Amid Pandemic and Distance Learning, Pasadena Unified’s Special Education Dept. Presents Action Plan to School Board

With the current coronavirus pandemic and distance learning providing the backdrop, Marco Villegas, associate superintendent of Pasadena’s Special Education Local Plan Area (SELPA),  delivered the group’s Action Plan to the PUSD Board Thursday.

Villegas led the Board through an intensive 30-page overview presentation which highlighted SELPA’s  past and future efforts with regard to special education and distance learning.

Since 1974, the California State Board of Education has used the  California Master Plan for Special Education. This statewide plan to equalize educational opportunities helped developed a quality educational program for disabled students in California.

The plan required that all school districts and County Offices of Education (referred to as Local Educational Agencies, or LEAs) join together in geographical regions in order to develop a regional special education service delivery system.

Villegas noted that in Pasadena, 954 Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) for Special Education students have been held since March 13, 2020, basically at the onset of the Coronavirus pandemic and school campus shutdowns.

The State’s Special Education Information System (SEIS) helped enable the IEPs to be online, strengthening families’ connections through collaboration with various service providers, said Villegas.

In addition, according to the report, support staff has aided students in new ways, parents are gaining supporting skills through consultation with service providers, and a new assessment center has been developed.

A Covid-19 cohort pilot program has also just been approved by the Pasadena Public Health Department, according to the report. The Special Education Department is now fully staffed, with  training for teachers, and a range of training Topics for Instructional Aides, the plan added.

Currently, according to the plan, the District’s special ed program has has 10 Pre-K Teachers; 39 Elementary Teachers; 21 Middle School Teachers; 30 High School Teachers; 24 Teachers of Special Programs; Four Physical Education Teachers; and 25 Psychologists. There are also 34 Speech Pathologists; 14 Speech and Language Pathologist Aides; Two Special Ed Nurses; and one Orientation and Mobility Specialist.

There are also two Board Certified Behavior Analysts: 21 Behavior Interventionists, and three Physical Therapists, along with 14 Occupational Therapists.

The Special Education Central Office also has eight Special Education Administrators: six Teachers on Special Assignment (TOSA), and seven classified  employees.

According to the presentation, students qualify for special education if they have a disability covered by the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), a law that makes available a free public education to eligible children with disabilities throughout the nation, and ensures special education and related services to those children.

Currently, there are 2526 Special Education students in the PUSD, 16.7 % of the District’s General Education population, with disabilities ranging from Intellectual Disability at 5%, to various specific learning disabilities at 29%, to Autism at 16.5%, among other physical and emotional disabilities.

Of the students who have graduated from a Special Education program Academic Year 2019-2020, 57% reported they were now in a two-year college program, six percent reported that they were in a 4-year college program, three percent reported they were in a trade or vocational school, two percent reported that they were in an adult training program, 12% are employed, two percent are not employed.

The report also noted that special education costs have steadily risen since at least 2014, from approximately $45 million to $64.8 million in the 2020-2021 budget.

“Due to the increased cost of services and personnel that students require, overall special education costs will naturally continue to increase over time,” said the plan.

“The Division of Special Education has a responsibility to monitor all costs through a system of checks and balances that require the review and oversight of several key staff members before being approved,” the plan added.

The presentation reported that the plan would endeavor to “provide high quality services,  increase opportunities to resolve concerns through Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR). The Special Education Department would build on checks and balances, and consider alternative ways to provide additional support, along with the development of a strong intervention system.

Special education graduation rates have also improved, according to the report with a 2016-2017 rate of 64.0% compared to a 69.8% rate in 2019-2021.

While the PUSD Board reacted favorably to the detailed presentation, members expressed a number of concerns.

Board member Lawrence Torres asked specifically about the role of distance learning in the special education plan. Coordinator Samantha Garcia responded that “Everyone is working harder and together.”

‘You need more manpower,” Board Member Roy Boulghourjian said of the plan. “It’s a tough job.”

Board Member Kimberly Kenne expressed concerns about the high costs of busing Special Education students, which she noted was about $10,000 per year per student last year, “Which is something I want to remedy,” she said, adding,  “We don’t want to spend more than $10,000 per student.”

Kenne also took issue with the department’s legal costs, which have risen more than 50%, she said. “That would be a place where I would be interested in understanding where we could make reductions.”

Kenne added, “Until the federal government gives us more money for special education, we are taking a significant amount of money from our General Ed kids, and that tension really needs to be addressed.”