Parents press Santa Rosa committee over SELPA plan and representation; committee will reopen CAC applications

At a Santa Rosa City Schools community advisory committee (CAC) meeting, parents criticized the district’s push to form its own Special Education Local Plan Area (SELPA), questioning the financial case and saying parent voices were not adequately considered. The committee’s hosts said they will reopen the application window to add independent parent members and expand outreach to multilingual families and community partners.

"This project is akin to rearranging deck chairs on the Titanic," said Heather Green, a parent of a student with an IEP, during the meeting’s public-comment period. Green said she applied to join the CAC but was not selected, called the application process opaque and challenged the district’s fiscal rationale — noting a cited net revenue estimate of roughly $600,000 against what she described as district revenues/expenditures of about $68,000,000. She also said her numbers "may be wrong" because she had only brief access to slide materials.

Host John Fisher (executive director of special services, Santa Rosa City Schools) responded that the committee would reopen the application window and accept new submissions "right until the meeting" so people who were previously missed could be included. He said the district will push applications through ParentSquare, the district website, DLAC channels and outreach to local organizations such as the North Bay Regional Center and CCS to recruit independent parents and multilingual‑learner families.

Marilyn Shepherd, a consultant with f3 and former SELPA director, briefed members on the CAC’s legal role and responsibilities. Shepherd said the CAC is required by Education Code, is advisory rather than policy‑making, and is expected to review the local plan and forward recommendations to the SELPA director and the district board. She urged the group to adopt bylaws that clarify membership size, quorum rules and the composition of parent versus staff seats; she noted the local plan gives CAC members a 30‑day review period before the SELPA adopts it.

Several multilingual parents raised specific service concerns. One parent said evaluations routinely lack proper translation and comprehensive teacher input, and asked how a district SELPA would address language access, alternative dispute resolution and independent advocates. The committee acknowledged those concerns and said it would prioritize reaching DLAC and multilingual families in upcoming recruitment and materials distribution.

Committee members and staff agreed to distribute the draft local plan and presentation slides to members and the public, gather input through forms and email, and reconvene. Fisher announced two upcoming meetings for continued discussion and recruitment; he said the group will compile — but not edit — incoming public input and then the CAC will decide what feedback to forward to the board.

No formal vote was taken at the meeting. Instead, leaders described operational next steps: reopen applications, expand outreach channels, share draft plan materials for a 30‑day review, and plan an action item at the next meeting to set membership parameters and possibly admit additional independent parent members.