Special Education Small and Rural Schools (SPED SRS)
Jump to:
About Us Resources ECRP Map and Survey of Programs
About Us
Why Special Education Small and Rural Schools (SPED SRS)?
TEA is committed to providing effective supports and guidance to Texas public schools in their implementation of strong and effective programs for students with disabilities. The Special Education Small and Rural Schools (SPED SRS) webpage is designed to help these local education agencies (LEAs) meet the challenges unique to their size and region. The purpose of this webpage is to assist schools providing services to students with disabilities who live in small and/or rural LEAs within Texas. Difficulty with staff recruitment/retention, geographic isolation, and availability of resources are just a few of the barriers these schools face. The TEA will continue to share resources to ensure a more equitable level of service to students with disabilities (SWD) in small and rural LEAs.
Resources
Small, Rural, and Small and Rural Local Education Agencies (LEAs)
What is considered small, rural, or small and rural? "small" (K-12 population of 700 or less students), "Rural" (60 or more miles from the nearest Education Service Center (ESC)), or that is part of a Shared Service Arrangement (SSA). Take a look at the lists below if you are unsure.
View 2024-25 Eligible Small and Rural LEAs
Statewide Shared Service Arrangements' (SSA) Contact List
When two or more Local Education Agencies (LEAs) enter into an agreement to share Special Education resources, this is frequently referred to as a Shared Service Arrangement (SSA) or a Cooperative (Coop). It is very common for our small and rural LEAs to be a part of a SSA. Each SSA is made up of Member Districts, one of which is designated as the Fiscal Agent.
The Small and Rural Schools Network has created a Statewide SSA Contact List to serve as a resource for the state. On the contact list, you can find the name of the SSA, the Special Education Director’s name, the Director’s email address, and the name and County-District-Number (CDN) of the Member Districts. SSAs are listed by the region where the SSA’s Fiscal Agent (denoted in bold print) is located. If a district is located in a different region as the fiscal agent, the district’s region will be shown in parenthesis.
If you do find an error, please contact jam.page@esc15.net or pam.yarbrough@esc15.net.
View Statewide SSA Contact List
Small and Rural Schools Advisory Committee
To help guide the work of this network, an advisory committee was created with members from across the state that have experience working in small and rural schools.
| Name | Organization |
|---|---|
| Graciela Avalos | Region 1 ESC |
| Heather Bolt | Region 8 ESC |
| John Bullion | Superintendent - Morgan ISD |
| Pam Bumpass | Region 6 ESC |
| April Estrada |
Region 10 ESC |
| Tracy Johnson | Region 7 ESC |
| Codi Kadlecek | SPED Director - La Grange ISD |
| Lisa Kirby | Region 20 ESC |
| Pam Loper | Region 14 ESC |
| Melissa Mena |
Region 19 ESC |
| Stefanie Miller |
Region 5 ESC |
| Carol Nolan | Region 13 ESC |
| Lacy Omohundro | SPED Director - Grayson County SSA |
| Anna Philips |
Region 17 ESC |
| Yvonne Samaniego |
Associate Supt. -Fort Hancock ISD |
| Deena VanPelt | Region 5 ESC |
| Janeia Vorderkunz | Region 12 ESC |
| Stacie Whitaker | Region 8 ESC |
Evaluation Certification Reimbursement Program (ECRP)
Program Description
The Evaluation Certification Reimbursement Program (ECRP) provides funding for current school staff members to further their education to become an Educational Diagnostician or a School Psychologist. Upon completion of the certification program, participants will have committed to providing a minimum of 3 years of evaluation service in a small and/or rural local education agency (LEA) in Texas. The program is funded through a grant from the Texas Education Agency (TEA) and facilitated by ESC 15.
To be eligible for the ECRP, you must:
Work in a LEA that is either "small" (K-12 population of 700 or less students ), "rural" (60 or more miles from the nearest Education Service Center), or that is part of a Shared Services Arrangement (SSA). A list of eligible LEAs and SSAs can be found in the "Lists" section above. Be currently enrolled and actively taking classes in an Educational Diagnostician or a School Psychology certification program.
Map and Survey of Programs
Map Description
This map represents Special Education Support Programs for Students with Intensive Needs in Texas. It includes special education support programs (e.g., self-contained classrooms and multi-district classrooms) as options for students with intensive needs. The map showcases information provided by Special Education Directors of local education agencies (LEAs) and fiscal agents of shared service arrangements (SSAs) from across Texas who participated in the annual map survey.
Map Survey
The Texas Education Agency's Special Education Small and Rurals Schools project is gathering information on the use of specialized programs (such as self-contained classrooms or multi-district classrooms) as a program option for students with intensive needs.
The TEA would like to invite all current Special Education Directors to participate in filling out the annual survey. By sharing information and confirming specifics about your programs in your Local Education Agencies/Shared Services Arrangements (that you are the fiscal agent of), your data will be reflected on the Statewide Program Map. The survey will be open each Winter/Spring will take approximately 3-5 minutes.
Quick Links & Resources
Technical assistance and support needs for the state. Discover special education resources and learning opportunities from experts in the field.
This extensive resource has been designed for educators and families and is intended to serve as a repository of the most commonly used Assistive Technology resources.
SPEDTex: Special Education Resources
The Special Education Information Center (SPEDTex) provides resources and interactive features for increasing family awareness of disabilities and special education processes, with the goal of improving partnerships between schools and families.
The Texas Legal Framework for the Child-Centered Special Education Process
The purpose of the project is to provide and maintain an updated web-based platform to assist stakeholders such as local educational agencies (LEAs), advocates, and parents in learning about state and federal laws and regulations by providing rich resources regarding obligations and rights for the provision of a free and appropriate public education in the least restrictive environment to students with disabilities.