Teachers, parents and board spar over future of RTI intervention program

Dozens of teachers, parents and board members urged the Tehachapi Unified School District on March 15 to preserve teacher‑led Response to Intervention (RTI) programs at elementary schools, saying the pull‑out model produces measurable literacy gains for struggling students.

Educators and parents described RTI as a core academic intervention that has helped students make sustained gains. Becky Sasha, an RTI teacher at Tompkins Elementary, told the board she and her team have worked with 261 students this year at Tompkins — about 40% of the school's enrollment — and that "across the board, every single child has improved when looking at our data." Other presenters from Golden Hills and Tompkins said RTI teachers track fluency, iReady and other progress measures and that many students who receive RTI avoid qualification for special education.

District leaders and board members said the RTI conversation stems from changes in Title I funding. Interim Superintendent Francis Lynch explained that another campus newly qualified for Title I this year (the high school) means existing Title I dollars must be divided among more sites. That reallocation left insufficient Title I funds at some campuses to fund a full RTI teacher position as previously structured, the superintendent said. Lynch said the intention was not to eliminate RTI, but to explore a different staffing model that keeps learning directors in a "more student‑facing role" and integrates intervention into site staffing. He said no layoffs or pink slips had been issued and that RTI staff had been informed about possible reassignments.

Trustees, including Tyler Napier and Trustee Sweeney, expressed strong support for keeping RTI in the hands of trained teachers. Napier said board members are "not the experts in RTI" and must rely on educators' experience; he asked the superintendent to agendize a formal decision next meeting so the board can vote whether to retain the current RTI structure. Trustee Sweeney and others recounted individual student success stories and warned that a push‑in model within general classrooms could be disruptive and reduce fidelity to intervention protocols.

Teachers outlined classroom logistics that they said would hamper a push‑in model: small portable classrooms, lack of dedicated space for small groups, and the role RTI teachers play in compiling assessment data. Jessica Smith of the Tehachapi Association of Teachers urged that RTI be funded from stable sources such as LCAP or the general fund rather than temporary Title I or COVID relief funds, so that all three elementary sites can keep the program.

The board did not take a final action to change RTI funding or staffing this evening. Several trustees requested staff bring a clear recommendation and specifics to a future meeting; Trustee Napier said he would not support changes that remove RTI from trained intervention teachers. Superintendent Lynch agreed to work with principals and staff to develop options that preserve intervention services while complying with funding constraints.

The discussion spanned public comment from teachers and parents, a presentation by district staff on the Title I funding mechanics, and board deliberations. No formal motion was adopted to change the RTI model at this meeting; trustees asked staff to return with a proposed action for a subsequent meeting.