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Director outlines special-education staffing, increased referral scrutiny and MTSS steps
Summary
The district’s new director of special programs summarized special-education staffing, reported 421 students receiving special-education services (about 11% of enrollment), described a shift toward declining some private-school assessment requests via prior written notice when data don’t support eligibility, and outlined ongoing professional-
Jennifer (Jenny) Jimenez Payne, the district’s Director of Special Programs, told trustees the district serves about 421 students with IEPs (approximately 11 percent of enrollment) and employs roughly 45 special-education certificated and related-services staff and about 81 paraeducators. She said approximately 27 positions are provided through contracted agencies.
Payne described steps she has implemented since joining the district: training to standardize referral and assessment decisions, expecting district psychologists to perform educationally related mental-health assessments where appropriate and offering biweekly professional-development sessions open to teachers and paraeducators.
Payne said the district is emphasizing a Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS) approach: universal (tier 1) supports, targeted (tier 2) interventions with progress monitoring and intensified (tier 3) supports before referring a student for special-education eligibility assessment, unless the need is immediately evident. "We started declining to assess if there’s no data that supports that we have a child-find issue," she said, noting that private schools within the district boundary trigger the district’s child-find responsibility.
Trustees asked about timelines and workload. Payne reminded the board that IDEA requires assessment completion within 60 calendar days once an assessment is authorized and that comprehensive psychoeducational evaluations can require multiple hours of direct testing plus observation, reporting and team meetings.
Payne also cited the 2024 FCMAT (Fiscal Crisis and Management Assistance Team) review that found the district’s special-education certificated staffing generally within industry averages and a somewhat higher paraeducator ratio; she said staff are using those findings to revise practices.
Trustees asked about inclusion and whether special-education teachers "push in" to general education. Payne said models vary by site and that co-teaching and push-in practices are used where appropriate. She said the goal is to keep students in least-restrictive environments while providing required supports.
Ending: Trustees thanked Payne for the update. Payne listed follow-up items including ongoing training, continued MTSS fidelity checks and work on county-level services availability for students with higher needs.
