Mountain View Whisman trustees learn of rising special-education needs, forecast more intensive placements

At a Nov. 18 meeting, Mountain View Whisman School District special-education leaders told the Board of Trustees they are seeing an increase in students with more intensive needs and said the district will likely add programs in the coming months to meet demand.

"They're not widgets. They're wonderful children," the district presenter said, stressing that data about enrollment and outcomes must be understood in human terms. The presentation showed that while about 39% of district students are Hispanic/Latino, 56% of students in special education are Hispanic/Latino; the presenter also said roughly 70% of students in special education are boys compared with about 29.7% girls.

District staff flagged several concrete trends: the count of students with a primary eligibility of autism rose from 141 to 158 year-to-date, the number identified with intellectual disability rose from 2 to 7, and the district has added 25 students who require augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) devices. Program counts given to the board showed 71 students in moderate programs, 55 in extensive support‑needs classes, 56 in learning centers and 16 in social resource programs.

To respond to those needs, the district reported it has added five special-education teachers this year, 0.4 FTE for speech-and-language services, and 1.5 FTE of behavior analysts in addition to existing staff; it also reported increases in instructional assistants and behavior technicians. The presenter said roughly 25 additional students now use communication devices, usually iPads, and that the district has had to purchase devices and other supports to meet those needs.

Trustees pressed for clarity about data timing and local variation. Trustee Lisa Henry asked which slides represented end-of-year figures and which were current through Nov. 1; the presenter said yellow bars reflected last year’s end-of‑year numbers and blue bars were current-year data. Trustee Devin Conley described anecdotal differences in families’ experiences across school sites and asked how principals and school staff are being trained to ensure consistent identification and referral practices. The presenter said the district uses MTSS (multi-tiered systems of support) and tries to balance early interventions with timely assessments when more intensive needs are suspected.

Board members asked for follow-up information, including (1) whether the 25 added AAC devices reduce maladaptive behaviors over time and (2) whether site-by-site differences in assessment and services could be captured through surveys or LCAP reporting. The presenter agreed to request AAC‑impact data from the district specialist and to continue using the special-education advisory committee for family feedback.

The board closed the discussion by thanking staff for the update and reiterating the need to plan for projected growth. No formal action was taken on this item; trustees moved to the next agenda items, including approval of school plans and a first‑interim budget report.