Board committee recommends moving forward on SULPA, staff proposes compliance position to handle new continuous reporting

District staff outlined a proposed special-education restructuring tied to creating a local SULPA. The plan would regionalize management of special-education services while building internal data- and compliance capacity to meet the state’s shift to near-immediate special-education reporting.

Staff recommended creating a data specialist 2 (reclassing an existing special-education technician) to handle state reporting and complex IEP data; a back-of-envelope estimate for the additional cost was cited at about $24,000 annually depending on experience. Staff noted recent state reporting changes moved from twice-per-year bulk uploads to near-real-time transaction reporting, prompting a need to strengthen internal capacity.

Trustees asked for a before-and-after organizational chart and a financial-summary table showing cost differentials for proposed reclassifications and new positions. Staff said some positions would be restructured when vacancies allow and that part of the SULPA costs could be folded into SULPA administrative funding after the district becomes its own SULPA (target date discussed as July 1, 2027). Trustees on the finance subcommittee moved and seconded a recommendation to include the restructuring in the budget development process; the board agreed to forward it to the full board for consideration.