This segment is entitled, “Making Everyone Happy:  Re-Imagining SELPA Governance,” and is part two of our special education governance coverage.  It features four experts in the field with vast experience in working as part of collaborative SELPA teams. 

Todd Brose is the proud Superintendent of Red Bluff Joint Union High School District and the Chair of the Tehama County SELPA Superintendents’ Council.  Under Todd’s leadership, the Red Bluff community is committed to recognizing diversity and making a connection with every student, every day. He has been a longtime advocate for special education and adequate funding for small and rural communities, and he served on the original One System Task Force.

Cali Binks serves as the Superintendent of the Yucaipa-Calimesa Joint Unified School District, which is on the east end of San Bernardino County.  Cali began her career in education as a special education teacher.  She has served as the superintendent of a large, urban, diverse school district, and she has witnessed the positive outcomes that result from the collaboration that occurs between districts and their SELPAs. 
 
Dr. Ed Manansala is the El Dorado County Superintendent of Schools.  Dr. Manansala has spent over 25 years working in the public school system, first doing school counseling and social work for the Sacramento City Unified School District.  He has served in a variety of leadership positions since, including multiple roles with St. HOPE Public Schools.  Dr. Manansala considers education to be key to students being able to reach their full potential. 

Adam Stein is the former SELPA Executive Director of the Sonoma County SELPA and Sonoma Charter SELPA.  Adam is also a former superintendent and long-time educator with a particular passion for the work we all must do around inclusion.  Adam provided leadership as a chair of the Legislative Committee of the SELPA Administrators of California for many years. 
 
 

From the SELPA Administrators of California website:  www.selpa.info 

Making It Happen – The Podcast Series
The Local Plan Explained
The Governance of SELPAs
The Formation of SELPAs
The Continuum of Options

Like and follow us on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/SELPAStrong 

This segment is entitled, “Making It Accessible: Delivering Quality Mental Health Services.”  This is another of several podcast episodes in Season 2 of the SELPA Making It Happen! podcast series, and it features four passionate leaders with significant experience in the design and delivery of mental health programs for students with disabilities. 
 

Trina Frazier, Assistant Superintendent of Student Services and SELPA for the Fresno County SELPA.  Trina has served as a SELPA administrator since 2005, and presently oversees special education across the 31 member districts and 17 charters. Trina currently serves on multiple committees of our Association, and is one of our former State SELPA Chairs.  

Pam Bender, who has worked in the education field for over 25 years. She has served as a special education coordinator and director, as well as a SELPA director for the last 20 years.  As Chief Executive Officer for the Desert/Mountain SELPA, also known as CA-HELP, Pam provides leadership to 21 LEAs across what is perhaps the largest geographical SELPA in California, and operates one of the most robust, model mental health programs in the state.

Dr. Amy Alzina is the Superintendent of Cold Spring Elementary School District located in Montecito, California.  Amy has had a notable career with more than 25 years in education, and a history of improving the lives of students and the quality of the education they receive.  She has significant experience with the delivery of student mental health services in small and rural areas, and she serves on committees for various statewide agencies.  

Veronica Coates is the Assistant Superintendent of Special Education and SELPA for Tehama County.  Veronica has provided steadfast leadership to her SELPA for approximately ten years, after having held various positions of leadership in special education and serving as a school psychologist.  She is also an Executive Officer of SELPA Administrators of California.

From the SELPA Administrators of California website:  www.selpa.info 

Making It Happen – The Podcast Series
Mental Health Action and Advocacy
ERMHS Funding Shift Letter from SELPA Administrators
Sustaining Tiered Mental Health Options and Collaborations, ACSA Leadership Magazine
The Governance of SELPAs
 
 

Like and follow us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/SELPAStrong 

This segment is entitled, “Making the Connection:  Understanding SELPA Governance,” which is the first of a two-part segment, and it features four experts with vast experience in special education governance.

Garth Lewis is the Superintendent of the Yolo County Office of Education.  Garth has served in education for over 27 years, starting out as a paraeducator, teacher, site and district administrator, and as the assistant superintendent of instructional services and equity at the Yolo County Office of Education.  He believes access to a high-quality public education is a significant factor in improving life outcomes for all children, particularly those experiencing poverty.
 
Judy Bishop is from the East San Gabriel Valley SELPA and is the parent of 18 year-old twins, a boy and a girl, on the autism spectrum. She has served on the East San Gabriel Valley SELPA CAC since 2012 when her children were in 2nd grade. As is the case with most parents of special needs kids, Judy was overwhelmed by the diagnosis of both her children and she decided she needed to dive in head first to learn as much as she could not only about their disability, but also about educational services and other programs for them.

Dr. Anne Hubbard is the Superintendent of Hope Elementary School District and JPA Board Chair, Santa Barbara County SELPA.  Anne has served as a teacher and administrator for 33 years and is in her 7th year as the superintendent of Hope School District in Santa Barbara. Anne was on the SELPA board in San Luis Obispo County for 2 years, and joined the Santa Barbara County SELPA board in 2019.

