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Lynwood Unified highlights rising special-education enrollment; director praised for program work
Summary
Director Hector Marquez told the board special-education enrollment has risen to about 19% of students, with more than 2,100 students receiving services across grade bands; the board publicly praised Marquez and discussed dispute-resolution and programs that keep students in district classrooms.
The Lynwood Unified School District board heard a detailed special-education report Dec. 12 from Director Hector Marquez, who outlined service counts and program strategies as the district manages a growing share of students receiving special-education services.
Marquez told the board the district has "a little bit more than 1,000 students in grades DK through sixth grade," about 392 students in grades 7–8, 730 in grades 9–12 and 27 students in the adult transition program. He said those figures are drawn from October state data and that, on the current data, the district’s special-education population is about 19 percent of total enrollment.
Marquez described the continuum of supports Lynnwood provides — speech and language services, the Resource Specialist Program (RSP), special-day classes, competitive learning models (CLM) and, when necessary, placements in nonpublic schools or residential-treatment facilities. He said the district emphasizes keeping students in the least restrictive environment and uses collaborative practices, facilitated IEP meetings and an alternative dispute-resolution process to work with families.
Board members thanked Marquez and parents for their advocacy; one member noted settlements have fallen from prior years (transcript referenced past settlement frequency), and praised the special-education team for improving communication and reducing the district’s reliance on costly out-of-district placements.
Recognition and context: The board also recognized Dr. Patrick Gishrungo for an LA County Office of Education award and a recent groundbreaking for a new Lynwood High School building. Marquez’s presentation fed into the budget discussion that followed, with board members and staff noting that roughly 60 percent of special-education costs are borne locally and therefore contribute to the district’s fiscal pressures.
