Special Education Small and Rural Schools (SPED SRS)
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About Us
Why Special Education Small and Rural Schools (SPED SRS)?
ÁñÁ«ÊÓÆÁ 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 Texas school systems 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 school systems within Texas. Difficulty with staff recruitment/retention, geographic isolation, and availability of resources are just a few of the barriers these schools face. The ÁñÁ«ÊÓÆÁ will continue to share resources to ensure a more equitable level of service to students with disabilities (SWD) in small and rural school systems.
Resources
Small, Rural, and Small and Rural School Systems (SSs)
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.
Statewide Shared Service Arrangements' (SSA) Contact List
When two or more school systems (SSs) 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 school systems to be a part of an SSA. Each SSA is made up of Member Districts, one of which is designated as the Fiscal Agent.
The SPED SRS grant maintains 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 from 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.
Small and Rural Schools Advisory Committee
The small and rural schools advisory committee consists of members from across the state who have experience working in and with small and/or rural schools. Their purpose is to help guide the work of the Special Education Small and Rural Schools grant. The committee members share information about programs to the schools they work with, give feedback on current programs, and provide ideas for potential new initiatives to explore.
If you have any questions and/or would like to serve on the advisory committee, please contact Jam Page (jam.page@esc15.net) or Pam Yarbrough (pam.yarbrough@esc15.net).
| Name | Organization |
|---|---|
| Graciela Avalos | Region 1 ESC |
| Heather Bolt | Region 8 ESC |
| John Bullion | Superintendent - Morgan ISD |
| Pam Bumpass | Region 6 ESC |
| Hilda Elizondo | Region 2 ESC |
| Stacey Glosson | Region 10 ESC |
| Mary Jagoe | Region 5 ESC |
| Codi Kadlecek | SPED Director - La Grange ISD |
| Lisa Kirby | Region 20 ESC |
| Pam Loper | Region 14 ESC |
| Lindsey Lott | Region 8 ESC |
| Melissa Mena | Region 19 ESC |
| Stefanie Miller | Region 5 ESC |
| Carol Nolan | Region 13 ESC |
| Anna Philips | Region 17 ESC |
| Lacy Russell | SPED Director - Grayson County SSA |
| Yvonne Samaniego | Associate Supt. -Fort Hancock ISD |
| Molly Savant | Region 2 ESC |
| Janeia Vorderkunz | Region 12 ESC |
| Jill Zavala | Region 7 ESC |
Small and Rural Tuition Reimbursement Opportunities
Evaluation Certification Reimbursement Program (ECRP)
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 school systems in Texas. The program is funded through a grant from the ÁñÁ«ÊÓÆÁ (ÁñÁ«ÊÓÆÁ) and facilitated by Region 15 ESC.
Eligibility for the ECRP:  
- Currently work in and/or be sponsored by a school system that is:
- Classified as small (serving 700 or fewer K-12 students),
- Rural (located 60 or more miles from the nearest ESC), or
- A member of a Shared Services Arrangement (SSA) *Note: A list of *
- Be currently enrolled and actively taking classes in an Educational Diagnostician or a School Psychology certification program. 
Upcoming application windows:
October 1-14, 2025, and April 1-14, 2026
Speech-Language Pathologist Small and/or Rural Tuition Reimbursement
The Speech-Language Pathologist (SLP) Small and/or Rural (SRS) Graduate Tuition provides financial support for students accepted into the Master’s in Speech-Language Pathology Distance Venue program at Texas Woman’s University (TWU). This Distance Venue is a collaborative effort between the ÁñÁ«ÊÓÆÁ (ÁñÁ«ÊÓÆÁ), Education Service Centers (ESCs) 10 and 15, TWU, and School Systems, designed to help address the shortage of licensed and certified SLPs in Texas public schools and charter schools. Prior to receiving any monies towards tuition reimbursement, participants must commit to serving a minimum of three years in a small and/or rural school or a Shared Services Arrangement (SSA).
Eligibility for the SLP SRS Tuition Reimbursement:
- Be accepted into the M.S. in Speech-Language Pathology – Distance Venue program at Texas Woman’s University (TWU).
-  For more information visit
- Currently work in and/or be sponsored by a school system that is:
- Classified as small (serving 700 or fewer K-12 students),
- Rural (located 60 or more miles from the nearest ESC), or
- A member of a Shared Services Arrangement (SSA) *Note: A list of *
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 school systems and fiscal agents of shared service arrangements (SSAs) from across Texas who participated in the annual map survey.
Map Survey
The ÁñÁ«ÊÓÆÁ's Special Education Small and Rural Schools 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 ÁñÁ«ÊÓÆÁ 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 School System/Shared Services Arrangement (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 and will take approximately 3-5 minutes.