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Special education director reports inclusion gains, pauses Therapeutic Learning Centers pending staffing and rostering fixes
Summary
Director Heather Morgan told the board the district continues to meet inclusion targets and is pausing its Therapeutic Learning Centers due to staffing, rostering and program-definition issues; staff will negotiate incentives and clarify technical rostering specifications before a planned reopening in 2027–28.
Heather Morgan, director of special education, delivered a comprehensive update to the board covering program locations, staffing, professional development and inclusion metrics.
Morgan said the district has spread programs across neighborhoods to reduce transportation burdens and is adding a mild/moderate special day class at Highlands for 2025–26. She announced a temporary pause of Therapeutic Learning Centers (TLC) because of staffing shortages, unclear program definitions and challenges with Rostering and CALPADS specifications; the district plans to negotiate incentives with bargaining units and revisit program design with the aim of reopening TLC in 2027–28.
Morgan highlighted inclusion work: Foster City School and George Hall are in year two of inclusion focus; Meadow Heights, Highlands and Abbott are in year one. Using the SELPA data platform (SIL), Morgan said the district has met state inclusion targets for the past five years and will share 2024–25 numbers when available.
Professional development initiatives described included a multi-day effort to align IEP goals with grade-level math instruction (led by math coordinator Amy Burke) and recorded sessions to improve legally defensible IEP note-taking and common compliance pitfalls. Morgan also described the rollout and re-certification of the Safety-Care de-escalation training and an expansion of board-certified behavior analyst staffing.
Board members praised the compliance training and urged careful communication with staff about planned changes to roles and rostering. Morgan acknowledged the need for careful transition meetings with families when program locations change and said the district would prioritize continuity of staff whenever possible.
Why it matters: The pause on TLC affects students who use those services and signals staff and technical capacity constraints; inclusion gains and PD investments show system-level progress but require continued communication and staffing commitments.
What’s next: District staff will negotiate incentives with unions, produce clearer program and rostering specifications, and return to the board with updated data for 2024–25.
