Reflecting a change of focus made last June, Arlington’s special-education department will have one leader, as it has in the past, despite comment that the new job description may mirror one from 2007.

The School Committee vote Thursday, Nov. 17, to accept the proposed job description, rejecting a lengthy amendment offered by member William Hayner that would have added language about SEPAC, the parent group supporting special-ed initiatives.

Trish Orlovsky, SEPAC chair, read a statement during public participation that the job description may be the same one developed in January 2007, when B.J. Cataldo, then head of special ed, announced her resignation.

Nov. 21: Search to begin in December; pay at issue

The committee also discussed:

-- How members' evaluations of Superintendent Kathy Bodie would be made public but made no decisions;

-- A presentation of the 2011 Youth Risk Behavior Survey for grades six, seven and eight; and

-- 2011 MCAS scores and the Annual Yearly Progress (AYP) report.

The committee voted, 7-0, to accept a policy governing head injuries and concussions and to accept the motion to remove Kirsi Allison-Ampe from the Arlington Education Association and Arlington Administrators Association negotiating team and replace her with Cindy Starks.

Bodie says, "Structure is working well." 

In explaining the proposed structure of special-education to the committee, Bodie said reaching her conclusions had involved much outreach. That included conversations with other superintendents, LABBB Collaborative leaders, an oversight committee, staff and SEPAC.

She said that whoever holds the position needs adequate administrative support for the number of students involved, and that becomes a budget issue.

Team chairs must deal with the students load. In the past, there have been six team chairs; this year, there are eight.

"This structure is working well," she said. "I prefer to have one person in charge, and that is my recommendation .... We have something that is going to work for a number of years."

As to SEPAC's involvement under the structure, Bodie referred to the second to last bullet point. It calls for the new director to "cooperate with all parent and community groups."

Hayner offered a motion that, among other things, would add this language:

"Advising the district on matters that and safety of students with disabilities" and enabling SEPAC "to participate in the planning, development, and evaluation of the school district's special education programs."

Member Jeff Thielman thanked Hayner for raising the issues, but said he would vote against the amendment. The measure was defeated in a voice vote, 2-5, with Hayner and Curro voting yes.

The main motion was adopted, 6-1, with Hayner voting no.

At this link are the new special education structure, two job descriptions (current and 2007) and a motion Hayner offered: See .PDF file at www.yourarlington.com/pdf/schools/11/sped_111711.pdf

Last June, Bodie faced strong opposition to her reorganization plan from parents and withdrew her plan to have two administrators lead a revamped special-education department. Instead, she appointed veteran Watertown administrator Kathleen Kelley Lockyer to lead assisted by Lori Villani, the current assistant director for elementary. A proposal tabled May 24 would have had Lockyer and Villani share leadership roles. 

Full text of SEPAC chair statement

The full statement presented by Orlovsky says:

Tonight, Dr. Bodie will be discussing the job description of the special education director and put forth a proposal to the committee. It is also my understanding that the proposal may be the same job description developed in January 2007, which the SEPAC has not seen or discussed with Dr. Bodie.

I received a copy of the position description and see it reflects none of the concerns, qualities, or skills that parents have discussed with you in various meetings since February 2011. It also incorrectly references the state education reform "law", correctly named the Massachusetts Education Reform Act of 1993, and fails to include the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, with Amended Acts of 2008. As all students with disabilities are also assumed eligible for ADA, it is important that any director also be versed in the elements of ADA that related to education and accommodation of students with disabilities both for access and education. The job description should include as part of essential responsibilities and duties, that the candidate will

- provide professional development on disability awareness and best practices for specific disability groups

- improve communication about special education initiatives, changes or proposals to parents, staff, and the community

- be skilled in use of technology as a communication, planning, and teaching tool

- will expand the website to provide more information and transparency about special education procedures, practices, and resources and programs in the district

- be accountable for developing a departmental budget that is transparent, accountable and detailed, based on data collection and available data analysis resources

- have strong communication and leadership skills in developing a vision of excellence and accountability and respect.

Under page 2 we would request specific language from CMR 603.38.07 be incorporated into the description, including regular meetings with the SEPAC for the purpose of "advising the district on matters that pertain to the education and safety of students: and enabling SEPAC "to participate in the planning, development, and evaluation of the school district's special education programs."

2. As part of the agenda regarding special education this evening, Dr. Bodie will also be discussing her proposal for the next Sped Organization. The SEPAC has seen no proposals or drafts of the Superintendent’s thoughts on this matter so we await her proposal with keen interest and some apprehension. Since early this calendar year, SEPAC has communicated many concerns to Dr. Bodie about the SPAC organization, including but not limited to the following characteristics we believe are essential to any proposed organization or operating principals for special education, including a system that is:

. responsive to consumers (students/parents/staff as well as school committee).

. reflective and self-monitoring by regularly seeking feedback from parents and teachers for improvement/change in programs, services, and the conduct of its dealings with parents, staff and the community.

. capable of utilizing the capabilities of resources, including collecting data, analyzing and reporting regularly on service efficiencies, such as caseloads and efficiencies for related service staff, resources of staff and materials expended toward program development and maintenance;

. focused on improving parent satisfaction through regular surveys and data collection on (1) identifying trends in IEP rejections and reducing rejected IEPs, (2) reducing litigation costs for both parents and the district, and (3) increasing performance in sped subgroups on district and state measures of progress.

. inclusive in informing and involving constituents in initiatives, programs, and best practices and accomplishments of students.

. puts the achievement and success of students with disabilities as a stated departmental goal, not merely the reduction of the number of special education students.

The SEPAC looks forward to participating in the process of screening and selecting the next leader for the special education department, and we thank you for your consideration of our concerns and suggestions.

Public evaluations discussed

As to the first public evaluation of the Arlington superintendent, Starks described what committee members had written public documents and said each member could decide how they are made public.

YourArlington had requested evaluations from all members. Joseph Curro Jr. and Judson Pierce provided theirs for publication; the others did not.

Hayner suggested that a complete video link of the Nov. 10 meeting, once available from ACMi, be made part of the minutes.

Such an online link was available as of Nov. 20 at http://vod.acmi.tv/2011/11/school-committee-november-10-2011/

There was also discussion of providing a complete transcript and possibly adding it to the minutes. In the end, Hayner withdrew his motion.

The committee will wait to hear the results of a discussion that Robert Spiegel, the human-resources director, expected from a meeting of a professional organization he would be attending.