Austin ISD's interim special-education leadership reported Nov. 6 that the district had completed or advanced 66 of 142 actions set out in the TEA-agreed special-education strategic plan and that the district has made a major hiring effort to restore in-house evaluation capacity and related services.

Numbers and staffing: Assistant Superintendent Sherry Lee told trustees the district has hired and onboarded roughly 38 speech-language pathologists, 14 occupational therapists, 17 mental-health specialists, 37 educational diagnosticians and 32 school psychologists so far in the current school year. Lee said those new hires have reduced reliance on contracted evaluation services and that projected contracted spending for evaluations would fall substantially compared to 2024'25.

Family engagement and ECSE: The special-education department said it launched "family Empower Hour" virtual sessions (weekly, with thousands of family attendees across offerings) and an in-person transition fair that drew more than 200 participants and 50 community partners. The team also reported curriculum alignment and professional learning for ECSE (early childhood special education) providers, new classroom observation tools for principals, and a planned Gantt-chart tracking tool to monitor implementation of strategic-plan actions.

Implementation challenges and next steps: Leaders said staffing remains a priority, and that continued in-house training and coaching are necessary to ensure high-quality IEP development and implementation. The department plans additional PLCs, learning labs, and targeted professional learning for case managers and related-service providers, and said it is developing more robust monitoring and reporting so trustees and the Special Education Family Advisory Committee can track progress.

Evidence: Lee and Krista Etheridge described the progress to trustees and cited improvements in ECSE curriculum, the number of hires, the Empower Hour attendance figures, and the department's plan to publish a Gantt-chart for tracking future deliverables.