Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
San Luis Coastal details special‑education enrollment, new programs and staffing pressures
Summary
District officials told the school board that special‑education enrollment has flattened after post‑COVID increases and outlined service expansions — including a local non‑public school, preschool inclusion moves and plans to focus compliance improvement work on attendance.
San Luis Coastal Unified school district officials briefed the board on April 21 on the size and needs of the district’s special‑education program, reporting that recent post‑pandemic enrollment growth has slowed but overall caseloads remain high.
Janet Gould, the district’s executive director for student support services, said the district counted 1,318 students in special education on the fall census and 1,375 as of its April 1 spring count — roughly 16% of the district’s student population. Gould said the spring number includes 17 students placed regionally by other districts and that the program serves children starting at age 3 and, for students with the most significant needs, up to age 22.
“We start services as early as age 3 and continue through age 22 for some students,” Gould said. She said the district is working on retention and recruitment of licensed staff and reported that more than 94% of credentialed special‑education staff plan to stay next year.
Joyce Hansen, coordinator of special education, reviewed eligibility categories and trends. She…
Already have an account? Log in
Subscribe to keep reading
Unlock the rest of this article — and every article on Citizen Portal.
- Unlimited articles
- AI-powered breakdowns of topics, speakers, decisions, and budgets
- Instant alerts when your location has a new meeting
- Follow topics and more locations
- 1,000 AI Insights / month, plus AI Chat
