The staff at Jefferson Elementary School does what they can to disguise the fact that their special education classroom was once a locker room.
To help camouflage the room, it?s decorated as an aquarium. Colorful paper fish swim are pasted across blue walls. Blue streamers hang from the ceiling; when the heater kicks on they shimmer and shake. A good imagination 
could give the ocean the credit. Brown and green construction paper wrap around plumbing pipes to mimic trees.
Even so, space it tight. Kellie King-DeNoon, a special education resource room teacher, said her job would be easier if there were more space. Sometimes, staff must move furniture to accommodate activities.
A proposal to build a new elementary school would create larger classrooms, designed to meet the needs of special education students as mandated by law. Voters will decide April 2 whether to approve $25.5 million in bonds to build a new elementary school, with options of $7 million to build a new science and technology building at the high school and $2.8 million to replace heating, ventilation and cooling systems at the middle school.
Educating students with special needs presents unique challenges that weren?t considered when USD 257?s buildings were constructed, with some facilities more than 100 years old.
Administrators and staff have come up with some creative solutions to accommodate students with special needs, Doug Tressler said, citing the converted locker rooms. He?s the director of the ANW Special Education Cooperative, which serves USD 257 and four other districts.
But even with efforts to make the best of challenging logistics, he said new facilities would result in significant improvements for those who work with special education students.
?It means more equity of access,? Tressler said. ?One of the better ways to support special education students is to have bigger classrooms, where teachers can work together in a partnership.?
About 250 students in USD 257 qualify for special education services. That can include anything from gifted students to those with learning disabilities (the majority of special education students fall into this category) to those with serious mental and physical disabilities. Some students have ambulatory problems, which means they can?t navigate stairs at facilities like Jefferson. Some are medically fragile and require the care of a nurse.
Federal laws require schools to provide an education for all children in ?the least restrictive environment.? That means students, no matter their disability, should be in a classroom with their peers as often as possible, Tressler said. Special education teachers will pull students out of their general education classroom from time to time for specialized instruction. Students who have severe mental disabilities or severe multiple disabilities may be transferred to another facility, like an alternative education school, if necessary.
SPECIAL education teachers are among the most difficult positions to recruit, especially in the face of nation- and statewide teaching shortages. Tressler has advertised an occupational therapist position for two years; until recently, he had no applicants.
Typically, ANW has to fill about 10 vacancies each year.
ANW employs a variety of teacher positions that require a higher degree of education than general classroom teachers. Most must have a master?s degree. Most will be based at a specific school, while others may travel to numerous buildings.
If voters agree to build a new school, Tressler could consolidate some positions and improve efficiency. Although some may worry that would result in lost jobs, the current teacher shortage means he likely would have other positions available.
Cost savings from reduced positions means he could invest in areas of high need, like hiring another position to help with those who are deaf or hard of hearing. He also needs to increase the number of social workers in the district.
