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Board adopts SFUSD special education budget and plan amid parent and teacher concerns
Summary
Following a public hearing, the board voted to adopt the annual special education budget and service plan. Parents, teachers and the Community Advisory Committee pressed staff on coding, per‑pupil allocations and long‑term plans to avoid unplanned service cuts.
The San Francisco Unified School District Board of Education convened a public hearing and approved the district’s annual special education budget and annual service plan on June 25.
Doctor Elizabeth Blanco introduced the action and invited public comment. Parents and volunteer advisory committee members described persistent equity and compliance problems in special education service delivery and requested clearer communication and a meaningful update to the Local Area Plan. "SFUSD special ed department has had five different SPED directors in six years," a CAC representative told the board, and warned that organizational instability has driven compliance and service problems.
Teachers and CAC members said changes in per‑pupil allocations reflected coding and count changes rather than consistent cuts to service levels, but urged the district to ensure schools are held harmless where student populations remained the same. Staff explained that the 2013–14 special education weighted student formula used slightly different categories (RSP/mild‑moderate/moderate‑severe) than prior years and that some proportional allocation changes were driven by enrollment and category counts rather than changes in the per‑pupil rate.
Board members asked staff to review the schools flagged for disproportionate decreases and to correct any coding errors during the fall budget revision process; staff committed to reconciling category changes and to provide a school‑by‑school review in September when final allocations are issued.
The board adopted the special education budget and service plan by roll‑call vote (7–0).
What happens next: staff will reconcile category‑coding discrepancies and present updated allocations to schools in September; the CAC expects a detailed fall report and parents urged regular updates on compliance improvements.
Sources: Doctor Elizabeth Blanco’s hearing statement; CAC and special education committee testimony; board vote.
