District unveils three-year Special Education Master Plan after 2024 audit

The Oak Creek-Franklin Joint School District on Sept. 8 presented a three-year Special Education Master Plan developed after a district-commissioned audit completed in June 2024 and released to the public in October 2024.

Superintendent Dan introduced the plan as "a living, breathing document" intended to guide a multi-year effort to improve services for students with disabilities. He said the audit and subsequent stakeholder work identified areas where the district "still [is] not exceeding expectations for all of our students, especially in the areas of special ed." The district contracted with consultants Dr. Colleen Capper and Elise Fertura of Integrated Comprehensive Solutions for the audit.

The plan organizes work around five tactic areas that stakeholders developed: staffing and effective systems; consistency of communications and systems; high-quality instruction including specially designed instruction (SDI); professional development; and inclusive representation. Monica, a district staff member presenting the tactics, said each tactic will include action steps, measurable outcomes, an assigned lead, resources, start and end dates, and departmental assignments. She told the board the district will use internal Gantt charts and a color-coded status column (red/yellow/green) to track progress and will monitor key performance indicators annually.

Dan emphasized that the document is meant to provide continuity over multiple administrations: "this is a document, it's a living, breathing document that is gonna be with us ... so that there is a historical narrative of what's there for people to follow as we continue to navigate the changes that we need to make with regards to special education." Monica said work would be shared with all staff because "all of our students are general education students first and foremost," and said the district will finalize measurable outcomes and KPIs before broad rollout.

Board members asked how the plan would be resourced and requested regular progress updates. One board member urged administration to bring resource needs forward and to notify the board when additional help is required; another asked that the district celebrate early wins as implementation proceeds. Administration said Year 0 had produced early work, and Year 1 will focus on implementing action steps with midyear and end-of-year reviews.

The presentation was informational; no formal vote was taken on the Master Plan at the Sept. 8 meeting. Administration said it would continue reporting back to the board and staff as measurable outcomes and KPIs are finalized.