accessing services outside school.

“Families are struggling with accessing necessary community support, rural options are few, to help their children learn and use the life skills we are teaching in school,” she said.

While the overall percentage of RSU 9 students identified for special education has remained relatively consistent, Bernstein said the level and type of support needed has changed.

Life skills program services have increased, and include adaptive behavior services for eligible students. Speech and language, occupational therapy and physical therapy services expand as students’ developmental needs require them, while day treatment services continue across grade levels as students grow older.

The changing needs are shifting resources toward behavioral, adaptive and executive-functioning supports and have required smaller, more individualized programs.

RSU 9 has also reduced out-of-district placements by 50% over five years, although additional students would be placed outside the district if space were available.

Asked how the district is serving students whose needs might otherwise require an outside placement, Bernstein said the number changes from year to year.

“The district is focusing on solutions for students whose skills require a program that is more specialized than what can be provided in a public school building,” she said.

That work includes development of such a program as part of the special education services offered by Mt. Blue. The district’s special services budget has increased 19.5% over five years, from about $7.02 million in fiscal 2022 to about $8.38 million for fiscal 2027.

Bernstein identified staffing, training and transportation as the primary factors behind the increase. “The necessary expansion of programs has increased the need for skilled staff,” she said.

Training is provided before and throughout the school year so employees can develop and practice skills needed to serve students. The district also contracts with staffing companies when required positions cannot be filled by educators hired directly by RSU 9.

Transportation needs have also become more specialized. Based on student needs many times this is individualized in separate vehicles.

Staff preparation has been another major focus. More than 135 employees received SafetyCare training before the school year began, 22 educational technicians were being trained as behavioral health professionals, and nine professional staff members were receiving training to administer the Woodcock-Johnson V Test of Achievement.

Bernstein said staff training is one of the department’s strengths.

“I would say the things that we do best … are probably getting staff trained,” she said. The district is also evaluating whether its current safety training adequately addresses staff needs.

Bernstein said RSU 9 moved more training from the school year to the summer two years ago to reduce staff absences from classrooms and programs, a change that increased costs. During the past year and a half, the district has gathered staff feedback, reviewed administrator observations and examined changing student needs.

“These factors influenced the district’s investigation of additional behavior support programs that provide a more specific focus on student trauma and functional backgrounds and skills,” Bernstein said.

RSU 9 is also expanding services for younger children. The district is providing special education services for 4-year-olds through school-based pre-K programs, an adaptive skills pre-K and kindergarten program and community settings.

Bernstein said the district is preparing to take on services for 3-year-olds next year as well. The combination of younger students entering services and more students requiring intensive programming means the district will continue tracking staffing, space and program needs as it plans for future years.

RSU 9 includes Chesterville, Farmington, Industry, New Sharon, New Vineyard, Starks, Temple, Vienna, Weld and Wilton.