SOUTH VALLEY SPECIAL ED UNIT

Located at 415 1st Ave SE in Hankinson, North Dakota, the South Valley Special Education Unit functions as a vital educational service agency within a remote rural setting in the greater Wahpeton region. Maintaining an active, open operating status for the 2024–2025 school year, the unit does not operate standalone traditional schools or enroll students across standard grade spans from prekindergarten to grade 12. Instead, it acts as a centralized administrative and service hub tailored to deliver essential special education resources and specialized programming to local partner districts and communities.

To support its specialized mission across the region, the unit utilizes a unique staffing model designed specifically around auxiliary and support services rather than direct classroom teaching. According to federal education data, the agency employs a total workforce of 18 full-time equivalent (FTE) personnel, which includes nearly 15 FTE support staff and over three FTE instructional aides, with no direct classroom teaching positions tied to the agency headquarters. This structured composition enables the South Valley Special Education Unit to efficiently deploy professional expertise and specialized assistance, ensuring that students with exceptional needs across rural North Dakota receive targeted, high-quality educational support.