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Saddleback Valley board approves licensing agreement to host Devereaux nonpublic school for special‑education placements
Summary
After extended questions about costs, services and student need, the Saddleback Valley Unified School District board approved a licensing agreement with Devereaux to operate a local nonpublic school providing up to 24 placements; staff said the contract would cost the district just under $1 million with potential net savings versus current out‑of‑district placements of roughly $800,000 a year.
The Saddleback Valley Unified School District Board of Education voted to approve a licensing agreement with Devereaux that will allow the nonprofit to operate a nonpublic school on district property to serve up to 24 students with significant behavioral or autism‑related needs.
District staff described the arrangement as a licensing agreement — not a lease — that would place up to 24 students at a Devereaux facility on the district’s San Joaquin site and estimated the district’s contract cost at just under $1,000,000. Speaking to the board during the staff presentation, a district administrator said the arrangement could deliver material savings because placements in existing nonpublic schools and long bus routes currently cost the district about $1.8 million annually for similar students, meaning the district could see roughly $800,000 in reduced annual costs if seats are filled and transportation is consolidated.
"This partnership gives us local placements and routing flexibility and could significantly decrease our transportation and placement costs while meeting students closer to home," the district presenter said during the Q&A. The presenter added that related services on an IEP (speech, OT, aides) are not included in the base tuition and would continue to be provided as required by each student’s IEP.
Board members pressed staff on details including whether the site would give the district priority for seats, how the reduced tuition rate would work if Devereaux fills seats with students from other districts, and the timeline for opening. Staff said Devereaux would seek district permission before filling seats with students from outside Saddleback Valley and that the district hopes to open at least one Extended School Year (ESY) class this summer with fuller implementation in the fall, pending transitions and matching student needs to program capabilities.
Trustees also sought clarity on capacity and whether a local site could attract families to move closer; staff said in their experience families do not typically move to be near an NPS because placements are intended to be temporary to return students to less restrictive settings.
Public commenters and district educators raised concerns earlier in the meeting about outsourcing services, potential hidden costs and bargaining obligations. Several employees and parent advocates asked the board to ensure comprehensive cost accounting — for transportation, related services and staffing — and to preserve transparency and labor bargaining rights where applicable.
The board approved the licensing agreement by voice vote. The meeting record shows the motion carried; the board did not provide a roll‑call vote tally in the public record.
