Trinity County is located in Northern California between Redding and Eureka. It is a large mountainous county, spanning 3,200 square miles; however, it has one of the smallest populations of any county in the state. The students of Trinity County are served by 11 school districts and the Trinity County Office of Education. During the past 5 years, the county has experienced declining enrollment, with current enrollment at fewer than 2,000 students. Many of the districts in Trinity County are one-school districts. District enrollments range from a low of 12 to a high of 472 students. Due to the small schools and districts, many of the District Administrators also do some teaching.

Approximately half of the school districts in our rural county are located in remote locations in very small communities, one to three hours from the Trinity County Office of Education. The County Office provides all of the special education services to the districts in the county except for four LEAs operating Mild/Moderate classrooms.

What is a Special Education Local Plan Area (SELPA)?

In 1977, all school districts and county offices of education in California were required to join to form geographical regions of sufficient size and scope to provide for all of the special education service needs of children residing within the region boundaries. Each region developed a local plan describing how it would provide special education services. SELPA governance structures vary in form. Very large districts may form their own SELPA. Most districts form consortia in order to provide the full range of services. The Trinity County Special Education Local Plan Area (SELPA) comprises 10 school districts and the Trinity County Office of Education. Each SELPA must have an Administrative Unit, the legal entity that receives funds and is responsible for seeing that every eligible child receives appropriate services. The County Office of Education is the Administrative Unit for Trinity County.

The purpose of a SELPA is to:

• ensure a continuum of services for all children with disabilities
• ensure compliance with all state and federal regulations
• provide fiscal management of special education funding
• support a Community Advisory Committee .
• manage data and submit state and federal reports

Governance

Member local educational agencies of the Trinity County SELPA participate in the SELPA under the terms of the Local Plan and SELPA policies and procedures, which are developed, adopted, or revised by the SELPA Governance process. SELPA policies and procedures have the same weight as local governing board policies and procedures. Member local educational agencies agree to hold each other harmless by absolving each other from any responsibility for damage or other liability arising from participation in the SELPA. The SELPA Administrative Team is composed of the superintendent (or designee) from each school district and the Trinity County Office of Education.