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Gilroy Unified highlights increased special education enrollment, wellness centers and partnerships in year‑end report
Summary
The district reported rising special‑education numbers since COVID, high local service rates, expanded mental‑health referrals, preschool inclusion efforts and new partnerships to address staffing shortages; trustees praised the reported progress and asked for continued outreach to families.
Student Services staff presented an end‑of‑year report on June 13 outlining special education trends, mental‑health supports and inclusion initiatives.
The presenter said the district served about 97% of students who qualify for special education locally and described an increase of roughly 150 students returning from the pandemic period. The department reported approximately 1,342 students receiving specialized academic instruction and rising speech and language caseloads compared with last year. Staff emphasized inclusive practices across preschool through high school and described successful preschool inclusion pilots that the district intends to extend into kindergarten and TK.
Mental‑health supports expanded this year, the presenter said, including wellness centers at the middle‑school sites and a marked increase in SchoolLink behavioral‑health referrals. The presenter said the district received two of four grants applied for this year and is awaiting decisions on the remaining applications; pending funding would be used to open wellness centers at the high school and expand services.
Staff acknowledged staffing shortages—particularly in special education and speech/language therapy—and described outreach to San Jose State to create supervised practicum or lab placements for graduate students as a potential staffing pipeline. Trustees and the superintendent praised the work and recommended additional outreach to families who lack internet access; one trustee suggested distributing paper surveys during IEP meetings to improve response rates among disconnected families.
Next steps: expand wellness centers as grant funding allows, continue partnerships to address staffing, and increase outreach to families for input on services.
