Special Education Director Withdraws From Position

» Mesa Accountant on 07.02.09 @ 08:32 PM

Dear School Board Members,

This is a crisis. Special Ed struggled last year with incompetent leadership, and an independent agency attempted to remedy the situation, but the school district cannot implement the changes necessary. If these two resignations were the first two questions of competency for this superintendent, he would entitled to prove himself with a longer tenure. The fact that the number of these embarrassments has now grown into the teens, and the fact that they happen with shocking regularity, suggests that action needs to occur, and it needs to occur quickly. How much longer can the school board preside over, and endorse, this lack of leadership competence? The average length of employment for a superintendent in California is fewer than four years, and most districts recognize that new leadership is needed periodically to keep a district up-to-date. This superintendent has had his four years (and more) to prove himself. This school board needs to take decisive action now—before the next series of debacles is allowed to happen.

» Richard Foster on 07.04.09 @ 09:48 PM

What incompetence by the district.  Who vets these people?  Is anyone in charge in the district office?  What are we getting for all the 100k plus administrators?
Obviously very little.  Dr. Sarvis owes the public an explanation or better yet his resignation.

» Guardian Angel on 07.06.09 @ 09:35 AM

Regarding the continuing trials and tribulations of the Santa Barbara School District’s Special Education programs, it should be clear to even the most casual observer that a new vision is needed and a new approach to administrative staffing essential.  Seven Directors in eight years is a clear testimony to the simple fact that the job of building and maintaining a student-focused, innovative, and responsive program for families of special needs students is problematic at best for one individual.  Given the recommendations of the Fiscal Crisis and Management Assistance Team (FCMAT) report of June 12, 2009 recently presented to the Board of Trustees, it would seem most prudent to create an administrative team of three capable administrators (working as equals in all respects) who each bring unique strengths to their position.  In addition to each administrator’s broad and proven experience in Special Services, the specific characteristics of leadership needed by the “Special Education Administrative Cohort” can be found threaded throughout the report itself.

One position should focus primarily on all aspects of implementing the legal mandates outlined in IDEA (Individuals with Disabilities Education Act), including timely identification, testing, IEP development, and compliance monitoring.  To support this structure, a second administrator would oversee staff training, program development, staffing plans, develop and implement collaborative models between General and Special Education staff, ensure learning materials are provided in a timely manner, and support student transitions from grade to grade and school to school.  The third administrator would function primarily as a parent liaison.  Tasks would include: building effective channels of proactive communication for parents and the community at large; implementing a structure for ongoing and focused parent education; facilitating community outreach and consistent opportunities for parents to provide input; and employ conflict resolution strategies early and often to address and resolve concerns prior to more costly and adversarial options are considered. 

At the very core of each of the recommendations outlined in the FCMAT report is a clear call for increased communication and collaboration at all levels that support students with special needs…what better place to start than with the very administrators who will be asked to lead that change.