Aaron Benton is the Director of the Butte County SELPA and he has served as a special education director or SELPA director since 2004.  Aaron currently provides leadership for superintendents and special education directors in 14 school districts and 7 charter schools.  Aaron serves on several committees of the SELPA Administrators of California.

From the SELPA Administrators of California website:  www.selpa.info 

Making It Happen – The Podcast Series
The Local Plan Explained
The Governance of SELPAs
The Formation of SELPAs
The Continuum of Options

Like and follow us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/SELPAStrong 

This segment is entitled, “Making It Possible:  The Role of SELPA in Addressing Equity,” and it features three extremely talented equity experts.  

Dr. Adam Clark, Superintendent of the Mt. Diablo Unified School District, a single district SELPA with over 26,000 students.  Dr. Clark has been championing the cause of equity for years, and he first came to present to SELPA Administrators of California a few years ago related to his work in Vallejo City USD where he was closely involved with the significant disproportionality process and the culture shifts that took place there.

Dr. Mary Montle Bacon is an Equity leader and consultant.  She is the Founder of Images of a Culture, a highly sought-after presenter, and one of the Technical Assistance Facilitators in the area of Significant Disproportionality who consults regularly with multiple SELPAs on issues of equity and social justice.

Dr. Debbie Montoya is the Senior Director of the Imperial County SELPA, a multi-district SELPA of 17 school districts located along the California Mexico border.  Dr. Montoya and her SELPA Team are SELPA Content Leads in work specifically related to providing appropriate services for English Learners with Disabilities.

Of possible interest:

·       State Performance Plan - Technical Assistance Project, SPP-TAP
·      Equity Disproportionality & Design (EDDS), South County SELPA
·       Equity Tools, Promising Practice, and Research, CDE
·       Ways 2 Equity Playbook, Inclusion Collaborative at the Santa Clara COE
·       Equity Resource Library, San Diego County Office of Education
·       Microaggressions in the Classroom, University of North Texas
·       Solving Disproportionality and Achieving Equity: A Leader′s Guide to Using Data to Change Hearts and Minds, Fergus, Edward A.

Visit the SELPA Administrators of California at www.selpa.info and check out our finance pages.  Like us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/SELPAStrong  

This segment is entitled, “Making It Better:  The Role of SELPA in Dispute Resolution and Prevention,” and it features three very talented individuals each with a wealth of experience.  

Katie Castruita - Katie is the proud parent of two teenage children, one of whom has an eligibility of autism and requires special education services.  She resides in Redlands within San Bernardino County.  She has been a member of the East Valley SELPA Community Advisory Committee for the past five years and is currently the Chair and has also worked as a special education paraprofessional.  Katie brings the parent perspective to our conversation through the lens of a parent who pursued due process and experienced the benefits of alternative dispute resolution. 

Cali Binks - Cali has been the superintendent of the Yucaipa-Calimesa Joint Unified School District since 2013.  Yucaipa-Calimesa JUSD is a mid-to-small sized school district on the east end of San Bernardino County.  Prior to leading Yucaipa-Calimesa, Cali served as the superintendent of a large, urban, diverse school district.  Cali began her career in education as a special education teacher.  She has experienced the positive outcomes that result from a district and SELPA embracing and using alternative dispute resolution (ADR) in working together with families of students with disabilities.

Dr. Patty Metheny - Patty has served as the Chief Administrative Officer of the East Valley SELPA in San Bernardino County for the past 7 years.  Prior to leading East Valley SELPA, Patty served for as a district special education director and spent many years as a teacher and school psychologist.  Patty believes that ADR practices offer a respectful, trusting and meaningful way to resolve differences and engage others in challenging conversations.  She is a recognized leader in ADR, serving as the Chair of the State SELPA ADR Committee and the Chair-elect of the State SELPA Association.

 Of possible interest:

· Center for Parent Information and Resources
This hub of information is funded by the Office for Special Education Programs.  

· Family Resource Centers Network of California
Supports families of children with disabilities, special healthcare needs, and those at risk by ensuring the continuance, expansion, promotion, and quality of Family Resource Centers.  

· CADRE Website
Funded by the Office of Special Education Programs at the US Department of Education to serve as the National Center on Dispute Resolution in Special Education. 

· ADRCal Website
A resource directory that provides information and resources for special educators, parents, Local Educational Agencies (LEAs), Special Education Local Plan Areas (SELPAs), and districts across California. 

· Better Than Court: Using Alternative Dispute Resolution Grants in Special Education
Sharon Cavallaro, Ed.D of the Napa County Office of Education and Patty Metheny, Ed.D of the SELPA Administrators of California Alternative Dispute Resolution Committee, 2018.

