The following statement was made by CAC at the School Board meeting on June 11, 2019.
The CAC encouraged community members to advocate for district reform in Special Education. On June 7th, CAC wrote the following letter encouraging the public to write to the School Board and District Staff:
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Palo Alto CAC is committed to working closely with the Directors of Special Education to support efforts that not only maintain, but improve instruction, compliance, student outcomes, and General Education inclusion and professional development. Three weeks ago, the CAC delivered this statement on May 14th to the PAUSD School Board:
– Supporting recommendations in the 2018 plan “VISION FOR SPECIAL EDUCATION”
– Calling for transparency in decisions impacting Special Education students and staff
– Funding in 2019/20 to continue reforming PAUSD Special Education
Today, PAUSD released its Proposed Budget for 2019/20 for public hearing and discussion next Tuesday June 11th (and adoption the following week June 18th). There is still little detailed break-out, but stated “while no cuts to Special Education are being proposed”, the district is hiring a Budget Analyst for Special Education, and will “continue to analyze all Special Education expenditures”. We strongly encourage PAUSD to increase its investment for Special Education reform and amend its budget in September, when “possible additional Special Education Funding” can be considered, pending final revenue, headcount and expenses.
Parents are encouraged to provide comments by email or (if you are not away for Summer Break) in person at the June 11th or 18th Board Meetings for consideration.
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CAC subsequently followed up with this statement at the School Board meeting on June 11, 2019: