Jim Thorpe Area School District will reduce the number of Carbon Lehigh Intermediate Unit teachers it uses to help reduce a budget deficit next school year.

Some parents of special needs students have made it clear they don’t want to lose the IU teachers, but school officials say they can provide the same services at a lower cost.

“We’re spending a lot of money on special ed, no question,” said school board member Jerry Strubinger.

School board members voted unanimously last week to seek applicants for a high school life skills teacher. They also approved a contract with Behavioral Health Associates to run the emotional support classroom at Penn-Kidder Elementary.

High school life skills and elementary emotional support are classes currently taught by teachers contracted from the intermediate unit.

School board members say that bringing IU services in house could help cut the district’s $4 million budget deficit. They’ve identified special education as one area where spending has increased - from $5 million in 2015 to $9.5 million in 2021-22.

IU services made up $4 million of the overall special education budget this year. Board member TJ Garritano said that equates to about $100,000 per student receiving IU services.

“I expect a Harvard education for that,” Garritano said. “That’s an extreme amount of money.”

The two votes were not on the agenda for the school board meeting.

They surprised parents of special education students who have said they want input on changes to the district’s special education programs.

“You told me earlier this meeting you weren’t making any changes without this committee,” said Ivan Markley, whose daughter is in a class taught by an IU teacher.

During the public comment meeting, multiple teachers restated their wish for the board to form a committee of parents and board members to discuss any changes to special education.

Board members said they are interested in forming the committee.

Parents expressed concerns about whether the district could provide the same services for the high school life skills class as the IU does. They also said they were concerned about the district leaving paraprofessional positions vacant.

Sandra Michalik, the district’s special education teacher, said that the class will be staffed to meet the needs of the students, and to comply with each student’s Individualized Education Program.

“It will be someone highly qualified. The positions, the application process, the interview process would have the same high level of efficacy that we always do for hiring positions,” Michalik said.