Changes are coming to special education across three school districts.

The Ute Pass Board of Cooperated Education Services (BOCES) voted Aug. 15 to officially dissolve following decisions by Manitou Springs, Cripple Creek-Victor and Woodland Park’s school districts to end their respective agreements.

The board voted unanimously to dissolve services effective at the start of the 2025-26 fiscal year.

The BOCES currently provides special education services for students across the three districts in lieu of their own administrative units (AU). BOCES are often incorporated by multiple school districts who can’t afford services independently or find a more cost-effective arrangement by pooling funding with other districts.

Manitou Springs School District 14’s board of education announced their intention to withdraw from the BOCES and form their own AU in May following discussions with amongst board members and district staff. The decision was prompted by a deadline to notify the BOCES board by the end of the month.

Following D-14’s decision, Woodland Park School District (WSPD) publicly announced that they would be continuing their partnership with Ute Pass BOCES for the 2024-25 school year.

On Aug. 5 during their regular meeting, Cripple Creek-Victor’s board discussed the district’s intention to join the Pikes Peak BOCES, whom they previously partnered with, after D-14’s decision and potentially improving services for its special needs students with the new partnership.

Improvements mentioned during the discussion included a guarantee of once-a-week services over current inconsistencies and digital staffing via Zoom, savings on district funds and IT support.

“I was happy dancing, let me just tell you,” board president Donna Brazill said at the meeting. “Because it was very kid-centered conversation, you know? The student is priority, the family is priority.”

During their regular meeting Wednesday night, WSPD board members discussed the possibility of the district developing their own dedicated AU following the departure of the other partnering districts.

Board Director Suzanne Patterson explained that all the districts have until the beginning of September to file with state department of education for an AU or keep their current services, putting them on a short timeline.

“BOCES doesn’t exist with one school in a district,” she said. “So, our hands were tied.”

Woodland Park Superintendent Ken Witt told the board that they were large enough to financially support their own AU and currently staff most of their own special education personnel.

He went on to say that the services they would provide students would be the same services from the same staff.

“So, we would need to hire a SPED director. And other than that, we would do as we always do which is hire our own special education service providers,” he said. “So, there’s not much of a change.”

The board unanimously approved a resolution to dissolve services with the BOCES and establish and AU following the 2024-25 school year.

The services provided by BOCES will remain available for the current school year.

Earlier the same day, WPSD announced the appointment of Jack Bay as the district’s new Chief Financial Officer. Bay has previously worked in Douglas County School District, Trinidad School District 1 and School District 49. He most recently served as the chief business officer at the K-12 charter Chavez Huerta Preparatory Academy.