Press Release Details
Press Release Message
San Francisco (March 27, 2025) - The San Francisco Unified School District (SFUSD) is taking proactive steps to strengthen its systems and structures for serving students who receive Special Education services. An independent assessment of SFUSD’s Special Education Department affirms these ongoing efforts.
SFUSD requested the Fiscal Crisis and Management Assistance Team (FCMAT) conduct a review of its special education services in spring 2024. FCMAT is an expert in educational programs and financial services of school districts in California. The review took place in fall 2024 and included extensive interviews with key SFUSD staff and evaluation of SFUSD’s SpEd procedures, data and processes. SFUSD is implementing multiple action items that directly align with the report’s recommendations, including but not limited to:
- Strengthening the continuum of Special Education services
- Improving data systems
- Increasing accountability and oversight
- Hiring and retaining Special Education staff
- Deepening authentic partnerships
While SFUSD has experienced trends of declining enrollment in the past five years, Special Education enrollment has increased. In 2023-24, nearly 14% of SFUSD’s 49,000 students in TK-12th grades were identified as requiring Special Education services, which represents a 2-percentage point increase since 2019-20. SFUSD employs nearly 500 teachers and over 1,300 paraeducators who work directly with students receiving Special Education services.
“Our students who receive Special Education services deserve nothing less than a system that works for them – one that is responsive, equitable, and set up for lifelong growth and success,” SFUSD Superintendent Dr. Maria Su said. “We are committed to transforming how we support our students, families and staff. The structural and systemic improvements that are already underway are not just necessary – they are long overdue especially given the threats against the U.S. Department of Education. We will continue to push forward with urgency and unwavering dedication.”
Action Items Already in Progress That Align With Report Recommendations
Special Education services are bound by state and federal mandates to ensure students eligible for special education have meaningful access to general education in the least restrictive environment to meet their unique needs. SFUSD is both a school district and county office of education, both of which contribute to Special Education programs. SFUSD is making progress on key areas outlined in the FCMAT report.
Strengthening the Continuum of Special Education Services
Through cross-departmental efforts, SFUSD is working to address the significant disproportionality of African American students referred for Special Education services. By examining the continuum of services provided, SFUSD highlighted the need to strengthen site- level tiers of support, Student Success Team structures and interventions that are already in place across schools within general education.
Improving Data Systems
Additionally, SFUSD is focused on improving data systems to better inform decision-making and planning. As a result of this process, the team is beginning to organize more accurate, robust, usable data sets related to programming, staffing, caseloads, class sizes, and other data sets that were previously challenging to access.
Increasing Accountability and Oversight
SFUSD will be working to further define the distinction between district and county programming, with a specific emphasis on strengthening strategies and programming for students who have more extensive support needs, such as those in Special Day Classes (SDC) or county-level services. SFUSD’s goal is to better address these students' needs within our schools and transition students back from Non-Public Schools (NPS) whenever possible.
Hiring and Retaining Special Education Staff
The Special Education Services Department meets weekly with the Human Resources Department to address issues related to staffing and to strategize about ongoing recruitment and retention efforts. For the first time in recent memory, SFUSD is preparing to post positions for occupational and physical therapists, aiming to hire directly for roles that have primarily been filled through contracted services. Additionally, SFUSD is organizing hiring fairs, recruitment events and pursuing a supplemental grant for the Urban Teacher Residency Program, with a specific focus on Special Education teacher credentials.
Deepening Authentic Partnerships
SFUSD recognizes that a key part of this work is strengthening and deepening partnerships with families, the Community Advisory Committee for Special Education (CAC), Support for Families, and community-based organizations (CBOs) that serve SFUSD students and families.
FCMAT and SFUSD will discuss the report at the April 8, 2025 Board of Education meeting.
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