Case Study: Dillingham City School District achieves streamlined IEP access, accuracy, collaboration, and 92% compliance with PowerSchool Special Programs

Dillingham City School District Improves IEP Access, Accuracy, and Collaboration

Dillingham City School District, an Alaskan district serving just over 400 K–12 students, struggled with an outdated paper-based special education system that made IEPs hard to find, hindered teacher collaboration, and left the district below 50% in state compliance—often forcing staff to brave icy conditions to access files. Administrators and teachers spent excessive time on paperwork instead of instruction and coordination.

By adopting web-based PowerSchool Special Programs (integrated with their SIS), the district gained real-time, easily accessible IEPs, automated alerts, and intuitive workflows that streamlined processes and boosted collaboration. The change cut administrative workload dramatically (from four hours daily to about one hour weekly for filing), saved roughly 70 staff hours a year (nearly 50% more efficient), and improved state compliance from under 50% to 92%, while eliminating unnecessary trips to the records building.

Dillingham City School District

Elizabeth Clark

Special Education Coordinator and Former Special Education Teacher