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Lammersville Joint Unified trustees hear special education update citing rising need and local funding gap
Summary
Director Manley told the board the district is identifying more students with significant special education needs and relying on a mix of SELPA returns and nearly $7.7 million in local general fund support; trustees asked for grade-level trend data and voiced concern about federal underfunding.
At the July 16 meeting of the Lammersville Joint Unified School District Governing Board, Director Manley delivered a detailed special education report outlining state and local trends and fiscal pressures for 2025–26. He told trustees the district served roughly 600 students in special education last year and has expanded programs, now operating 14 SDC classrooms and adding staff to address behavioral and related-service needs.
"We exited 57 special education students," Director Manley said, referring to students who no longer qualified for services after meeting growth targets. He explained that the district, after changing SELPA funding from an ADA-based model to a utilization model, expects to receive roughly $2.4 million back from county/SELPA programs but will still need the general fund to cover about $7.7 million of special education costs for 2025–26. "You pay for what you use," he said of the new utilization model that returned more funding to the district.
Trustees asked whether the district’s lower overall percent of students identified for special education (about 7.45 percent vs. a state average reported around 14.58 percent) reflects demographic and programmatic differences or potential under-identification. Manley and staff said the district’s emphasis on early intervention, multi-tier systems of support and parent involvement likely reduces referrals, and they noted that substantial growth in Mountain House has brought many students into the district already holding Individualized Education Programs (IEPs).
Board members pressed for more granular data. Trustee Modi asked for grade-by-grade trend lines to show how many students move out of special education over time; Manley said the district uses IEP review timelines, targeted parent surveys and the California Healthy Kids Survey to gather feedback and will provide additional breakdowns. Trustee David Pambo raised the broader funding issue, saying state and federal contributions fall short and the general fund must backfill critical services. "The state and federal government fall far short of their obligation to fund these things," Pambo said.
The presentation also reviewed outcomes: the district reported high parent involvement on IEPs, above-state targets for inclusion and mixed results on CAST/CASP measures (with particular growth noted in ELA), and staff described continuing work to align high-school scheduling and curriculum for students with disabilities. Director Manley emphasized legal compliance work and new checklists to strengthen IEP documentation.
The board did not take action on policy in this item but directed staff to provide requested grade-level trend data and noted continued reliance on local general-fund support while pursuing SELPA and state resources.
