Paterson, NJ: Plans for special school for 100 kids with "multiple disabilities" currently in pre-K

May 11, 2026, NorthJersey.com: Paterson plans to devote a school to students with disabilities

City education officials are planning to convert Dale Avenue School into a program for 118 children with multiple disabilities and autism, which they said will save the district $9.8 million in the coming school year.

The district currently has 100 children in pre-K who have multiple disabilities and would have to go to out-of-district special education programs because of space limitations in the district’s current configuration when classes resume in September, officials said.

Another 18 students with multiple disabilities currently attend outside programs, said Cheryl Coy, the district’s assistant superintendent for special education.

But the out-of-district programs come at a heavy cost — ranging from $35,000 to $100,000 per year per child, not including other expenses like transportation, Coy said.

In contrast, the state only provides the district between $24,000 and $26,000 in funding for each child in special education.

“If we were to place those 118 students out of district, we would start the 2026-27 school year off with a $9.8 million deficit,” Coy told the school board on May 6.

The Paterson district has 5,200 students in special education, Coy said. That number includes about 1,100 who get support from aides while attending regular education classes and 1,200 in general education who get pulled from those classes for extra help, she said.

The district also has 194 self-contained classes composed entirely of children in special education. Paterson Public Schools sends 402 children to out-of-district programs.

In recent years, the Dale Avenue School, located near the Passaic County Administration building on Grand Street, has served children in grades pre-k through 2, including students in special education.

Coy said the district is looking at the possibility of expanding the separate special education school plan to incorporate the Norman S. Weir School building — a longtime Paterson choice elementary school that is being repurposed.

Coy said staying within the district will benefit the children with multiple disabilities because they will be with their peers, students they will see outside of schools.

The district has enough teachers and other staff for the revamped Dale Avenue School, Coy said.

School board member Corey Teague expressed concerns in an interview on Friday, May 8 about whether the district has complied with state requirements to create the separate special education school.

Teague and his colleague, Kenneth Simmons, have challenged the district’s shutdown of its four choice elementary schools. A state administrative law judge is scheduled to conduct a hearing on that challenge in June.