Parents and educators urge Elk Grove Unified to preserve special-education supports as budget cuts loom

Dozens of parents, teachers and support staff told the Elk Grove Unified School District board on Tuesday that proposed budget decisions and the sunsetting of COVID-era grant funding risk cutting critical services for students with disabilities.

At a public-comment period that drew 21 speakers, several parents described abrupt changes in services: “For a child like my son, that continuous one-on-one support is what keeps him safe and allows him to learn with confidence,” said Yang Xang, a parent who said his son, a blind and autistic kindergartner, had been without an assigned paraprofessional for three school days after the aide was reassigned. He asked the district to include parents in decisions that change Individualized Education Program (IEP) supports.

Teachers, school counselors, social workers and project implementers described widespread staffing shortages and urged the board to protect funding for positions they said are essential to safety, attendance and student success. Jamie King, an AVID instructional coach, said her team’s work helps teachers use consistent instructional strategies across classrooms and that reductions would “dismantle the system that gives over 1,000 AVID-trained teachers the shared belief and practice they need to succeed.” Alyssa Organovich, one of two remaining AVID coaches, estimated the district has cut 66% of the original six-coach team while still expecting the two remaining coaches to support all 61 schools.

Multiple speakers highlighted the scale of special education needs and the district’s caseloads. “You have over 11,000 IEPs in this district,” said Amanda Scott, a parent, noting that the prospect of losing services threatens families and students across campuses. School social workers and secondary social work representatives described crisis response and suicide-intervention work they perform, and Tori Sie, a social worker, told the board her team could pursue medical billing through a children-and-youth behavioral health initiative to offset costs but warned that eliminating site-based social workers would diminish continuity of care.

Several educators urged that short-term grant-funded positions be converted to permanent funding lines. Speakers from the Educational Equity Department and youth-development teams described wraparound services, restorative-practice coaching, and small-group interventions they say reduce bullying and improve attendance. Christine Duzman, a school social worker, said removing social workers would mean losing on-site crisis response and credentialed professionals trained in both mental health and school-family systems.

Other public commenters focused on early education and paraprofessional staffing: Julie Roxer said many TK classrooms lack assigned paraprofessionals and urged the board to convert part-time roles to full-time positions so teachers can rely on consistent support. Felicia Sweeney and Mishka Pearson discussed facility needs for TK classrooms and ongoing professional development for teachers and paraprofessionals.

Board members did not take action during public comment but heard repeated requests for clearer parent notification when IEP services or staffing assignments change, and for the board to prioritize funding that preserves direct student supports during upcoming budget decisions. The superintendent’s office said appropriate staff would follow up where needed.

Ending: The board will address budget priorities and funding decisions in upcoming meetings; speakers asked the board to consider converting time-limited grant positions into permanent roles to maintain services for students with the highest needs.