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Redwood City reports progress implementing special‑education study; director cites expanded services and staffing changes
Summary
Director Maeve Mulholland told the board the district has about 1,500 students with IEPs (roughly 20%), has created a continuously updated special‑education manual, added board‑certified behavior analysts, and is shifting some contracted services in-house while developing transportation and mental‑health supports.
Maeve Mulholland, the district’s director of special education services, gave the board a year‑one implementation update on May 28, describing a multi‑year effort to turn the special‑education study’s recommendations into ongoing systems.
“We have about 1,500 students with IEPs — that's coming in around 20 percent,” Mulholland said, adding that the district has developed a continuously updated special‑education manual and an education‑specialist handbook to standardize practice and support new staff.
Mulholland highlighted four broad headings of work: organizational structure and compliance, programmatic descriptions, staffing and professional development, and culture of inclusion. She said the district has hired two board‑certified behavior analysts, expanded monthly meetings between site administrators and special‑education staff, improved file‑review processes tied to state service‑tracking audits, and is reducing reliance on external contractors by building internal capacity.
The presentation also covered instructional supports and targeted interventions. Mulholland described plans to recruit two mental‑health counselors focused on students at risk of losing placements and to continue transitioning contractors into district roles where feasible. She pointed to local programs with measurable gains, noting that consistent use of targeted reading interventions produced at‑least-a-year growth for some students with disabilities.
Trustees thanked Mulholland and asked about causes for the district’s higher proportion of students with IEPs compared with statewide figures. Mulholland suggested a post‑COVID increase in identified needs, local availability of specialized medical and support services that attract families, and administrative factors that influence identification. She also agreed to research exit‑rates from IEPs and report back.
Board members praised improvements in staffing and programming while acknowledging continuing workload and IEP‑paperwork burdens. Trustees asked the administration to monitor metrics such as least‑restrictive‑environment targets and to continue work on transportation plans that reflect recent case‑law changes.
Next steps: staff will continue to implement the study’s multiyear plan, bring transportation guidance to the board when aligned with current law, and report future progress on metrics and staffing transitions.
