Let's hope so.
Special ed CEO lacks credentials; Department of Education defends choice
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| City Schools Chancellor Carmen Farina, right, seen here with Kamillah Hanks, Borough Hall liasion to the Panel for Education Policy, left, has visited Staten Island numerous times since she was appointed, and has heard complaints from special education parents, teachers and advocates about the system. (Staten Island Advance) |
Betsy Combier
Special education CEO is out; DOE taps replacement with experience in the field
By Follow on Twitter
on September 22, 2014 at 6:42 PM, updated September 22, 2014 at 7:07 PM
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. --
Johannah Chase is out as the Department of Education's chief executive officer
of special education, the Advance has learned.
Her ouster, after only
six months in the position, comes after the Advance reported that Ms.
Chase had no license in
supervision and administration; no special education experience, and an expired
teaching license, and a number of articles reporting on
special ed problems under her watch.
Her replacement,
announced Monday in an in-house memo from Deputy Chancellor Corinne
Rello-Anselmi -- a copy of which was obtained by the Advance -- is Christina
Foti, currently principal of PS 231 in Brooklyn.
The memo did not indicate
whether Ms. Chase was leaving the DOE system, or why she was leaving her
special ed post. |
| Christina Foti |
Acknowledging she had
"mixed emotions" about Chase's departure, and while wishing her well,
the deputy chancellor, in her memo, also noted, "it is essential
that the new leader of the Special Education Office have a demonstrated
commitment to students with special needs and solid leadership skills."
SPECIAL ED EXPERIENCE
Ms. Foti has a bachelor's
degree from Vassar; a master's degree in special education from the City
University of New York and a postgraduate degree in education leadership from
Hunter College. She has worked as a special education teacher, assistant principal
and as a principal in District 75, which is comprised of special education
schools throughout the five boroughs.
"In these roles she
has developed skills in instruction, writing quality IEPs [individualized
education plans], and professional support, as well as a deep understanding of
the Shared Path framework," noted Ms. Rello-Anselmi, referring to the DOE's
ambitious plan to revamp the special ed system.
The special education
office is in charge of day-to-day management of the system, which serves more
than 200,000 students. It involves supervising teams at 13 sites in all five
boroughs, with more than 800 field staff; overseeing the administration of
federal and state grants, and ensuring compliance, implementing services to
children and working with parents, advocates, community members and union
officials.
A central policy shift in
the "Shared Plan for Success" reform is "home-zoning" of
special education students.
In the past, a student
with a particular special need would often be placed at a school with the
resources best suited to meet that need.
Under the reform,
the student remains at his or her zoned school and the school is now
responsible for providing the service.
PROBLEMS PERSIST
While the intended
benefit is to keep students close to home, problems frequently surface when
the school does not have the required programs or staffing in place. The reform
is aimed at "home-zoning" all students, except the most extreme
cases, which are shifted to an appropriate District 75 special education school.
But special education
staff, parents and advocates complain that resources are scarce; parents say
their children are not being served, and some say their child's individualized
education plan (IEP) isn't being followed.
Those responsible
for delivering services to students in need complain they
are mired in bureaucratic paperwork, hampering their efforts.
Describing her philosophy
of learning on her LinkedIn profile page, Ms. Foti wrote: 'It is my belief that
all children, irrespective of disability, can rise to meet expectations when
caring professionals provide high quality programs that support the academic,
physical and social development of students."
ADVOCATE LAUDS DECISION
Special education
advocates welcomed news of her appointment.
"If she can live up
to her philosophy she'll be great for the kids, the parents, teacher and
professionals. It's all about understanding the children and their needs. It
sounds really simple, but to find someone who really understands a child is not
easy," said special education advocate Laura Timoney, a member of the
Community Education Council and parent of a special-needs child. |
| Johanna Chase |
The ouster of Ms. Chase
and appointment of Ms. Foti reportedly was endorsed by City Schools Chancellor
Carmen Farina, who has heard
complaints from all sides during her visits to Staten Island and
has made special ed reform one of her priorities since she was appointed by
Mayor Bill deBlasio in January.
A TROUBLED TENURE
Ms. Chase was appointed
special ed CEO in March. Since then, the Advance reported, several key
administrators in her office were also found to have little to no teaching or
supervisory experience in special ed, or lacked state
certification in education administration and supervision.
Under her watch, the DOE mishandled $356
million in federal fundsmeant to cover special education
services such as speech, occupational and physical therapy, evaluation and
counseling and pupil transportation.
Most recently, a backlog pf
paperwork in her office was behind a delay in special ed services for
non-public schools.
Her office also received
a storm of criticism from parents and special education advocates for slashing
$250,000 from a small but successful program known as the Transitional
Aspergers Program (TAP), which helps students diagnosed with Asperger's make
the transition from intermediate school to high school. Money for the program
has reportedly been restored after the
Advance reported on the cut.CHRISTINA FOTI - LINKEDIN
It is my belief that all children, irrespective of disability, can rise to meet expectations when caring professionals provide high quality programs that support the academic, physical and social development of students. As a principal, my greatest joy comes from working with the staff, students and families of PS 231K to fulfill the mission of our school.
At PS 231K, it is our mission to create a core of learners through the collaborative efforts of the students, staff, parents and community. The role of the “teacher” is not limited to the adult, but is extended to the child. In doing so, each child discovers his/her own unique potential, talents, purpose and greatness through a differentiated, interdisciplinary approach inclusive of technological as well as social emotional learning. We strive to show our students that the biggest classroom is the world around them. We do this by using all available resources to bring the world into the classroom and the classroom into the world. PS 231K students become independent, productive, problem-solving citizens that seek challenges rather than shy away from them.
