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Rocklin Unified special education director outlines rising needs and new supports; graduation rate for students with disabilities climbs to 85%
Summary
Director Leslie Holmes reported that special education enrollment rose to about 1,700 students (14.7% of district), the special education budget is roughly $40 million with significant encroachment on the general fund, and pilots (BOOST, regulated classroom, parent‑empowerment) have produced measurable classroom gains; the board discussed scaling supports.
Leslie Holmes, director of special education, delivered an overview of the district’s special education services, trends and pilot programs aimed at addressing sharply rising behavioral and diagnostic needs since the COVID era.
Holmes said the district’s special education census shows about 1,700 students in special education — approximately 14.7% of the district population — and that the special education budget is nearly $40 million, with approximately $27 million encroaching on the general fund. She highlighted statewide trends (noting large increases in autism and other health-impairment diagnoses) and an increase in early-grade behavioral identifications.
Programs and results: Holmes described several pilots designed to strengthen tier‑one and tier‑two supports in general education: an itinerant BOOST team (Behavior Outreach and On-site Support Team) that models strategies in TK–2 classrooms and reported initial classroom results (11 pilot classrooms saw academic engagement rise ~13% and disruptive behavior decrease ~10%); classwide ClassDojo pilots that increased positive reinforcement by ~83% in targeted classrooms; and a regulated‑classroom/adult co-regulation training track for staff. She also highlighted that the district’s alternate-pathway diploma work is producing outcomes — "we have 14 seniors that will be graduating with a diploma" — and that the graduation rate for students with disabilities rose from 75% to 85% over recent years.
Challenges and next steps: Holmes said staffing shortages for fully credentialed special-education teachers persist and that the district has more than 20 staff completing credentials while serving students. She described the need to scale behavioral supports to prevent unnecessary placements and suspensions — students with disabilities remain several times more likely to be suspended — and previewed plans to partner with outside providers and expand the parent empowerment program piloted by other California districts. Trustees praised the data-driven pilots and requested follow-up as the district scales successful interventions.
