Southwest SELPA

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

Today, there are approximately 125 SELPA’s in the State, ranging in size from those serving fewer than 1,000 students to those serving more than 10,000 students with the most common size between 2,000 and 4,000 students. (A few SELPA’s have up to 50,000 students with disabilities, although only five SELPA’s have over 10,000).  For more information about the Who, What, Where, When and Why of SELPAs please visit: http://www.cde.ca.gov/sp/se/as/caselpas.asp (updated 12/04/09)

The Southwest SELPA services over 14,000 students in 12 School Districts, Charter Schools and the Los Angeles County Office of Education programs. Responsibilities of the SELPA include such things as: Ensuring Program Availability for all Children with Disabilities, Curriculum Development and Support, Community Advisory Committee Support, Transition Planning, Legal Assistance, Program Evaluation, Interagency Coordination, Program Coordination, Fiscal Management, Community Awareness, and Staff Development.

All SELPA’s have the same basic goal…to deliver high quality special education training  and services to the students with disabilities in the most effective manner practicable.

Mary P. Ring, Southwest SELPA Director

Ms. Ring has served as the SELPA's Director of Eligibility and Assessment and as the Assistant SELPA Director over the past three years.  She is a credentialed school psychologist, a licensed educational psychologist and is a Board Certified Behavioral Analyst.  Prior to coming to SELPA, Ms. Ring was the Director of Special Education in the Wiseburn School District and the Coordinator of Special Educationin the Hawthorne School District.  Ms. Ring is known for her work on Response to Intervention having developed the SELPA's "Intervention4Success" program including the online Student Study Team module in use throughout the SELPA.  She also has developed the SELPA's Disproportionality Tool Kit, now adopted by California Department of Education via CalStat.  "Ms. Ring is an outstanding leader who will carry the SELPA's tradition of positive parent and professional partnerships," said Bob Farran, retiring SELPA Director, "her knowledge and depth of experience will be invaluable to our districts and parents."  The Southwest SELPA comprises the 12 school districts in the South Bay are and 20 LEA charter schools along with the Los Angeles County Office of Education.

Search and Serve