Board approves consultant contracts and creates director post to boost special-education support

The Berkeley SD 87 Board of Education approved a professional-development consultant agreement to provide targeted coaching and planning support for special-education teachers, and the board also approved the creation of a director of special education for teaching and learning.

Administration said the consultant will work directly in buildings, co-teach with inclusion teachers and provide planning support, with the goal of improving outcomes for fourth- through sixth-grade cohorts that had lagging progress. As staff described the model, they said the consultant "co teaches with them as well, and then she provides feedback" and meets with instructional coaches and principals to ensure continuity of services.

Board members discussed ensuring that any new director position would spend the majority of time in classrooms and in-school coaching rather than being primarily office-based. Administration said the director-level role is intended to deliver job-embedded professional development and to coordinate coaching across schools.

The board approved the consultant agreement and the new director position by roll call during the meeting. Administration said these steps build on a special-education task force and are intended to address identified gaps in progress for students with disabilities.

Board members asked follow-up questions about how the coaching model will be sustained and how time will be allocated between coaching and other duties; administration reiterated that the position and contract were designed to emphasize in-classroom work and continuity across buildings.