Indianapolis Public Schools Starts Year Fully Staffed in Special Education Program After Hiring Outside Company

Indianapolis Public Schools began the new school year with every position filled in its standalone special education program, a first for the district, after it contracted with a national behavioral health company.

The program, previously known as ROOTS, has been rebranded for 2025-26 as the Margaret McFarland Learning Academy. It serves students with the most intensive needs.

Under an agreement worth roughly $2 million for the 2025-26 school year, the district is relying on the company, ChanceLight, to handle recruitment for special education settings, long one of the hardest roles for the district to fill.

The K-12 academy is housed in the former Margaret McFarland school on the district's south side. It shares the building with Positive Supports Academy, a program for students in grades 7 through 12 who need additional behavioral support. So far this year, the learning academy has 30 students.

Cortnei Flucas, the district's unified student supports officer, said this is the first time the program has opened a school year with a full staff.

She described the difficulty of finding the right people for the work. "You can imagine when you are serving the most intensive students, finding people that have the right skill set, the willingness, the level of care and compassion, but also having an ability to meet their pay requirements, can be tough," Flucas said. "These are challenges that we have faced."

The academy depends on a high ratio of adults to students. It has five classrooms, each led by one teacher and supported by two instructional assistants. Each classroom also has an assigned behavior specialist.

Beyond classroom staff, the program employs two social workers and a psychiatrist who provides oversight for students who take medication.