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Peninsula School District reports gains in inclusive placement and a $7.5M special-education funding gap, parents outline outreach plans
Summary
Special-education director Jana Rush told the board the district increased the share of students spending 80%+ of the day in general education and applied for $2.8 million in state safety‑net reimbursement, while parent advisory leaders described family education and inclusion efforts.
Jana Rush, who presented the district’s annual special-education report, told the Peninsula School District board the district serves about 1,330 students in special education—roughly 14% of enrollment—and is seeing a sustained rise in students spending 80% or more of their school day in general‑education settings.
Rush said the district’s LRE (least restrictive environment) trend shows gains since 2021, and that post‑school outcomes for the 2023–24 cohort include roughly 21% entering higher education and 30% in competitive employment. She said the district’s response rate for OSPI’s post‑school outcomes survey has exceeded the state requirement and noted Pioneer Elementary’s response rate of about 43%.
Rush told the board the district submitted a March 13 application to OSPI seeking about $2.8 million in safety‑net reimbursement to help close the cost gap between actual special‑education service expenses and state and federal funding. She said the district still faces an approximate $7.5 million gap, which the district covers from basic‑education and other local funds.
Parents and family advocates also addressed the board. Emily Ducharme, chair of the district’s Special Education Parent Advisory Committee (CPAC), described the committee’s family education series—IEP basics, evaluation overviews, child‑find, student advocacy, and social‑emotional supports—and said CPAC works to make school events more accessible for families (for example, preserving handicap parking and creating calm spaces at events). Ducharme urged continued two‑way communication between families and building administrators.
Board members asked for more historical trend data on special‑education enrollment and praised CPAC’s outreach. Rush said she can pull longer‑range figures from OSPI records and will share them with the board on request.
The presentation also noted operational changes the district is preparing for: an upgrade to the IEP online vendor (migration to the vendor’s v3 this summer, with a planned July downtime for the data migration) and work to implement RTI (Response to Intervention) processes expected under upcoming guidance tied to identification and eligibility for the SLD category. Rush said those changes require staff training and will be phased in.
The board did not take a formal vote on these items at the meeting. The district will continue seeking safety‑net reimbursement from OSPI and said CPAC will refine practical inclusion guidance for school event organizers.
