Study of the Mount Diablo Unified School District - Mt. Diablo Unified ...

District Operations and Associated Financial Effectivenessteachers and designated administration regarding special education compliance,communications with parents, and provision of special education services in the leastrestrictive environment. Such a model could decrease the number of parent complaints,mediation, and due process cases in the district. In addition, to school‐based support, eachprogram specialist could be assigned a specialty area for oversight, such as Special DayCenter curriculum, modified assessment, and extended school year, or workability.If a program specialist school liaison model is considered, the Administrator for DesignatedInstruction and Services, Resource and the Administrator for Special Day Centers andTransportation, and their clerical support positions could be eliminated. If these positionsare considered for elimination, the district must ensure these job duties are assumed byother staff. For example:• The oversight of the resource services in the schools could be assigned to theDirector of Curriculum and Instruction. This reassignment would allow integration ofteach/re‐teach, remediation, learning strategies, accommodations, and academicsuccess centers, within general education in the schools throughout the district.This could also better ensure access to the general education curriculum in thegeneral education classroom, as well as in resource classrooms.• The occupational/physical therapy manager position could assume responsibility foroversight of all therapies, including physical therapy and speech/language therapy.The district must ensure that the occupational/physical therapy manager positionmaintains the credential for supervision and evaluation of such staff. To furtherprovide support, a lead therapist could be assigned in each of the areas to assist themanager position, as needed, and to oversee specific content‐area issues that mayarise.• Contract management could continue to be assigned to the proposed Director ofSpecial Education in the Office of Special Education• Transportation coordination could and should be assigned to the Department ofTransportation.Finally, if these administrative positions in the Department of Pupil Services and SpecialEducation are considered for elimination, the district must ensure that school principals andschool leadership teams will assume the primary responsibility for the delivery of specialeducation services in their buildings, respectively. Given direct, weekly support from aspecial education program specialist position; clear and consistent communication from thedistrict administration; and up‐to‐date procedural guidelines, school administrators cansuccessfully oversee special education services.As the oversight of the Consent Decree draws to an end, the Consent Decree clericalposition should be considered for elimination, as the position would no longer be needed.The elimination of this part‐time position could lead to a slight cost savings.MGT of America, Inc. Page 2‐15