TUSD proposes regionalized exceptional‑education leadership to speed school support; staff raise caseload concerns

The Tucson Unified administration proposed a new organizational model for exceptional education that would replace five central assistant‑director positions with a single director and five school‑based program specialists. The change, presented by Senior Director Dr. Sabrina Salmon and endorsed by Superintendent Dr. Trujillo, is intended to put senior staff closer to school sites, speed responses to escalated special‑education complaints, and centralize compliance and budget responsibilities.

Under the proposal the senior director (Salmon) would focus on compliance, policy, budget oversight and external contracts; a new director would supervise day‑to‑day regional program specialists who would be based at designated campuses and visit schools monthly. The administration said the reconfiguration is intended to be largely budget‑neutral and to reduce layers of central administration while increasing on‑site support for principals, teachers and families.

“Principals need accessible, school‑based support to resolve IEP and evaluation disputes more quickly,” Superintendent Dr. Trujillo said in introducing the concept, adding that the current office‑based model sometimes delayed problem resolution and required repeated district‑office intervention.

Several dozen related‑service staff (speech‑language pathologists, occupational and physical therapists) and other exceptional‑education employees submitted letters and spoke during public comment. They urged the board to prioritize direct student services, propose caseload caps and questioned funding any new administrative position using IDEA grant funds. Multiple letters described excessive caseloads, late paperwork and the risk that increased administrative hiring would deepen shortages among frontline providers.

Administration said funding the director from IDEA would not reduce current direct-service staffing and that existing compliance and documentation work requires dedicated senior leadership. Board members asked for written job descriptions for new positions, more detail on how program specialists would be assigned and a financial analysis showing whether the restructuring changes net administrative costs. The board requested a follow‑up report with job descriptions, implementation timeline and a detailed IDEA‑funding risk assessment before any final approval.