Special education suffering

The Newport-Mesa school district can find neither the people to fill special-educator positions nor the money to better fund the programs for special-education students, Supt. Jeff Hubbard told parents Thursday.

Hubbard responded to a number of complaints and concerns from parents of special-education children. He and the parents’ advisory committee convened solely to answer the parents’ questions.

Hubbard pledged district staff will develop an account to-the-dollar of its expenditures in special education for all parents who wanted one.

Newport-Mesa is one of the costliest special-education programs in the county and is significantly under-budgeted compared to state averages, according to a recent audit of the district. The district is in the final phase of its plan to overhaul special education and pull most services back into the district and away from outside agencies.

Money was only one of the parent’s concerns.

“Hell is an understatement” of what his family has gone through, Doug Hansen said of his severely-disabled daughter’s care.

Hansen was the first of many to argue that special-education classes lack supplies and qualified aides.

Hubbard, who has a severely disabled stepson of his own, was frank with what he’d experienced as a parent and what Newport-Mesa is facing.

“We cannot find the people to come in and be aides. It’s a reality, folks. I’m telling you we can’t find people to do these jobs,” Hubbard said. “Are they getting the training that they need? Absolutely not. And I’m telling you we will look at that. But there is massive turnover in special-education, and it’s not just Newport-Mesa.”

Hubbard said statewide the grueling process for developing a learning program unique for each special-education student is what drives many educators away. Parents told him they felt intimidated in meetings with special-education administrators and feared retaliation if they said how they really felt. One father asked Hubbard if he had ever sat through one of those hearings.

“I don’t know what goes on in [those hearings]. I don’t know what goes on on the playground. I’m a superintendent of a school district with 33 schools and 22,000 students. But I’m here tonight to demonstrate to you my commitment to your children,” Hubbard said. “Not every kid in the district will be happy tomorrow, unfortunately. Not every parent will be satisfied tomorrow. Some of you will never be satisfied. That’s OK. We’re still going to the best thing we can for your kids.”

JOSEPH SERNA may be reached at (714) 966-4619 or at joseph.serna@latimes.com.