Oconto Falls School Board balances growth with tight special education capacity

OCONTO FALLS – The Oconto Falls School Board spent a significant portion of its Jan. 12 meeting reviewing the district’s special education capacity and its implications for open enrollment during the 2026 – 2027 school year.

Administrators recommended that the district continue to accept regular education open enrollment students without caps but set strict limits for students with identified special education needs.

For the coming school year, the district has effectively set special education open enrollment capacity at zero across all grade levels and for speech-language services.

This decision stems from a detailed capacity analysis. The special education director calculated capacity by multiplying maximum caseloads by current staffing levels, then compared that to projected enrollment.

Projections incorporated not only students already receiving services, but also anticipated new referrals and the intensity of services required, including teacher minutes, paraprofessional support and related services like speech therapy.

The result showed that in multiple areas projected needs either meet or exceed the district’s practical capacity.

The district also saw a recent increase in transfer students coming in, many with higher levels of need, while fewer students transferred out. This shift added additional strain to existing staff resources.

Because of these factors, the district concluded it cannot responsibly add open-enrolled special education students without risking its ability to serve current residents at appropriate levels.

Families who open enroll into Oconto Falls and later are identified as needing special education will still be evaluated, but if services would exceed capacity, those students would need to receive special education through their resident districts.

Board members acknowledged that the restrictive stance underscores both the strength and the pressure on Oconto Falls’ special education programs. The district remains an attractive destination for families seeking support, but staffing-based limits require careful management. Administrators indicated they will continue to monitor caseloads, staffing and referral trends as they plan for future years.

Another major discussion item centered on the district’s 4K partnership with Encompass Early Education and Care.

Encompass has decided to end its formal 4K partnership with the district at the start of the 2026 – 2027 school year to participate in the state’s Get Kids Ready block grant program.
District-owned curriculum and materials at the Encompass site will be returned at the end of this school year.

Transportation will not be provided to students enrolled exclusively in Encompass 4K, and enrichment visits to district elementary schools will cease.

Current 4K students at Encompass will complete the year as planned, and families will continue to have the option of using Encompass for wrap-around care alongside district 4K programs.

Looking ahead to transportation needs, the board authorized ordering one new diesel Blue Bird school bus and one nine-passenger Micro Bird vehicle for 2026 – 2027 at an estimated cost of $245,826.

The additional small bus will allow non-CDL staff to transport small groups of students for specialized programs and activities.

In other business, the board provided an update on the new baseball field project.

The district has finalized bid expectations with its design firm, Point of Beginning.

Contractor bids are scheduled to close Jan. 28, with a committee review planned in early February and a board-level decision targeted at the February meeting.

Board members stressed the importance of involving both facilities committees and coaching staff in reviewing the final bid package to avoid design misalignments and costly rework.

The board also accepted the 2024 – 2025 financial audit, which reported a clean opinion and no material weaknesses.

Two technical deficiencies were noted: reliance on the auditor to prepare annual statements and an earlier omission in checking debarment status for newly added food service vendors, which has since been corrected.

The board approved an additional baseball coaching position for the upcoming spring season to handle an unusually large turnout of players. This year, 36 students signed up for baseball, with 34 considered firm commitments, including a sizable freshman group.

On days when both varsity and junior varsity compete, roster and travel limits can leave more than a dozen athletes without meaningful practice or playing opportunities.

Adding another coach is intended to improve supervision, skill development and game management for all players. The board will reassess participation and staffing needs after the season before making future adjustments.

Finally, board members accepted the retirement of long-serving educator and coach Jerome Moynihan after 34 years of service.

Story highlights

• The open enrollment capacity for special education students was set to zero for the 2026 – 2027 school year. A capacity analysis showed that projected needs for current and incoming students already meets or exceeds the district’s staffing capabilities.
• Encompass Early Education and Care is ending its formal 4K partnership with the district to participate in a state block grant program. Transportation will no longer be provided for students enrolled exclusively in Encompass 4K.
• The district is finalizing bids for a new baseball field project with a decision targeted for February. Additionally, the board approved an extra baseball coach to manage a roster of 36 players.