Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Special Education Budget topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Glendora Unified directors say rising special-education enrollment and severity are straining district budget and services
Summary
District special-education leaders told the school board that growing special-education enrollment, higher-severity needs and limited federal funding are forcing Glendora Unified to rely on local funds, increase contracted services and pursue new billing streams to avoid program cuts.
Glendora Unified School District officials outlined a steady rise in special-education enrollment and warned the board that the trend is squeezing the district's budget.
Dr. Brian Murray, the district's special-education director, told trustees the statewide special-education population has grown by roughly 155,000 students over the past decade, pushing the proportion of identified students from about 10% to roughly 13% of enrollment. In Glendora the share rose from 14.6% to about 16.4% over four years, a shift Murray said increases the district's cost burden because special-education services are more expensive per pupil.
Murray said the district's special-education program has an annual budget of about $18 million and that roughly $5 million of that cost is currently encroaching on the district's general fund. He summarized revenue streams and shortfalls: federal IDEA funding and related grants account for only about 10% of special-education revenue, the state allocation under AB 602 represents the largest chunk (he estimated about $6 million for the district), and local LCFF contributions make up the remainder.
To stretch resources, the district has shifted from contracted agency aides to district-hired behavior technicians (BTs) and other staff. Murray said replacing an agency aide with a trained in-house BT saves approximately $25,000 per position while allowing the district to control training and supervision. He noted the district has grown its roster of special-education staff overall and currently supports roughly 208 employees in the department.
Murray also reviewed avenues for offsetting costs, including Medi-Cal reimbursements and a new school-based mental-health billing program (CYBHI). He said Glendora uses a private vendor (Paradigm) and a state billing intermediary (Carillon) to submit claims. The district reported receiving initial CYBHI reimbursements earlier this year for a multi-district cohort and expects to begin local billing in the fall, which Murray said could meaningfully increase funds for counselors and mental-health services.
School board members pressed for clarity about litigation and settlement costs. Murray said the district tries to limit settlements and aim for cost-effective resolutions; he estimated the district keeps most mediated settlements under $20,000 but cautioned that contested hearings can exceed $40,000 in attorney fees and that prior years saw higher settlements. "Sometimes it's a cost analysis: to settle or not to settle," Murray said.
Why it matters: District officials said rising counts and greater disability severity are creating recurring pressure on local budgets. Trustees were urged to continue advocating for fuller federal funding of IDEA and to monitor state and programmatic billing opportunities that could reduce local encroachment.
Next steps: Murray suggested the board consider continued advocacy for higher IDEA funding and monitor CYBHI implementation and billing results; no policy vote was taken at the session.
