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External review finds Santa Rosa special-education system fragmented; recommends districtwide strategic plan and student-study-team overhaul
Summary
An outside review commissioned by Santa Rosa City Schools identified inconsistent procedures, high special-education placement rates and fragmented services, and recommended a 3–5 year strategic plan to develop districtwide policies, standardized student-study-team processes and targeted steps to reduce costly out-of-district placements.
An external review presented Jan. 8 to the Santa Rosa City School Board concluded the district’s special-education delivery lacks consistent policies and systems and recommended a multi-year roadmap to bring programs into alignment.
Consultant Dr. William Gillespie, who the district contracted to perform the review, told the board that interviews with teachers, classified staff, related-services clinicians and administrators showed “passionate and hardworking” staff but an absence of uniform procedures and a clear, districtwide model. Gillespie said the lack of coordinated student-study-team processes and tiered interventions contributes to higher-than-expected identification rates and costly out-of-district placements.
The report calls for a district-led special-education strategic plan with measurable goals, a board-adopted vision and updated policies, a consistent student-study-team (SST) process at every school, defined eligibility and exit…
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