Alison Elmer responds to a query from the School Committee.
The head of student services for the Reading public schools who holds a master’s degree in leadership from Harvard University has been recommended to direct Arlington’s special-education department. The permanent position has not been filled for three years.
The School Committee on Thursday, March 6, welcomed Alison Elmer with some pointed questions.
“The No. 1 issue [with the department] is customer service,” member Cindy Starks said. “Calls not returned, questions unanswered …. What would you do about it?”
Elmer didn’t blink: She called for establishing sound policies and providing good communication, part of which means setting expectations. “Customer service is a delicate balance,” she said. “In business, the customer is always right. In education, you have to understand what is driving a question.”
Such exchanges with the public are “great conversations you have to have,” she said.
Member Paul Schlichtman was direct: Why does she want to be special-education director?
Elmer said that it was her intent all along to get the license to be a special-education administrator, but the path to that licensure at Harvard was through the principal internship. She took the job as a cluster coordinator following her internship, which is consistent with her desire to be such an administrator.
Addressing anxiety, programs, costs
Committee Chair Judson Pierce asked how she would address reported increases in anxiety among special-needs students.
Arlington has “a large department with much behavioral support,” she said. The issue is “not just about special-education students, but the whole school.”
If Elmer and the committee agree about a contract, she will be taking over a department that has had an interim director, Kathleen Lockyer, for two years. The recommendation by Superintendent Kathleen Bodie comes at the conclusion of the third search for a director. Mark Ryder, who left, in 2011, was the department’s last permanent head.
Elmer said she was excited to be coming to Arlington, a high-achieving district known for its quality and variety of students.
In response to other committee question, Elmer told member Bill Hayner that she had initiated a program, now in its third year, to address school avoidance and chronic absenteeism.
Asked what area would be her focus in Arlington, she told member Leba Heigham that her passion is behavioral health and that would seek grants.
Member Jeff Thielman asked how she would address the sharp increase in special-education costs.
Elmer said she would look into the sources of the increases and whether Arlington’s programs and staffing structure support what their designed to do.
The third search
The thurd search for a permanent director of special education was announced in December. Interviews got underway the week of Feb. 3. Two meetings were held, but the names of candidates were not made public, though meetings were held in public.
One candidate was invited a second round of interviews Feb. 10. The superintendent decline to say who that was, but a source said it was Elmer.
Last April, Lockyer, who has been interim director for special education since 2012, agreed to serve for another year in that role after the second search in two years for a permanent head hit a roadblock.
In the second search, last year, Bodie said three finalists were chosen, two of them withdrew and she recommended one to the School Committee.
Lockyer retired from her last position, in Watertown, so approval for her to continue requires a waiver from the state.
Mark Ryder, who directed the department for three years, announced he was leaving in March 2011 for a nonprofit in Maine. He was paid $110,000 a year. Plans for the first search for a full-time director were announced in November 2011.
The first search, in early 2012, was unsuccessful — a situation that led to criticism from SEPAC, the parent group that represents special-education interests.
A story last April titled “Failed special-ed search sparks more questions — and an appeal to consider limited pool” reported, “As a special-education group says Arlington is missing out because its search for a top administrator has failed, Superintendent Kathleen Bodie expressed frustration about the limited pool of candidates squeezed by 17 districts seeking heads of special ed.”
The background of Elmer, a Wakefield resident, reflects a blend of urban and suburban. See it in the following summary of her resume:
Education
Harvard University, master’s degree in education in school leadership, 2004
Boston College, bachelor, elementary and moderate special-needs education, 1998
Experience
Reading Public Schools, August 2011 – present, director of student services
• Develop and coordinate systemwide student services to meet the needs of all students in an educationally and fiscally responsible manner.
-Accountable for overall direction, coordination and evaluation of all units assigned to Student Services (Special Education, Preschool programs, ELL services, Guidance and Counseling, Nursing services, Home/Hospital Tutoring, Homeless Liaison, Out of District placements and Alternative
Programs, and Section 504) in accordance with local, state and federal mandates to maximize students’ ability to learn and function effectively.
• Initiate, develop, and oversee implementation of a districtwide Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS).
• Coordinate response to all DESE Program Quality Assurance (PQA) Local Investigations, findings of non-compliance, and develop Corrective Actions.
-Provide leadership and coordinate the DESE Coordinated Program Review (CPR) and Mid-Cycle Review (MCR).
-Prepare and oversee $9 million special education budget and solicit funds to provide financial support for programming.
Boston Public Schools, August 2004 – Aug 2011, LAB Cluster coordinator, Boston
• Launched district’s first substantially separate special education program for elementary and middle school aged students identified with emotional and behavioral disorders in a pilot school setting.
• Established “integrated” model to deliver resource room services in the most inclusive setting; identified and supervised co-teaching partners at the third, fourth, and fifth grade level to eliminate removing students from the general education classroom.
• Created and facilitated school’s first Special Education Leadership Team with the goal of promoting a more inclusive school environment by conducting a needs assessment review and planning related professional development.
• Created and facilitated school’s first Climate Team to address the culture and physical environment of the school in an effort to increase student, family, and staff engagement.
• Introduced collaboration with Wediko Children’s Services to Young Achievers in order to support the social, emotional, and behavioral needs of students and provide ongoing professional development to staff.
Boston Public Schools, principal intern, August 2003 – May 2004
• Actively participated in supervision and evaluation of classroom instruction.
• Contributed to the revision of the Whole School Improvement Plan in preparation for the State Panel Review as member of the Instructional Leadership Team.
• Analyzed and presented student assessment data to Instructional Leadership Team to identify strengths and weaknesses in instruction and to develop a school-wide action plan.
• Designed and implemented school-wide professional development by using student data to improve instruction as member of the Data Team.
• Participated and assisted in school budget process.
League School of Greater Boston, Walpole, head teacher, August 1999 – August 2003
• Supervised and evaluated six teaching assistants.
• Instructed students ranging in age from 16 to 22 with Autism Spectrum Disorders in a vocational training program.
Related Experience
Group Leader, Striar Jewish Community Center, Stoughton, June 2002 – June 2004
Professional Development
• Special Education Summit, Lynnfield, Lyons & Rogers, LLC, October 2013
• Social-Emotional Learning Alliance of Massachusetts Annual Conference, Wellesley, SAM & Teachers 21, June 2013
• How to Build a Compliant, High Quality and Cost Effective Special Education, Service Delivery System to Improve Results for Students with Disabilities, ACCEPT Education
Collaborative, 2012- 2013 Leadership Academy I for New (1 – 4 years) Special Education Administrators of Record, ACCEPT Education Collaborative, August 2012 – May 2013
• Special Education Leadership/Management, Graduate course, ACCEPT Education Collaborative, Endicott College, 2013
• Massachusetts Secondary Transition Capacity-Building Conference, Department of Elementary & Secondary Education, April 2013
LINKS:
Feb. 2014: Unnamed candidate for special-education director met public
April 16, 2013: Search for special-education director continues — again
This story was published Saturday, March 8, 2014.
