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ESU 7 director describes special-education programs and early-literacy training to David City board
Summary
ESU 7’s special education director told the David City Public Schools board about three program levels, transition goals to return students to district classrooms, and preschool teachers’ participation in LETRS early-literacy training funded through a CLSD grant.
Tammy Clay, the special education director at ESU 7, told the David City Public Schools board the regional service unit provides a range of supports the district uses, from contracted staff for smaller schools to in-district special-education hires at larger campuses.
“I'm Tammy Clay. I'm the special ed director at ESU 7,” Clay said, describing a handout that shows services accessed by David City, including professional development hours, technology support and special-education contract placements. She summarized three program tiers: a community-based ‘Center 7’ for life skills, a Learning Academy for students with behavioral challenges that includes mental-health therapy from an LMHP, and a new program for complex learners including students on the autism spectrum.
Clay said the programs are designed for transition back to district classrooms when students are ready. Board members asked about program scope and referral pathways; Clay said placement decisions reflect student needs and that ESU 7 partners with local districts to tailor services.
Separately, a preschool teacher described district participation in LETRS for Early Childhood, a multi-part literacy-training course that supplements the district’s existing Frog Street preschool curriculum. The presenter described in-class strategies such as ‘magic mirrors,’ syllable-picture activities and whisper phones to build phonological awareness and print knowledge. The board was told the district’s CLSD grant financed roughly $90,000 in intervention materials, and staff reported early gains in student engagement and reading fluency from programs like SPIRE, an Orton-Gillingham–based intervention.
Why it matters: ESU 7’s contracted services and the district’s investment in evidence-based literacy training shape classroom supports for students with diverse needs and inform budget and staffing decisions for special education and early learning.
The presentation closed with board members thanking ESU 7 staff and noting opportunities to recruit a local representative for one of ESU 7’s board vacancies. No formal board action was required on the ESU 7 presentation.
