Manheim, PA: District to open K-2 ASD class;16.4% to 19.4% increase in SPED in 3 yrs
- Mar 29
- 2 min read
What happened: A new K-2 autism support class will be in one of the district schools under a contract the board approved with Lancaster-Lebanon Intermediate Unit 13.
Why it matters: Keisha McCauley, director of special education, said four students in the incoming kindergarten class will need the specialized services an autism support class can provide.
Background: During a Feb. 2 meeting, McCauley said the district’s special education population has increased from 16.4% to 19.4% since 2023; 457 students in 2023 to 531 students now. The district’s classes are filled, and outside placements are not only costly, but there’s not any availability.
More: Leading up to this decision, McCauley presented options such as the district opening its own K-2 autism support class, contracting with New Story to provide a class in a district school, or contracting with IU13 to open a class in a district school. She said the board could evaluate the IU13 model mid-year and determine if the district should stay with IU13 or contract with New Story in the future.
Details: The new autism support class would have eight seats, and McCauley said IU13 would guarantee Manheim Central four of those seats. She said IU13 has a team in place to start a new classroom for the 2026-27 school year.
The cost: IU13’s cost for the four seats is $267,171. McCauley recommended the district hire two personal care assistants to serve the four students. Total cost of contracting with IU13 including the assistants is $374,226. . . .
The cost: The estimated cost of the project is from $2.5 to $3 million, with construction occurring in 2028, Randall Wenger, Rapho Township manager, said in a follow-up email.
The townships are seeking funding through a Multimodal grant from the state Department of Community and Economic Development to cover about 70% of the project cost. In preliminary discussions, Axe said the townships and the school district would split the remaining cost equally.
Quotable: “The project would widen the bridge so that two school buses could pass one another. Currently, (traffic approaching) the bridge gets backed up around 7:30 a.m. Buses have to take turns crossing the bridge, and it’s hard for people to turn left when they cross the bridge. We see this project as a big win for the community,” Axe said.
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