Special Education

The San Juan Unified School District is a single-district Special Education Local Plan Area (SELPA). As such, we write and implement our own local plan and we are responsible for our own policies, procedures and programs. We serve over 4,700 students in a variety of programs from infancy through age twenty-two. We employ over 280 special education teachers and specialists and over 290 instructional assistants and classified staff. Special education programs and services are provided at each of our 80 schools in the District.

San Juan provides a rich professional learning environment. We invest in training teachers and building teams of experts. Our approach has been to cultivate experts and implement model programs.

San Juan teaching staff have access to all training and materials available to any other teacher at any site. Special education teachers are included and valued as members of the teaching/learning community. For specialized teachers and students, San Juan maintains a rich Instructional Media Center - a library of special education materials reserved for special education staff. Materials are reviewed, selected and purchased by teacher committees.

San Juan school principals receive training in special education. In addition, the District employs 9 program specialists, two program administrators, three assistant directors and one special education director to coordinate the program. Our District and our staff are truly collaborative.

San Juan maintains traditional Special Day Class and Resource Specialist programs. In addition, San Juan has cultivated preschool centers, inclusion sites, and specialized cluster programs to serve students with low incidence disabilities.

Our Human Resources department works with applicants to resolve questions concerning out of state credentials, NCLB compliance, and intern credentials. Our work year, salary and benefits are all comparable.