HCPSS Department of Special Education Launches New Strategic Plan

August 22nd, 2025

At the August 21 Howard County Board of Education meeting, Howard County Public School System (HCPSS) Chief Academic Officer Dr. Jennifer Webster and Acting Executive Director of Special Education (DSE) Jen Riccardi shared the department’s new strategic plan that will guide the department through 2030.

Many stakeholders, including students, staff, families and community members, provided feedback and input for insight on the current state of special education in our district, and to inform the strategic plan for special education.

The DSE strategic plan is guided by the collective belief that every student with an Individualized Education Program (IEP) or Individual Family Support Plan (IFSP) deserves an ambitious and attainable learning journey designed just for them, filled with the necessary supports and resources to thrive.

An implementation team has been established to monitor progress and make data-informed changes as needed, and updates will be shared with the community through a DSE Strategic Plan dashboard to keep the department accountable to the goals set forth in the plan.

“What became clear through the plan development process is that our district’s success requires us to make improvements for our students, staff and families who engage with our special education programming,” said HCPSS Chief Academic Officer Dr. Jennifer Webster. “We would not be at this point without the candid feedback and information we received from the individuals and groups who spent time with staff, whether in surveys, focus groups, or individual interviews, to share their experiences.”

“I am very pleased to finally be at this point,” said HCPSS Superintendent Bill Barnes. “We have engaged in months of discussions, public testimony, and very difficult—but important—work, all of which informed the special education strategic plan. But today is not the finish line, it’s the starting line. This marks the first major milestone of many in our redesign of special education as prioritized in the HCPSS strategic plan.”

The DSE plan details five themes that are focused on a commitment to developing strong family partnerships and engaging in continuous improvement to provide high quality special education services grounded in evidence-and research-based practices.

1. Accelerating Student Learning: Ensures that all staff are implementing a multi-tiered system of support and maximizing learning opportunities to accelerate student learning.
2. Enhancing Supportive and Safe Learning Environments: Calls for a proactive and comprehensive system of behavioral interventions and supports to ensure a supportive and safe learning environment.
3. Increasing Staff Support and Capacity Building: Recognizes the need to revitalize professional learning supports for staff so they are empowered and equipped to effectively serve their students.
4. Implementing Organizational Improvements: Emphasizes the need to improve the organizational structure of DSE to ensure efficient allocation and proactive deployment of special education staff and resources, including a re-evaluation of the continuum of special education services.
5. Fostering Family and Community Engagement: Commits to forging strong family and community partnerships to improve outcomes for students with disabilities.

The strategies in the special education strategic plan are in service of the five key focus areas which include attendance, reading by grade 3, middle school mathematics proficiency, college and career readiness, and effective discipline practices.

“The five priority areas uplifted in the HCPSS Department of Special Education strategic plan capture the most important areas identified by parents and educators,” said Riccardi. “For the plan to result in greatly improved experiences and outcomes for students will require the full collaboration of students, parents, and all educators—not just special educators.”