Southwest SELPA

What Southwest SELPA does

Southwest SELPA (Southwest Special Education Local Plan Area) is a public education consortium established in 1977 under California Education Code, one of approximately 135 SELPAs operating across the state. It serves as the statutorily designated coordinator for special education services across 12 school districts and 5 charter schools in the South Bay region of Los Angeles County, reaching over 13,000 students with disabilities from birth through age 21. The organization is headquartered at 4951 Marine Avenue, Lawndale, California, and is led by Executive Director Dina Parker with a management team that includes directors of financial operations, program coordinators, school psychologists, audiologists, and a deep bench of DHH (Deaf/Hard of Hearing), VI (Visually Impaired), AAC (Augmentative and Alternative Communication), AVT, and O&M (Orientation and Mobility) specialists.

The consortium delivers a unified set of services under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), including Early Start programs for infants and toddlers (birth to age 3), Child Find identification and evaluation, IEP facilitation, transition planning, Low Incidence equipment coordination, and Alternative Dispute Resolution. It maintains a Community Advisory Committee (CAC) for parent engagement, distributes procedural safeguards in 21 languages, and operates an annual professional development catalog for special education staff via a district bill-back fee model. The organization is governed by a Superintendents' Council of member LEAs and reports to the California Department of Education.

Southwest SELPA is a government state entity with no private ownership, no venture capital or private equity backing, and no disclosed revenue. Funding flows from state and federal IDEA allocations, member district contributions, and limited fee-based professional development. Services to families are provided at no cost as part of Free Appropriate Public Education (FAPE) under IDEA. The organization has no proprietary technology stack, no AI/ML capabilities, no patents, no subsidiaries, and no M&A activity. Its operating model is defined by regulatory mandate rather than market competition.

Name

Southwest SELPA

Legal name

Southwest Special Education Local Plan Area

Website

https://swselpa.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1977

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Southwest SELPA is a California-mandated public education consortium, established in 1977, that coordinates special education services for over 13,000 students with disabilities across 12 school districts and 5 charter schools in the South Bay region of Los Angeles County.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Special Education Administrative Services

NAICS

Educational Services (611), Educational Services (61), Educational Support Services (611710)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Transition Services (Secondary to Postsecondary/Employment, Life Skills) (EDAJAKAG)

akta.pro secondary industries

Special Education Vocational & Transition Programs (18–22) (EDAKAAAG), College Readiness & Disability Services Transition Support (EDAKANAB)

Keywords

• Special education services
• Special education coordination
• Professional development training
• Early intervention programs
• Alternative dispute resolution

Headquarters

HQ city

Lennox

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. State and Federal Special Education Funding: As a California SELPA, Southwest SELPA receives and distributes state and federal IDEA (Individuals with Disabilities Education Act) funding to member districts and charter schools for special education services including program coordination, fiscal management, staff development, and interagency coordination.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Southwest SELPA is a California Special Education Local Plan Area that provides coordinated special education services to students with disabilities (birth through age 21) across 12 school districts and 5 charter schools in the South Bay region of Los Angeles County. The organization delivers program coordination, fiscal management, professional development, Early Start programs, Child Find identification, Alternative Dispute Resolution, Community Advisory Committee support, and Low Incidence services to over 13,000 students with disabilities.

Product overview

Southwest SELPA is a Special Education Local Plan Area providing comprehensive special education services across 12 school districts and 5 charter schools, serving over 13,000 students. The organization operates as a unified service offering that includes: special education services, professional development training, Early Start programs for infants and toddlers, Child Find identification services, Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) for conflict resolution, Community Advisory Committee (CAC) support, Parent Resources including procedural safeguards in 21 languages, SELPA Forms management, and Low Incidence services. These components work together to deliver high-quality special education training and services to students with disabilities in the most effective manner practicable.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Special Education Services Comprehensive special education services coordination and direct support for students with disabilities across 12 member school districts and 5 charter schools, serving over 13,000 students in the South Bay region of Los Angeles County.
• Professional Development Training and professional development offerings for teachers, administrators, and special education staff to support high-quality special education programs, delivered through an annual PD catalog with school-site training options and district bill-back fee model.

