A Research-Based Analysis of Special Education Staffing Needs at Morningside Elementary School, Granite School District
April 2026
Morningside Elementary School in Granite School District currently serves 28 students with special education service minutes. Of these, 20 are in grades K–4 and will continue next year (8 fifth-graders will move on). Granite School District has set 20 students as the minimum threshold for justifying a full-time special education teacher. Morningside meets this threshold exactly — yet the district plans to reduce the full-time special education position to half-time, with the teacher splitting their time between Morningside and a second school.
The decision was made when there was a count of 19 students. That number is now 20 — meeting the district's own threshold — and does not account for incoming kindergartners with IEPs or mid-year transfers.
A special education teacher does far more than teach. For each student on their caseload, the teacher provides direct instruction, writes and manages the IEP, attends meetings, completes paperwork, collaborates with general education teachers, communicates with parents, monitors progress, and — starting this school year under SB 241 — participates in individualized reading plans and literacy teams. Using published research [11], [12], [18] and Granite School District's own data [1], we can estimate how much teacher time each student requires.
A full-time teacher's contract is typically 37.5 hours/week (7.5 hrs/day × 5 days). After subtracting duty-free lunch (required by law), staff meetings, and other school duties, a full-time special education teacher has approximately:
Deductions from 37.5: duty-free lunch (−2.5 hrs), before/after school duties (−0 to 2.5 hrs, varies by school), and staff meetings (−1.0 to 1.5 hrs). Half-time additionally loses time to travel between schools.
Based on published research, each student on a special education teacher's caseload requires the following teacher time per week:
| Responsibility | Low Estimate | High Estimate | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Direct instruction | 0.71 hrs | 1.15 hrs | NASDSE (2003): 150–345 min/student/week; adjusted for groups of 3–5 [18] |
| IEP meetings, evaluations, and preparation | 0.19 hrs | 0.31 hrs | Granite SD (2025): 8,000+ meetings and 3,410 evaluations/year across 349 teachers [1] |
| Paperwork and documentation | 0.25 hrs | 0.40 hrs | Vannest & Hagan-Burke (2010): avg. 5–8 hrs/week for full caseload [12] |
| Collaboration, consultation, and parent communication | 0.29 hrs | 0.41 hrs | NEA (2019): consultation with grade-level teams, related services, and families [11] |
| SB 241 responsibilities (new in 2026–27) | 0.10 hrs | 0.14 hrs | Utah SB 241 (2026): reading plans, literacy teams, benchmark coordination [4], [5] |
| Total per student per week | 1.54 hrs | 2.42 hrs |
Low estimates use the floor of published ranges. High estimates use mid-range values from the same sources. Only 20 states have specific caseload policies; Utah is not among them. [19]
With each student requiring 1.54–2.42 hours of teacher time per week, here is what different caseloads demand compared to available hours:
| Scenario | Students | Hours Needed (low–high) | Surplus/Shortage at Full-Time (32.5 hrs) | Surplus/Shortage at Half-Time (~14.5 hrs) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Morningside K–4 (projected) | 20 | 30.8–48.4 hrs | +1.7 hrs to −15.9 hrs short | −16.3 to −33.9 hrs short |
| Morningside current (all grades) | 28 | 43.1–67.8 hrs | −10.6 to −35.3 hrs short | −28.6 to −53.3 hrs short |
| Granite SD district average | 23.2 | 35.7–56.1 hrs | −3.2 to −23.6 hrs short | −21.2 to −41.6 hrs short |
Even at the conservative low estimate, 20 students nearly fill a full-time teacher's entire available week. At half-time, more than half the work simply cannot be done — meaning IEP services go undelivered, meetings are delayed, and compliance is at risk. The gap only grows with incoming kindergartners, mid-year transfers, or if the actual per-student workload falls closer to the mid-range estimate.
Source: November 2025 Board Presentation [1]
Student Placement Breakdown
Caseload Comparison
Morningside currently serves 28 students with special education service minutes. The projected count of 20 reflects only K–4 students continuing next year after 8 fifth-graders leave — and does not account for incoming kindergartners or mid-year transfers.
Utah Senate Bill 241 (Early Literacy), signed by the Governor on March 18, 2026 [4], creates sweeping new literacy requirements for K–3 students. The law takes effect July 1, 2026 — the same school year the district proposes to cut Morningside's special education position to half-time. [5]
| New Responsibility | Est. Annual Hours |
|---|---|
| Literacy team / IRP development (est. 14 students) | 14.0 |
| IRP review and revision (3x/year) | 21.0 |
| IRP-IEP coordination and documentation | 7.0 |
| Benchmark assessment coordination | 11.0 |
| Retention exemption documentation (3rd graders) | 6.0 |
| Science of reading professional development | 15.0 |
| Total | 74.0 hrs/year (2.06 hrs/week) |
Based on NAEP data [17] showing 72–74% of elementary students with disabilities read below basic level, an estimated 14 of 20 special education students at Morningside will require individualized reading plans under SB 241.
The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) guarantees every eligible student a Free Appropriate Public Education (FAPE). [8] These obligations are not optional and do not decrease when staffing is reduced. [9], [10]
Reducing the position to half-time yields an estimated savings of approximately $55,000 per year (half of ~$110,000 total compensation [20]). The table below compares this savings against the potential costs that may result from reduced service capacity. All figures are annualized.
| Category | Annual Potential Cost | Likelihood | Basis for Estimate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Savings from half-time | +$55,000 | Certain | Half of ~$110,000 total compensation (~$70,000 salary + ~$40,000 benefits). Based on Granite SD public salary data. [20] |
| Compensatory services | -$50,000–$180,000+ | Moderate | Ballpark estimate. If the workload gap prevents delivery of an average of 5 hours/week of IEP services across 20 students over 36 weeks, the district could owe up to 3,600 hours of compensatory education. At $50/hour for contracted providers (a conservative rate), that is $180,000. The actual amount would depend on the number of students affected and hours undelivered. |
| Teacher attrition and replacement | -$10,000–$20,000+ | Moderate–High | National research estimates teacher replacement costs at $10,000–$20,000 per teacher. [16] In Utah, 44% of special education teachers transferred at least once in 8 years [6], and research identifies workload and split assignments as primary burnout drivers. [14], [15] With 50% of Granite SD new hires already lacking licensure [1], replacement may be delayed or result in a less qualified teacher, further increasing costs. |
| SB 241 funding redirect | Varies | Moderate | Utah SB 241 requires schools below the 80% third-grade reading proficiency target to redirect at least 50% of Teacher and Student Success Program (TSSP) funding to literacy interventions. [4] Reduced special education support for reading increases the likelihood of triggering this requirement. The dollar amount depends on Morningside's TSSP allocation. |
| State complaint / corrective action | Staff time + monitoring costs | Moderate | Parents may file complaints with the Utah State Board of Education (USBE). [8] Corrective action can include mandatory reporting, monitoring, and service delivery audits — creating administrative burden across the district, not just at Morningside. Cost is primarily in staff time but difficult to quantify precisely. |
| Indirect costs (gen-ed teacher burden, administrative overhead) | Not directly quantifiable | High | When the special education teacher is not available, general education teachers absorb crisis response, behavior management, and accommodation questions — reducing their effectiveness with all students. [11] The principal and other staff spend time managing the arrangement. These costs are real but do not appear as line items. |
| Due process hearing (per case) | -$70,000 | Low–Moderate | Granite SD's own estimate: $400/hour attorney fees × ~175 hours per hearing. [1] The workload gap analysis shows that half-time staffing structurally prevents delivery of all IEP service minutes, which is the most common basis for due process complaints. |