About Tehama County SELPA

In 1974, the California Master Plan for Special Education was developed, calling for each school district and county office of education (COE) to create a consortium in geographical regions, with the intent of providing a continuum of special education services within their boundaries.  In 1977, all school districts and county school offices in California were mandated to form consortia of sufficient size and scope to provide for all special education service needs of children residing within the region boundaries.  Each region, or Special Education Local Plan Area (SELPA), developed a local plan describing how it would provide special education services.  The regional structure made practical sense for our large and diverse state, and was intended to allow enough flexibility to accommodate districts of all sizes in providing a full continuum of supports and take advantage of economies of scale.  SELPA’s were also expected to help districts ensure legal compliance.

In 1977 eighteen school districts of Tehama County joined together with the Tehama County Department of Education to form a consortium with the County Department serving as the Administrative Unit for special education. This consortium is known as the Tehama County Special Education Local Plan Area (SELPA). The function of the Special Education Local Plan Area and participating local education agencies is to provide a quality educational program appropriate to the needs of each eligible child with a disability, who resides within the Local Plan Area, and to those eligible individuals who are residents of other SELPAs who may be in need of services, and who attend programs in this region. Currently the SELPA comprises 13 Districts, 1 County Office, and 2 Charter LEAs.  The SELPA leadership model is to provide support to students, families, and our education partners to ensure the full continuum of services is offered for EVERY student.   Tehama County SELPA has been rich with strong leadership.  Sarge Kennedy, one of the primary stewards and advocates of the current AB 602 special education funding model was the SELPA Administrator and Chair of the SELPA Administrators’ of California Association Finance Committee for many years.  Veronica Coates is the current Assistant Superintendent of the SELPA and sits on several statewide committees focused on advocating for the unique needs of a rural and small and sparse SELPA.  

Tehama County SELPA is committed to collaboration, consensus, problem-solving and compliance surrounding state and federal requirements in the implementation of programs for special education students.

The Tehama County SELPA provides leadership, support, coordination and technical assistance to the 14 LEAs, agencies, and families in Tehama County. Services provided include:

  1. Provide Leadership to the SELPA Governance Council, made up of LEA Superintendents to make local decisions in the best interest of students 
  2. Provide Leadership to countywide special education staff 
  3. Provide a continuum of Alternative to Dispute Resolution (ADR) for families, educators, and other partners
  4. Provide advocacy at the local, state, and federal level related to special education funding and policy
  5. Development of interagency agreements and memorandums of understanding
  6. Coordination of non-public school and agency services including development of master contracts, rate setting and program quality review
  7. Leadership surrounding state and federal accountability regarding special education
  8. Assisting all schools in anticipating and responding to current and future challenges and trends in special education
  9. Increasing family, business, and community participation in schools and build public confidence and trust in public education
  10. Maximize resources to improve the quality, efficiency, and cost-effectiveness of school districts and the County Office