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Petaluma board approves $6,558 PBIS contract with Humboldt County after concerns about fidelity
Summary
The Petaluma City Schools Board approved a $6,558 contract with the Humboldt County Office of Education for Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) training after trustees pressed staff for measures of implementation and impact.
The Petaluma City Schools Board of Education on Jan. 28 approved a $6,558 contract with the Humboldt County Office of Education to provide PBIS (Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports) training for staff, including an elementary session held in August and a secondary training scheduled for March 10, 2025.
Board members said the training is meant to standardize Tier 1 behavior supports districtwide but pressed staff for clearer expectations, measures of fidelity and evidence the work will change student outcomes at secondary sites.
“A lot of the feedback was we need more direct contact. We need all of our sites listening to the same message,” said Amanda, a district staff member who presented the contract and described the August session and the March PD date. “They provided a session in August to our elementary staff and they’ll do a secondary training for our 7 through 12 sites at our March PD day.”
Trustee Joanna raised concerns that PBIS had not taken hold at the secondary level and suggested pausing future spending until staff complete site visits and report back on implementation. “I wonder if we should pause on this if it’s not being done with fidelity or if everyone’s not bought into it,” she said.
Amanda said she is conducting site visits and will report back on where PBIS systems are working and what barriers exist. She told the board that the district previously contracted with a different provider for a lower amount and that Humboldt County was the region’s PBIS provider used to reach consistent messaging across sites.
After deliberation and requests for further follow-up reporting, the board voted to approve the contract. Board members asked staff to return with measures and clearer expectations of what the March training will accomplish and how success will be measured — including whether the training will reduce suspension disparities and improve school climate at secondary campuses.
The contract was described to the board as a district purchase of PD delivered by the Humboldt County Office of Education; the contract amount presented to the board was $6,558.
