Board adopts SELPA local plan and budget amid concern over special-education staffing
May 14, 2024 | San Francisco City, San Francisco County, California
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The San Francisco Board of Education voted 7-0 on May 14 to adopt the SELPA local plan and the annual special-education budget for the San Francisco Unified School District, a planning document the district must submit to the state by June 30.
The board heard a detailed presentation from Jean Robertson and SELPA staff explaining that the proposed annual service plan and budget total $234,844,001 and that more than 75% of that funding is allocated to site-level full-time positions that directly serve students with individualized education programs (IEPs). Robertson said the district is tracking services for every child with an IEP and that the local plan will be finalized and submitted to the California Department of Education on June 30.
Parents, service providers and the Community Advisory Committee (CAC) for special education urged the board to move faster to fill vacancies and expand supports. "We have 111 certified special-education teacher vacancies and over 200 paraeducator vacancies," CAC representatives told the board, and they recommended improved onboarding, full-time paraeducator positions, peer mentoring, and more centralized progress monitoring.
Multiple parents and special-education staff raised operational concerns tied to district finances and payroll problems. One parent told the board that educators "aren't getting paid and they are leaving the district," and urged the board to prioritize retention and training. CAC members asked the board to ensure the district's goals and guardrails explicitly include students with disabilities and to resume virtual public-comment access to make meetings accessible for families who cannot attend in person.
District leaders acknowledged the staffing shortfall and described ongoing steps. Fiscal advisor Elliot Duchamp told the board the California Department of Education has elevated fiscal oversight of SFUSD and emphasized the importance of central coordination between HR, special-education services and school-site leaders.
Superintendent Wayne and special-education staff said the district is implementing an equity-of-caseload process, additional professional learning for site leaders and a plan to redistribute funds after summer hiring and the 10-day count. Staff emphasized that the district currently outsources some services to nonpublic agencies while it works to hire permanent staff, and that changes to hiring and contract negotiation are underway.
The board approved the SELPA plan and budget by roll-call vote; commissioners emphasized the urgency of translating the plan into concrete site-level staffing and programmatic changes. The superintendent and CAC agreed to continue quarterly reporting and follow-up including a public status update planned for the fall.
The board heard a detailed presentation from Jean Robertson and SELPA staff explaining that the proposed annual service plan and budget total $234,844,001 and that more than 75% of that funding is allocated to site-level full-time positions that directly serve students with individualized education programs (IEPs). Robertson said the district is tracking services for every child with an IEP and that the local plan will be finalized and submitted to the California Department of Education on June 30.
Parents, service providers and the Community Advisory Committee (CAC) for special education urged the board to move faster to fill vacancies and expand supports. "We have 111 certified special-education teacher vacancies and over 200 paraeducator vacancies," CAC representatives told the board, and they recommended improved onboarding, full-time paraeducator positions, peer mentoring, and more centralized progress monitoring.
Multiple parents and special-education staff raised operational concerns tied to district finances and payroll problems. One parent told the board that educators "aren't getting paid and they are leaving the district," and urged the board to prioritize retention and training. CAC members asked the board to ensure the district's goals and guardrails explicitly include students with disabilities and to resume virtual public-comment access to make meetings accessible for families who cannot attend in person.
District leaders acknowledged the staffing shortfall and described ongoing steps. Fiscal advisor Elliot Duchamp told the board the California Department of Education has elevated fiscal oversight of SFUSD and emphasized the importance of central coordination between HR, special-education services and school-site leaders.
Superintendent Wayne and special-education staff said the district is implementing an equity-of-caseload process, additional professional learning for site leaders and a plan to redistribute funds after summer hiring and the 10-day count. Staff emphasized that the district currently outsources some services to nonpublic agencies while it works to hire permanent staff, and that changes to hiring and contract negotiation are underway.
The board approved the SELPA plan and budget by roll-call vote; commissioners emphasized the urgency of translating the plan into concrete site-level staffing and programmatic changes. The superintendent and CAC agreed to continue quarterly reporting and follow-up including a public status update planned for the fall.
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