News

Monday, December 1, 2008

Special Education Update

Message from Superintendent Brian Sarvis

As you may know, we have heard from parents about problems in special education at successive board meetings. Many of the problems are about services to our students and administrative relations with parents, although I understand that staff also has concerns.

Our special education director is leaving the district and we are undertaking a series of actions. In the short term, Associate Superintendent Robin Sawaske is working with existing staff on the transition plans. Our mid-term intentions are to bring in an interim director, work with parents, meet with staff, analyze our needs, set the stage for structural changes, and hire new leadership in special education this spring. The long-term plans are to move our programs and services, including relations with parents, to the highest levels possible. To these ends, we are doing the following:

1. We have started meeting with parents and we will be meeting with parents a number of times during December. We will formulate a plan for on-going meetings and parent input.
2. We will be scheduling meetings with special education staff to discuss current and future plans and get input from staff. We have dedicated teaching staff and their input is important.
3. We will be interviewing interim special education directors from a list of highly qualified people with significant experience. We clearly heard concerns about long-standing problems in special education and believe that by bringing in a person from outside the district, it will help pave the way for operating in different ways in the future. The interviews will include parent, staff, and board representatives.
4. I will ask for an outside, independent evaluation and analysis of special education, which will include special education procedures; administrative organization; appropriate assignment of teachers and aides; training and support for teachers and aides; effective clerical, program specialist, and administrative staffing; the configuration of stable top administrative positions, including responsibilities and accountability; an examination of the role of attorneys; and class inclusion models. The analysis must consider problems we have had in special education and must have both staff and parent input. It should also be noted that some recommendations may involve negotiations with our professional associations and others may have a financial impact.
5. I will pursue recommendations on top administrative staffing early so we can advertise for a permanent administrative position(s) during the prime spring period. We need stable leadership in special education. There are no current preferred candidates and the advertisement process will be open statewide. The selection process will include staff and parents in the candidate interviews.
6. I will also pursue the independent recommendations for changes in special education.
7. We heard at a recent board meeting that, by policy, we do not provide substitutes for aides who are specified by an IEP to work with particular students unless the aide is absent for five days. I cannot find such a policy, but the following morning I directed staff to see that substitutes for aides specified in IEPs are readily available and we will be working with site administrators to ensure that this will happen since IEP services must be delivered.

We must be in full compliance with state and federal requirements. Some of the things described above can be done immediately. Others will take longer. Realistically, we cannot expect to achieve everything in the next four months, or by the end of the school year. But, our students deserve excellent programs and we should not be satisfied with less.