ADAMS TWP — Every education is special.

Mars Area School District’s efforts to improve its special and gifted education programs are taking a new direction: special education and gifted education parent advisory committees.

“It was an idea that I had when I applied here,” said Travis Mineard, the district’s special education director. “It’s a new step.”

The district began seeking parents of identified special and gifted education students to volunteer their time for the 2019-20 year last week. Mineard, who is entering his second year at the district, hopes to use the program to help parents better understand the special and gifted education programs.

With at least two parents per district school building — 10 parents total — the committees will train, inform and connect with the district and community.

“(We want) to hear parents, to hear their concerns,” Mineard said. “(And) improve both programs.”

Mineard also hopes the committees will help show how much the district is doing. In 2018, the district was cited by the Pennsylvania Bureau of Special Education for having a noncompliant special education program. One area of concern was parental training and awareness.

“It happens to go together,” said Mineard, referencing the mission of the new committees.

Mineard was surprised how well the program was operating when he joined Mars Area more than a year ago. He was expecting bad conditions when, in fact, the program had several working aspects.

“The teachers were doing an awesome job,” Mineard said.

The problem was word wasn’t getting out.

His vision for the committees is to have each decide in which areas parents need to be educated. At quarterly meetings, volunteers will work with the district to initiate trainings or events that will be open to the district community.

Volunteer applications are due Thursday. The district received some, but not as many as Mineard hoped.

“I’m attributing that to the holiday weekend,” he said.

Mineard is looking forward to getting both committees under way. His other efforts to grow both special and gifted education programs include securing more funding and adding personnel. The district added eight new special and gifted education positions to the $52 million 2019-20 budget, including a social worker and speech therapist. Mineard said the approved $7,067,628 budgeted for 2019-20 special programs had “increased drastically” from previous years. The 2018-19 allotment was $6,168,275.

“I feel this will be a very good opportunity for parents to get involved with the school district,” Mineard said.