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Student services outlines special education reorganization, compliance and new supports
Summary
The director of special education reviewed department reorganization, caseloads and new systems — Relay tracking, TeachTown pilot, digital assessments and expanded behavior supports — and reported improved results and higher staff engagement metrics.
Dustin Bailey, director of special education and student services, and Michelle Kuster, special education coordinator, gave the Rescue Union Elementary School District board a detailed update on special education programs, staffing and compliance work.
Bailey and Kuster said the district restructured the special services team after multiple leadership changes and added staff to address caseload pressures, including a roving education specialist and an increase from four to five full‑time school psychologists. They reported a current caseload of 511 students receiving special education services, 41 students pending eligibility (about 20 with speech‑only assessments), 24 students in county (EDCO) classrooms, 15 preschoolers in early intervention, two students in nonpublic schools and one in a residential placement.
Staff described several systems changes aimed at improving service delivery and parent communication: Relay — a digital tracking system for logged services that, staff said, helped recover about $100,000 in reimbursable medical services last year; a single consolidated multidisciplinary report to replace multiple separate reports; IEP pagination and amendment procedures to make evolving IEPs easier for families to follow; and monthly department trainings and virtual office hours for staff.
Kuster and Bailey said they piloted a TeachTown curriculum in special day class (SDC) classrooms and received positive feedback from teachers. They also introduced a digital assessment platform that district staff said increases assessment accuracy and reduces report writing time.
On outcomes, presenters said Green Valley (highlighted earlier in the meeting) improved CAASPP results for students with disabilities and reduced referrals to special education by strengthening MTSS (multi‑tiered systems of support). The presenters attributed improvements to district training (30 staff attended an MTSS conference), new staff positions, monthly behavior‑support training and added wellness center time at middle and elementary sites.
Trustees praised the department’s communication and the focus on least‑restrictive environments. The update was informational; no formal board action was taken at the meeting.