Quantifiable outcome

• Serves over 13,000 students with disabilities across 17 LEAs
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers11 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

19 partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• California Department of EducationcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 23 April 2026Southwest SELPA operates under the authority of the California Department of Education and California Education Code, which mandates the establishment of SELPAs to provide special education services. Southwest SELPA is one of approximately 135 SELPAs across California established in 1977.
• Centinela Valley Union High School DistrictcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMember school district of Southwest SELPA, receiving coordination for special education services including program development, staff training, and fiscal management for students with disabilities.
• El Segundo Unified School DistrictcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMember school district of Southwest SELPA.
• Hawthorne School DistrictcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMember school district of Southwest SELPA.
• Hermosa Beach City School DistrictcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMember school district of Southwest SELPA.
• Inglewood Unified School DistrictcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMember school district of Southwest SELPA.
• Lawndale Elementary School DistrictcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMember school district of Southwest SELPA. Home of Southwest SELPA headquarters.
• Lennox School DistrictcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMember school district of Southwest SELPA.
• Manhattan Beach Unified School DistrictcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMember school district of Southwest SELPA.
• Palos Verdes Peninsula Unified School DistrictcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMember school district of Southwest SELPA.
• Redondo Beach Unified School DistrictcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMember school district of Southwest SELPA.
• Torrance Unified School DistrictcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMember school district of Southwest SELPA.
• Wiseburn Unified School DistrictcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMember school district of Southwest SELPA.
• Century Community Charter SchoolcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMember charter school of Southwest SELPA.
• Family First Charter SchoolcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMember charter school of Southwest SELPA.
• Lennox Math, Science, Technology AcademycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMember charter school of Southwest SELPA.
• New Opportunities Charter School (9-12)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMember charter school of Southwest SELPA.
• Opportunities for Learning CapistranocoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMember charter school of Southwest SELPA.
• SELPA Administrators of CaliforniacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerStatewide organization of SELPA administrators that provides coordination, resources, and advocacy for California SELPAs. Currently leading yearlong celebration of IDEA 50th anniversary with monthly resources and focus areas.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Catapult Learning: Provider of special education, intervention, and professional development services to K-12 schools; comparable in delivering direct special education staffing and PD to school districts and charter schools.
• New Story Schools: Operator of approved private special education schools and related services for K-12 students with disabilities; comparable in serving the same IDEA-eligible population via a regionalized program model.
• RethinkEd: Special education platform providing behavior management, SEL, and professional development resources to K-12 districts; comparable in delivering training, MTSS, and IEP-adjacent tooling across member LEAs.
• PresenceLearning: Provider of teletherapy and special education services (speech, OT, mental health, behavioral) to K-12 districts; overlaps with Southwest SELPA's itinerant specialist model (audiology, DHH, VI, school psychology).
• Progressus Therapy: School-based special education staffing and related services provider; comparable in supplying district-level therapists and specialists (e.g., school psychologists, audiologists, SLPs) on a contracted basis.
• Frontline Education: K-12 operations platform that includes special education management, IEP tracking, and professional development tools — the closest commercial analog to Southwest SELPA's coordination, fiscal management, and staff training functions.

Broad incumbents

• WestEd: Nonprofit education research and technical assistance provider serving California schools; comparable in delivering professional development, program evaluation, and special education technical assistance to LEAs.
• PowerSchool: Dominant K-12 student information system with special education modules (PowerSchool Unified Classroom Special Programs); competes for the technology layer that underpins IEP, 504, and special education service tracking across districts.
• Los Angeles County Office of Education (LACOE): Regional education service agency serving all LA County school districts; provides special education support, fiscal oversight, and interagency coordination that overlaps with Southwest SELPA's mandate at the county level.
• SELPA Administrators of California: Statewide association of California SELPA administrators; the direct umbrella organization of which Southwest SELPA is a member, providing coordination, advocacy, and shared resources across all 135 California SELPAs.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCmNFveOUCaHtxE2ikKh0_YQ
• Facebookfacebook.com/swselpa1
• Instagraminstagram.com/swselpa
• Xx.com/swselpa

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Southwest SELPA