An Interest-Based Agreement Process group trying to solve issues with special education staffing continued to make progress at a meeting on Friday.

The group discussed ways to make staffing assignments a more collaborative decision and how to equally staff the district's programs.

This was the third meeting of the group, which is made up of administrators, teachers and community members. Two more meetings are scheduled in January, and another meeting will be held in February if needed.

More than 1,500 of Natrona County's 11,600 students are enrolled in at least one special education class. The district employs 90 special education teachers and 229 assistants to work with those students.

Doreen McGlade, president of the Natrona County Education Association, said the group focused on student needs, how to work with families to determine assessment results, and the best individual education plans for a child.

Finding resolutions for the issues has been a challenging task, said Tammi Bertelson, the district's director of special education. However, Bertelson said, the group is on the right track.

"It's going a little slower than we thought," she said. "But it's huge progress."

Bertelson said working through staffing issues will create more consistency for students and their parents, who spend a lot of time building a relationship with a teacher. Families eventually depend on that bond, and Bertelson wants to ensure teachers and therapists work with specific students as often as possible.

"I think the biggest thing is that consistency," she said.

Steve Barrett, an adaptive physical education teacher for the district, said discussing staffing assignments can sometimes lead to hard feelings. Working to improve the process is something he's glad the group is tackling.

"I think it's going to make a lot of people a lot happier," Barrett said.

The group meets again from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. on both Jan. 22 and 25 at the school district's central services office. The office is located at 970 N. Glenn Road.

Reach education reporter Jasa Santos at (307) 266-0593 or at Jasa.Santos@trib.com.