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Board hears staff plan to rebalance paraprofessional hours after IEP-minute review
Summary
District staff told trustees a review of IEP minutes shows paraprofessional staffing is imbalanced across sites; the administration proposed an FTE audit, reallocation based on minutes, and baseline 'roving' para support at larger campuses. Trustees and union representatives pushed for site-level details and assurances on implementation timing.
District staff told the Oxnard Union High School District board on May 6 that the district has not been under‑resourced overall for paraprofessionals but that its current staffing distribution is uneven and often does not match individualized education program (IEP) minutes assigned to students.
The assistant superintendent for special education presented a snapshot showing about 2,664 students with IEPs, roughly 130 special‑education teachers and about 195 paraprofessionals districtwide. Director-level staff said the team pulled IEP minutes from the district Cyrus system to calculate actual minutes of support required and converted those minutes into full‑time equivalent (FTE) positions.
"What we found was not a deficit but an imbalance," the director said, describing campuses that were effectively overstaffed while others lacked sufficient coverage for activities such as toileting and seizure response. Staff proposed an FTE audit of IEP minutes, reassigning paraprofessionals to match minutes, and adding baseline roving para pairs at larger sites to provide breaks, on‑call coverage and support for emergency needs.
The plan would, staff said, treat para assignments as needs‑based and documented in IEPs rather than place paras permanently at a single room. "When we convert required minutes into actual staffing, some sites need additional coverage for lunch, breaks and medical supports," the assistant superintendent said. The district recommended that large sites receive a minimum of three additional 1:1 para pairs and two para‑4 positions above the minutes‑based allocation; smaller sites would get one extra 1:1 pair as baseline coverage.
Trustees and paraeducator representatives pressed for more granular data. Trustee Chelsea Patel asked for a site‑by‑site breakdown of which campuses carry the heaviest IEP minutes and a clearer definition of para categories (Para 1, Para 4, Para 5). Levada White, treasurer for the district para union, told the board the presentation did not reflect classroom realities: "If staffing were truly based on IEPs, we wouldn't be short for toileting, diapering and medical assistance," she said, urging the district to prioritize student safety.
Staffers answered multiple process questions: Cyrus holds the IEP minutes that drive the staffing calculations; transfer discussions with union partners will be part of implementation; and the goal is to roll the reallocation out for the first day of the next school year, after additional review, an FTE audit and coordination with schools and OFTSC (the para union). Officials also said they would set up feedback mechanisms for campus staff during the transition.
The board asked for follow‑up information, including the number of paras currently assigned as 1:1, site lists showing which campuses are over or under by para type, and the fiscal implications of the plan. Staff agreed to supply the requested site breakdowns and definitions before the district implements changes.
The next steps outlined by staff include completing the FTE audit, working with human resources and union partners on transfer and placement protocols, and presenting a final implementation timeline to trustees. The district emphasized that IEP teams will continue to authorize para services for individual students and that the proposed changes are intended to better align district resources with legally documented student needs.
