What Every Leader Should Know About Special Education

What if one well-intended schedule change quietly cut thousands from your special education funding? We sit down with G CASE leaders Mary Kay Berry and Demita James to unpack the real-world moves that keep students supported, teams aligned, and districts out of trouble. From the fall Savannah gathering focused on the balance between instruction and compliance to the spring legal summit in Athens, we break down how timely professional learning translates into better IEPs, stronger classrooms, and fewer legal landmines.We go deep on leadership development with the Aspiring Directors Academy and state-supported new director learning, showing how pipeline planning protects services and prevents costly gaps when key people move on. Inside the IEP room, tone and structure matter: welcoming families, avoiding jargon, arranging the space for collaboration, and ensuring the LEA knows how to commit funds and uphold services. You’ll hear the phrases to avoid (“We don’t do that here”) and the practices that build trust without overpromising.The master schedule takes center stage as the quiet driver of equity and budgets. Scheduling special education first safeguards FTE funding, ensures certified staffing for the right service models, and avoids unintended consequences of block schedules. We also tackle the realities of teacher shortages and alternative routes, making the case for pairing targeted PD with coaching so new educators can deliver grade-level access, not just remediation. Inclusion is the norm now—students with disabilities are in AP, CTAE, fine arts, and core classes—so every teacher needs strategies, and every leader carries special education responsibility.If you’re a principal, AP, director, or district leader, this conversation gives you a checklist to strengthen IEP meetings, protect funds, and elevate instruction across the board. Subscribe, share with your team, and leave a review with one change you’ll make before your next IEP meeting.