Austin Independent School District officials told trustees Thursday that the district completed a rapid migration to a new special‑education case management platform and began extensive staff training ahead of a Texas Education Agency reporting milestone on Sept. 1.

District technology, special education and governance leaders said they selected Frontline Education’s Special Programs Management (SPM) product and completed configuration, data migration and training in approximately five months — a substantially accelerated schedule compared with typical enterprise rollouts. Dr. Cherry Lee, interim assistant superintendent for special education and health services, and Dr. Oscar Rodriguez, officer of technology, led the update.

Joshua John, executive director of governance, accountability and board services, said the project included more than 150 configuration decisions driven by stakeholder feedback. Staff emphasized three goals: accurate data migration, centralized case management for IEPs and Section 504 plans, and timely agency reporting. The new platform also supports SHARS Medicaid claims integration and connects with the district’s student information and health modules.

Frontline provided both virtual and in‑person training to district evaluators, related‑service providers and summer staff. Dr. Lee said more than 300 staff were trained in June and additional sessions and sandbox practice were held during the district’s “job‑alike” training week in August; the district will provide continuing weekly virtual technical assistance during the first nine weeks of school and on‑site support throughout the year.

Leaders said the platform adds automated safeguards and required‑field checks to reduce incomplete IEPs, and new dashboards will give campus staff access to real‑time compliance and timeline alerts. Dr. Lee demonstrated a sample dashboard designed to flag approaching meeting due dates and to allow district and campus staff to disaggregate special‑education data.

Trustees asked about family communication and involvement. Dr. Lee said the district will send a welcome letter and a fall special‑education family newsletter next week and will expand the Special Education Family Advisory Committee (CFAC) with a parent co‑chair to ensure ongoing two‑way communication. Officials also said that parents will receive instructions on how to review and sign documents through the district’s collaboration portal.

When asked about readiness for the TEA milestone, district leaders said they are continuing to finalize a small number of issues and are reviewing the data daily; a steering committee will meet weekly to triage tickets, manage open items and prioritize fixes. District staff told trustees that other Texas districts’ experiences informed the rollout and that the system will improve long‑term reporting, internal monitoring, and revenue optimization from Medicaid reimbursements.

Provenance

Topic intro: “I'd like to welcome up doctor Cherry Lee, interim assistant superintendent of special education and health services, doctor Oscar Rodriguez... to share data system strategic plan quarterly update.” (transcript block starting at 11672.445 — evidence excerpt)

Topic finish: “This does conclude our presentation for this evening, and we are glad to answer any questions you might have.” (transcript block starting at 13009.609 — evidence excerpt)