North Santa Cruz County SELPA

In 1977, all school districts and county offices were mandated to form consortiums in geographical regions of sufficient size and scope to provide for all special education service needs of children residing within the region’s boundaries. Each region, Special Education Local Plan Area (SELPA), developed a local plan describing how it would provide special education services.

There are over 130 SELPAs in the State, ranging in size from those serving fewer than 1,000 students to those serving more than 10,000 students.

Each SELPA must have an Administrative Unit (AU) which is the legal entity that receives funds and is responsible for seeing that every eligible child receives appropriate services. The AU for the North Santa Cruz County SELPA is the Santa Cruz County Office of Education, which provides a variety of instructional, business, and consulting services that enhance the ability of districts to provide a quality education.

For more information about the role of SELPA in special education, please go to www.cde.ca.gov.

The North Santa Cruz County Special Education Local Plan Area (SELPA) is a multi-district SELPA comprised of 13 Local Educational Agencies (LEAs) including 10 school districts: 

• Bonny Doon Elementary
• Happy Valley Elementary
• Live Oak Elementary
• Mountain Elementary
• Pacific Elementary
• Santa Cruz City Elementary
• Santa Cruz City High School
• San Lorenzo Valley Unified
• Scotts Valley Unified
• Soquel Union Elementary

Two charter schools that are their own LEA for Special Education purposes:

•  Delta Charter School
• Pacific Collegiate Charter School

and the Santa Cruz County Office of Education (SCCOE). 

The regional governance and administrative structure of the SELPA is established by agreement among the governing boards of the member LEAs. It consists of the Special Education Coordinating Agency (SECA), the Special Education Council (SEC), and the Community Advisory Committee (CAC). The SELPA Director may convene additional advisory committees as needed. The SELPA Director is responsible for the coordination of the SELPA and implementation of the Local Plan.