Board approves transfer of special‑education services to district, effective July 1, 2026

The Santa Ynez Valley Union High School District Board of Education voted to approve a Special Education Program Transfer that will move special‑education services from the seven‑district consortium into the high‑school district, with a target effective date of July 1, 2026.

Superintendent (speaker) told the board the transfer is intended to improve program continuity and family access to services by housing staff and supports on the high‑school campus. “We have 94 students currently,” the superintendent said, noting the district already hosts many consortium staff on site and plans a hybrid model that would employ teachers, a director of special education, nurses and bilingual data‑entry staff while contracting some specialized services through the SELPA. The superintendent said staff who currently work on the campus would have first rights to the new positions.

The budget presentation that accompanied the plan estimated the district currently pays a consortium bill of roughly $2.3 million (about $1.4 million in direct costs plus $929,000 in shared costs). The district’s finance presenter estimated the transfer would return an estimated $1.1 million in revenue to the district (including LCFF transportation reimbursement and SELPA allocations) but also bring expenditures in house, projecting roughly $3.3 million in special‑education outlays for the district and a net post‑revenue cost near $2.2 million. The presenter described those figures as conservative estimates and said the district currently projects a modest annual savings of about $75,000 compared with the consortium model but cautioned many numbers remain subject to SELPA recalculation.

Board members pressed for greater detail on shared costs and public‑records responses from the consortium; several trustees requested line‑item breakdowns of the $929,000 in shared costs before full fiscal certainty can be reached. The superintendent said the district will present the transfer plan to the SELPA JPA on Dec. 8 and expects a final SELPA decision by the Feb. 2 board meeting. The board approved the motion by roll call: Johnson, Noble, Grace Velasquez, Locomini and Sheehan voted aye.

Next steps include SELPA review and, if approved, staff hiring, equipment transfers and the establishment of a special‑education reserve to cover high‑cost placements or unanticipated legal expenses.