From the Desk of the Superintendent

Superintendent J. Brian Sarvis, Ed.D.

Wednesday, July 1, 2009

FCMAT Special Education Report

The Santa Barbara School Districts contracted with FCMAT (Fiscal Crisis Management & Assistance Team) in February to conduct an evaluation and analysis of the districts’ special education programs. FCMAT delivered the final report at the June 23 board of education meeting. The FCMAT presenters described the report as one of the most comprehensive studies conducted by the agency and stated that while there are many positives, the report focused on those areas that are in need of changes. In all, 160 recommendations were made in the following areas:

• PARENT PARTICIPATION AND COMMUNICATION

• • Parent Involvement
  • Effective Resolution of Complaints and Litigation
  • District Outreach

• ORGANIZATIONAL REVIEW

• • Organizational Structure
  • Administrative Structure and Operation
  • Staff Morale
  • SELPA
  • Regional Program Operation

• FISCAL REVIEW

• • Position Control
  • Budget Monitoring
  • Facilities Costs

• PROGRAM REVIEW

• • Equal Access Issues
  • Mission and Core Beliefs
  • Response to Intervention (RTI) Model
  • Staffing Ratios, Class and Caseload Comparison
  • Assignment Process for Teachers and Aides
  • Determining the Need for 1:1 Aides
  • Community School
  • Annual Performance Report Measures
  A complete copy of the report is available on the school districts’ website.

We will use the report as a blueprint for the future and have already undertaken a number of changes. For example, we have been active in recruiting a new leadership team. While we have not selected an executive director and readvertising the position at a higher salary range ($120,000-$130,000), we have hired one new director of special education. Dr. Barbara Semel Parkhurst will be starting in a couple of weeks. We are also advertising for another director. Resource specialists will be selected soon. Other areas we have moved ahead on over the past few months include:

• hiring Rosa-Maria Lazarovits to provide parent resource and support for special education;
• moving ahead on position control;
• providing a number of in-service trainings;
• improving our website;
• discussion on procuring assistance from UCSB in working with our autistic students.

We realize that certain recommendations take precedence over others and that improving relations with our parents is not a simple process. A number of things must be done to repair our relations with parents and ensure high levels of service to students. The finding that over 70 percent of our special education parents have a solid, trusting relationship with the districts’ Special Education Department and feel that their school is responsive to their needs have been highlighted by board members as a strength. It is that dedication by staff that I am the most thankful for and that will serve as a foundation for our journey.

Periodic updates based on the recommendations will be brought back to the board and our progress will be publicly reported.