Interested in joining our team as a teacher, administrator, related service provider or paraprofessional? Contact me at cfoti@schools.nyc.gov.
At PS 231K, it is our mission to create a core of learners through the collaborative efforts of the students, staff, parents and community. The role of the “teacher” is not limited to the adult, but is extended to the child. In doing so, each child discovers his/her own unique potential, talents, purpose and greatness through a differentiated, interdisciplinary approach inclusive of technological as well as social emotional learning. We strive to show our students that the biggest classroom is the world around them. We do this by using all available resources to bring the world into the classroom and the classroom into the world. PS 231K students become independent, productive, problem-solving citizens that seek challenges rather than shy away from them.
Interested in joining our team as a teacher, administrator, related service provider or paraprofessional? Contact me at cfoti@schools.nyc.gov.
Experience
Education
JOHANNA CHASE on LINKEDIN
Chief Executive Officer, Special Education at NYC Department of Education
- Location
- Greater New York City Area
- Industry
- Education Management
Experience
Chief Executive Officer, Special Education
NYC Department of Education
Chief Operating Officer, Division of Students with Disabilities & English Language Learners
NYC Department of Education
8th Grade Math Teacher
NYC Department of Education
CSA at Work: Small Change, Major Havoc
‘Supervisors of’ Face New Reorganization
by Anne Silverstein
The re-assignment of six Supervisors of Psychology from the
recently disbanded Cluster 3 this summer has snowballed into an avalanche of questions about how some
“Supervisors of…” should receive new assignments.
CSA has been in weekly, sometimes daily, conversations with the
Department of Education since early August concerning Supervisors of Speech and Supervisors of
Psychologists. The number of members affected has grown as the conversation topic has expanded: Now the assignments of
about 30 Supervisors of Speech and 30 Supervisors of Psychology are at stake.
“We believe that district-like assignments make the most sense
in providing support services to schools,” said CSA President Ernest Logan.
With the current system of cluster assignments,
Supervisors of... may have schools in two or three boroughs.
“We’re wasting valuable time sitting in traffic and looking for parking
spaces,” Mr. Logan said.
Summarizing the situation is difficult because the problem has
grown – and changed – since the question of how to reassign six Supervisors of Psychology from Cluster 3
arose. Briefly here’s what happened, according to Audrey Fuentes, Executive
Director Field Services, who has spearheaded the union’s efforts to bring
member concerns to the DOE’s attention:
After the dissolution of Cluster 3 this summer, the DOE made
tentative assignments for the six Supervisors of Psychology and planned to ask
for feedback on the proposed placements in the remaining five Clusters, said
Ms. Fuentes. During an early exchange with the DOE, Ms. Fuentes asked who would
be the new rating supervisors for these members, and then opened the proverbial
can of worms by asking, “What will happen to Cluster 3’s Supervisors of
Speech?” Meanwhile, the six Supervisors of Psychology were tentatively
reassigned.
By Aug. 29, the first day back for 10-month Supervisors, the DOE
responded to Ms. Fuentes’
question with a proposal that perhaps all Supervisors of Speech should be aligned by Districts/Boroughs; the DOE then sent a survey to about 30 Supervisors of Speech assigned to Clusters to ask them their preferences. (Editor’s Note: Readers may be confused about the DOE asking anything about districts since from 2003 the DOE has assiduously battled to eliminate districts and assignments by district.)
question with a proposal that perhaps all Supervisors of Speech should be aligned by Districts/Boroughs; the DOE then sent a survey to about 30 Supervisors of Speech assigned to Clusters to ask them their preferences. (Editor’s Note: Readers may be confused about the DOE asking anything about districts since from 2003 the DOE has assiduously battled to eliminate districts and assignments by district.)
Ms. Fuentes responded by expressing her concerns as to how
member preferences will be handled, i.e. what would happen if two people wanted
the same assignment, and what recourse members would have if they were unhappy.
(She also asked to see the assignments for the Cluster 3 Supervisors of
Psychology.) The DOE’s response was a little opaque, but ultimately said
experience and prior work in a specific district was to be the criteria.
“Supervisors of Speech heard about the reassignments unofficially,” said
Ms. Fuentes recently, “and there was an uproar from speech supervisors in terms
of their assignments.” At this point, Ms. Fuentes asked Johannah Chase of the
DOE’s Division of School Support and Instruction with whom she had been
dealing, for a complete list of new assignments. “Our members were asking, ‘How
come I got this district when I asked for another district?” Others felt they
had been discriminated against, orthought one supervisor had been ‘favored’ over
another.” Ms. Fuentes suggested these supervisors write to Ms. Chase.
“It was not clear to our members how decisions were made,” said
Ms. Fuentes; the DOE’s attempts for transparency had not only fallen flat, but
had created anger. So more meetings were held in September to discuss the
issues. “We said, ‘If you’re going to ask for preferences as you make changes,
you need to use seniority to make the decisions to be transparent and fair; you
have to use a method that can be easily explained to the people
involved.”
While the DOE has OK’ed assigning Supervisors of Speech in
alignment with districts/ boroughs (since their jobs are closely aligned with
schools,) it continues to say “no” to this method for placing Supervisors of
Psychologists. The explanation is that Supervisors of Psychologists are aligned
with clusters, which cross district and borough lines.
At a Sept. 26 meeting, the DOE said it was having trouble
compiling seniority lists for Supervisors of Speech. By Oct. 26, Ms. Fuentes
said, the list was to have been delivered to her but still hadn’t arrived. As
for Supervisors of Psychologists, CSA is still pushing for the DOE to assign
them by district/borough, but continues to meet resistance.