SMMUSD Forum Addresses Ways to Apply Special Ed Recommendations

• Controversy-Dogged Program Needs New Director

BY SUZANNE GULDIMANN

The Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District recently hosted its second Special Education collaborative forum at John Adams Middle School in Santa Monica.
The workshops are an outgrowth of the recommendations presented in March of 2008 as part of an independent evaluation of the district’s special education program by the consulting firm Lou Barber and Associates.
As a result of recommendations made during the first forum, in fall of 2008, the May forum focused on how to assist special education students to successfully transition from one level to the next, with an emphasis on the major transitions between preschool and kindergarten; middle school and high school; and high school and college.
Keynote speakers at the event included Petite Konstantin, the executive director of L.A. Goal, an organization whose “educational, vocational and recreational programs provide opportunities for adults with developmental disabilities to increase their independence and employability,” according to the group’s Web site, and actor and artist Brad Silverman, who is also active in L.A. Goal, has Downs syndrome, and is an advocate for children with disabilities.
In the second half of the event, forum participants were divided into smaller groups and invited to share their experiences with transitions in the school district.
The district itself is experiencing a period of transition as it grapples with the challenge of restructuring its special education program, which has been the subject of controversy for several years leading up to the Lou Barber review.
District officials are currently seeking a new director for the troubled department. Ruth Valadez, who was hired by the district in December of 2006, resigned in February to become director of the Lynwood Unified School District’s special education program.
Parents of children in the special education program have complained that Valadez was difficult to work with, and have described relations with the former director as “contentious.”
Special education consultant and retired teacher Jeanne Davis has been serving as interim director until SMMUSD selects a replacement. She has indicated that she is not interested in becoming the permanent director.
According to the district, 40 applications for the director’s position have been received. A panel of parents, teachers and administrators are conducting the first round of interviews.
Recommendations will then be made to Superintendent Tim Cuneo and senior staff. District officials have stated that they intend to take what they are describing as a “different approach,” during the hiring process, by asking “key” educators in the state for recommendations.