A regionalization initiative to increase student services while saving taxpayers is exceeding expectations this school year, school district officials say.
The Riverside Special Education Collaborative launched in September to provide the “least restrictive educational environment” for students in the Menands, Cohoes, Green Island and Watervliet schools.
Through the collaborative, students remain enrolled in their respective districts while receiving programming in Green Island, Cohoes, Menands or Watervliet. For example, Menands hosts self-contained classrooms serving elementary students with developmental disorders, autism and complex communication disorders; Watervliet hosts classrooms for students with academic skills needs, and Green Island hosts a social-emotional learning program. Meanwhile, Cohoes provides support with a full continuum of services and collaboration on programs.
“Everything is going great,” said Menands Coordinator of Pupil Personnel Services Audrey Koslowski. “We have three classrooms here in Menands that can serve up to 25 students, and they are completely full.”
At the same time, Menands is sending a handful of students out to Green Island and Watervliet to receive services there.
Menands Superintendent Jennifer Cannavo said the program looks to be completely full again next year.
“We will have five openings [in the program] for kindergarten students, but they will be filled without a problem,” she said.
The superintendent said the regionalization effort allows the districts to maximize local programming for students who need a specialized education setting while being financially responsible.
Koslowski said the initiative allows students who receive the services to take part in generalized educational offerings with their peers and to remain a part of the greater Menands community. 
The collaboration also fills the specialized classrooms that otherwise weren’t operating at full capacity and provides services in a local setting that students weren’t able to receive without being sent out of the immediate area.
‘It’s a win-win for everyone involved,” Koslowski said.