Carpinteria Unified: 350 students with IEPs as special-education needs and costs rise
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Summary
The district's special-education lead told the school board the student population on IEPs has risen to about 18% of enrollment and described growing autism prevalence, rising behavioral costs and shortages of therapists and other specialists.
The Carpinteria Unified School District's special-education director told trustees on Jan. 28 that the district serves 350 students with individualized education programs and is seeing rising demand for services, rising costs and staffing shortages.
Carolyn Haines, the district's special-education leader, told the board that the 350 students with IEPs represent about 18% of the district's roughly 1,900 students, up from about 14% five years ago. She said the district serves preschool through postsecondary SEALs placements and contracts for some out-of-district services when required.
Haines described trends that district staff are tracking: an increase in autism diagnoses among young children; a large share of speech- or language-impairment eligibilities concentrated among third grade and younger; and a rise in social-emotional and behavioral needs that have increased use of behavioral supports. She said autism accounts for about 14% of the district's special-education population and that roughly 5% of students with IEPs have an intellectual disability.
Staffing and cost details Haines provided included approximately 18.5 special-education teachers, five school psychologists, five speech therapists, an adaptive physical-education teacher, one occupational therapist, about 55 instructional assistants, 11 behavior technicians and one board-certified behavior analyst (BCBA). She said related-service providers (speech, occupational, physical therapists) are increasingly employed through agencies rather than directly by the district, which raises costs.
Haines said the district's contribution from the general fund to special education had risen in recent years (a figure presented compared to prior years), and that revenue for special education distributed through the county has not kept pace with rising need. She emphasized early intervention, inclusive practices and ongoing professional development for teachers and instructional assistants.
Why it matters: The combination of rising special-education enrollment, higher contracting costs and declining overall enrollment (which reduces some state and federal allocations that are tied to total enrollment) creates budgetary pressure that the school's upcoming budget decisions must address.
What the board did: Trustees received the report and asked follow-up questions about eligibility categories, how multiple disabilities are counted and whether certain health or dietary supports can be incorporated into IEP planning. No budget or policy action was taken at the meeting.
Ending: Haines said special education's emphasis is inclusion and early intervention and that continued recruitment of direct hires for therapists and aides is a priority as the district balances services and costs.