· Pepperdine Straus Institute – An internationally-recognized for law-school-based conflict resolution and for over a decade and ranked among the nation's best programs by U.S. News and World Report. 

Visit the SELPA Administrators of California at www.selpa.info and check out our ADR and Parent pages.  Like us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/SELPAStrong  

This segment is entitled, “Making An Impact:  The Role of SELPA in the Statewide System of Support,” and it features three extremely talented special education experts.  

Heidi Hata, Director of System Improvement Leads – A lifelong educator, Heidi began her career as a preschool teacher, later becoming a school psychologist, special education director, and SELPA administrator.  Heidi now co-leads the work of the System Improvement Leads (SIL) project from the El Dorado COE SELPA.  The SIL project is a collaborative project between EDCOE SELPA, Riverside County SELPA, and West San Gabriel Valley SELPA that utilizes a continuous improvement approach to increase access and equity for students with disabilities.  

Alex Gonzalez, Executive Director of Special Education for San Jacinto USD - Alex has over 20 years of experience in the field of education serving as a special education teacher, site administrator, and at various levels of special education administration. He believes that by engaging in a focus on equity and continuous improvement, our school systems will be able to ensure that all students have the capacity to achieve at high levels.  He and his team have been closely involved with SIL and Content Lead work.

Melanie Hertig. Melanie has over 25 years of experience working in the education field.  She is currently the  Executive Director of the Irvine Unified School District SELPA which is a single district SELPA.  Irvine USD is one of the only growing districts in the state, currently serving over 36,000 students, and supporting a diverse student population.  Her special education department proudly supports a culture of continuous improvement as a district-wide priority. 

Of possible interest:

System Improvement Leads
Visit the System Improvement Leads website to find resources, professional learning opportunities, online learning opportunities, and to explore the Data Quality Toolkit and the Improvement Data Center, at the System Improvement Leads website.  

Content Leads
SELPA Content Leads will further develop the capacity of SELPAs to support the LEAs they serve in developing and implementing evidence-based practices for students with disabilities in particular areas of need. The SELPA Content Leads are:

• Marin County SELPA — California Autism Professional Training and Information Network (CAPTAIN) to scale up the use of Evidence-Based Practices
• Placer County SELPA — Open Access Project to focus on Universal Design for Learning, Assistive Technology, and Augmentative Alternative Communication strategies
• South County SELPA — Equity, Disproportionality, and Design (EDDS) to facilitate professional learning and build resources to prevent disproportionate representation
• Imperial County SELPA — Improving Outcomes for English Learners with Disabilities for best practices in assessment and development of culturally and linguistically appropriate programming

Visit the SELPA Administrators of California at www.selpa.info and check out our finance pages.   Like us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/SELPAStrong  

This segment is entitled, “Making It Count:  The Role of SELPA in Special Education Finance,” and it features three extremely talented special education finance experts. 

Eddie Davidson, Director of Fiscal Student Services for the Fresno County SELPA.  Eddie has served for 25 years in Education Finance, 13 years in local school district finance and 12 years in the SELPA of Fresno County Superintendent of Schools.   Fresno County SELPA consists of 31 LEAs serving over 8,600 students with disabilities, and their Charter SELPA has 15 LEAs with nearly 900 additional students with disabilities.  

Dr. Robert McEntire, Director of Management Consulting Services for School Services of California. Robert is sought after as a presenter for many organizations including CASBO, USC’s School of Business, and CSBA. Prior to joining School Services, Robert served as an assistant superintendent and Chief Business Official in medium and large school districts in Southern California, and was a Chief Financial Officer in the corporate sector. He supports and advises school districts, county offices of education, and community colleges.

Anjanette Pelletier, Associate Superintendent of Special Education and SELPA for San Mateo County.  Anjanette spent the first 10 of her 25 years in education as a school psychologist, later working in program specialist and director positions. She’s been the leader of San Mateo’s SELPA for ten years.  Anjanette provides exemplary leadership to our state association as the both the Chair of the Coalition for Adequate Funding for Special Education and the Co-Chair of the State SELPA Finance Committee. 

Of possible interest:

·       Fresno County SELPA’s Model SELPA Finance Website.  The site includes information about funding sources, allocations, uses of funds, reporting, and providing an FAQ sheet.  He has even built a library of instructional videos on SELPA finance for his SELPA's member LEA business officials and has made all available to the public.  We are so grateful for what he has put together and is willing to share.

·       Overview of Special Education in California, produced by the California Legislative Analyst's Office in November 2019, provides comprehensive information about the state of special education finance in California.
What is Special Education?
Who Receives Special Education?
How is Special Education Organized?
How is Special Education Funded?

·  California's Special Education Funding System Creates Challenges and Opportunities for District and Charter Schools, Bellwether Educational Partners, May 2019 

Visit the SELPA Administrators of California at www.selpa.info and check out our finance pages.  Like us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/SELPAStrong