COLUSA COUNTY, CA (MPG) – The only thing Colusa County Superintendent of Schools Michael West and the Colusa County Grand Jury agree on is California is witnessing a teacher shortage.
In his response to Superior Court Judge Jeffrey A. Thompson, regarding the Grand Jury’s finding and recommendations on mandated special education services for students, West disagreed with nearly all the findings of the investigative body, claiming the grand jury lacked objectivity and failed in their duty to fully examine the materials presented to them before finalizing their annual report in July.
“I must express my deep disappointment with the recently published Grand Jury report,” West said in a news release. “I want to emphasize that all inquiries made by the Grand Jury were answered in accordance with established procedures, legal requirements, and industry best practices.”
The Grand Jury’s investigation was launched Dec. 13, 2022, when a subcommittee met with staff from CCOE’s special education department after receiving complaints regarding multiple issues, including the lack of personnel who are in direct contact with students; bullying of students by teachers, coaches, and other students; maxed out caseloads for teachers; and the general lack of communication with parents as to how special education works.
The Grand Jury faulted the County Office and Education and local school districts for failing to sufficiently communicate with parents of students with Individualized Education Programs (IEP) as to parental rights and responsibilities – and for parents’ lack of knowledge of programs and services available.
West said it has since come to light that the sub-committee responsible for compiling the report did not acknowledge receipt of the materials CCOE provided, as well as failed to interview the head of the Special Education Department.
“Instead, they presented their report from a subjective standpoint, heavily influenced by personal opinions and perceived issues in various districts within the County of Colusa,” West noted in his response. “This approach has led to a report that lacks objectivity and does not accurately reflect the reality of our SPED program.”
West assured the Judge that responses to the Grand Jury were provided in writing and were aimed at providing clear and accurate information to address their concerns.
West rejected the finding CCOE lacks effective communication with parents and has numerous procedural safeguards in place to address complaints concerning school and program personnel.
West also rejected findings that IEPs were not being followed and that IEP goals – as well as eligibility requirements – were not being provided to families.
West did concur with the Grand Jury’s finding that there is a staff shortage and case overload, which he said is the result of a 9% annual reduction in Special Education teachers in California, which is higher than the national average, and disproportionately impacts rural and frontier counties, due to location and pay structure to employ qualified staff.
“CCOE is constantly striving to find and recruit Special Education new hires to Colusa County,” West noted. “Whether through active recruiting from other counties, or out of state, to job fairs, partnership with other entities, such as One Stop, and offering a full-service onboarding process with hiring on the spot methodology, to active recruiting at theaters, as well as advertising on social media on all social media platforms.”
West said despite the findings in the Grand Jury’s report, the SPED team has continued to uphold the standards of integrity and excellence that the Colusa County Office of Education has always been known for.