District outlines multi‑year MTSS/CAPS rollout; teachers describe classroom changes and request sustained support

At a student services workshop the Santa Rosa City Schools board heard a detailed overview of the district’s planned rollout of the California Principal Support (CAPS) network and a Multi‑Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS) framework intended to strengthen instruction, accelerate students who are meeting standards and provide targeted interventions for those who are not.

Dr. Cardi, who led the panel, described MTSS and CAPS as cultural, teacher‑led systems rather than a single program to buy and shelve. "When I made the comment that this is a three‑year minimum program, it's a three‑year rollout — my experience in Dublin is six years minimum," Dr. Cardi said, urging the board to plan for sustained commitment rather than one‑off trainings.

Panel teachers and site leaders from Elsie Allen, CCLA, Montgomery and other schools walked trustees through practical classroom changes: selecting a small set of priority standards, building common formative assessments, sharing lessons and pacing so new teachers can step into a clear daily plan, and structuring PLCs to analyze student data and adjust instruction.

"We're constantly being taught, but also have to have reflect time — the work time at the end is reflection: what does this look like at your site?" said a CAPS participant, Emma Thompson, a special education teacher at Elsie Allen High School, describing how the model helped teachers narrow dozens of standards to a handful of priority skills.

Panelists emphasized staged implementation: the district will finance initial training and supports (release days, substitute coverage and materials) and sites will incorporate the work into site calendars and PLTs. Staff said those allocations will be visible in the upcoming LCAP and budget hearings and asked trustees to expect further resource requests as sites press for additional supports.

Speakers also addressed equity‑focused questions, including how MTSS ties to special education, counseling and behavior supports: tier one is intended as universal, prevention‑oriented instruction for all students; tier two is targeted group interventions; tier three is intensive, specialist‑led support when classroom interventions are insufficient.

Trustees closed the session by inviting board members to observe CAPS sessions and asking staff to provide resource materials and an implementation timeline, reiterating that the district must commit multi‑year staffing and fiscal support if the MTSS/CAPS model is to produce lasting classroom change.