Assistant Superintendent, Special Education
Washington Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction
Glenna Gallo has served as the Assistant Superintendent of Special Education in the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) in Washington since 2017. Previously, she spent seven years as the State Director of Special Education for the Utah State Board of Education (USBE), following work as a classroom teacher and administrator. She has more than 25 years of public education experience supporting students with disabilities and adults entering and within the teaching profession, and 16 years of experience in state-level educational leadership with expertise in the improvement planning, data analysis, and monitoring of public prek-12+ special education programs. Glenna has a B.S and an M.S in Special Education, special education teacher and administrative licenses, endorsements as a Program Administrator, Principal, and Superintendent, and an M.B.A. During her work in Washington state, special education programs were allocated an additional $155 million for state special education programs, $37 million dollars for the improvement of statewide inclusionary practices, $12 million for paraeducator training, and $60,000 to reduce the use of restraint and isolation, revise the historical state special education funding allocation formula to a two-tier system that supports inclusionary practices, and revise the state’s high-needs risk pool process to reduce the administrative burden on school districts. Collaboration is a priority for her work, and collaborative efforts are infused within all state efforts regarding students with disabilities. Glenna feels strongly that application of the intent of IDEA requirements results in increased student outcomes for students with disabilities and works with school and district administrators, special education staff, advocates, and parents/families of students with disabilities at the local education agency LEA, state, and national levels to review research, current student achievement data, stakeholder feedback, and compliance data to ensure state and local efforts are addressing instructional issues that impact results for students with disabilities.