District staff asked the finance committee on Sept. 11 to consider a consulting contract to design and specify sensory rooms for students in autistic support and life skills programs. The administration said the $13,500 contract would cover consulting services to design two rooms—planned for Richgrove Elementary School and Sol Finestone Elementary School—and to recommend equipment that the district will later purchase and install.

Al Oberman, Director of Special Services, and other staff said the consultant has worked with families whose children have similar needs and that the consultant team includes parents who developed the service after supporting their own child. Tony Raft, director of business administration, said the district previously approved a vendor bid list for sensory equipment and that the consultant will help select the equipment to match each room’s layout and instructional needs.

Committee members asked whether the consultant had prior work in the district; staff said the consultant team includes district parents and that staff have met them previously while reviewing options for program expansion. No specific dollar estimate for total equipment and installation costs was available at the meeting; staff said they were still determining which items from the approved bid list would be purchased for each room. The transcript shows discussion and a request for approval, but no formal committee motion or vote is recorded.