The Santa Barbara County Special Education Local Plan Area, SELPA, is a group of 23 school districts and the County Education Office that have joined together to provide Special Education programs and services.

The SELPA is organized as a Joint Powers Agency which is technically an independent governmental agency. The governance of the JPA is described in detail in the Joint Powers Agreement.

The SELPA office is located at the Goleta Union School District Administrative Center. The office is staffed by a Director, Coordinator, Office Manager and Secretary. The SELPA is a regional administrative office which ensures the equal provision of Special Education services to children with disabilities.

The SELPA is guided by Federal and State regulations; the State offers a searchable database of laws; the Federal guidelines are available as a download (pdf).