Richland 02 plans regional instructional coaching and consolidates SPED support into new program specialist role

At the May 22 academics committee meeting, Chuck Holland and Shaquina McLaughlin outlined a redesigned coaching system that district leaders said will take effect in the 2026–27 school year.

Holland described a regional instructional coaching model with three regions (north, central and south), a lead coach in each region and coach allocations based on school enrollment and poverty metrics. "Coaching is not an evaluation of teachers," he said, adding that the model is intended to connect professional learning to classroom practice and support stronger tier‑one instruction across the district.

McLaughlin explained how special‑education support will be reorganized alongside the coaching model: the district will move to a single position, the SPED program specialist, that combines previous SPED instructional coaches and disability‑specialist duties. "We are redesigning that to just have one position and that one position supports that school all with all of SPED," McLaughlin said, and staff told trustees the district will hire nine program specialists to provide school‑based, responsive support for IEP instruction, compliance and programming.

Trustees asked whether coaches and program specialists would have SPED training. McLaughlin confirmed the planned program specialists will be SPED‑certified. On coach selection and the program’s research basis, Holland said the district blended multiple evidence‑based coaching models, citing Jim Knight’s impact model and Elena Aguilar’s facilitative coaching.

Holland said the district will make coaching available to all teachers but prioritize second‑year teachers, alternatively certified teachers and international hires at the start of the year; principals may also request coaches for staff. Trustees and staff discussed the importance of relationship‑building and goal setting to avoid coaching being perceived as punitive.

District staff said the new professional development system will link walkthroughs, coaching data and professional‑learning records so changes in classroom practice can be measured, not just coaching activity.