Some accuse new special ed. director of dodging questions
SMMUSD HDQTRS Parents of students requiring extra care hope the new director of special education will breathe new life into a program that some have come to believe was damaged by the former leadership’s regime.
Whether change under Director of Special Education Ruth Valadez will happen remains to be seen.
It was less than a year ago that several parents accused former Assistant Superintendent of Special Education Services Tim Walker of brokering so-called “secret deals” with the students’ Individualized Education Plans (IEP). The IEP outlines an educational program specific to a special needs student for the entire school year.
If parents are unhappy with the IEP, they could either opt to seek Due Process or meet personally with Walker to settle a variety of disputes.
The parents alleged that their children lost out on services due to “secret deals” — having signed confidentiality agreements requiring them to refrain from disclosing specifics of these contracts to third parties.
Last August, Walker was promoted to deputy superintendent of the district.
Parents are left to wonder if the practice will continue under Valadez.
“There are no secret deals between Tim Walker and parents,” Valadez said last week. “Parents who are unhappy with their student’s programming have the right to file for Due Process.”
“The law specifically states that districts are to attempt to resolve any complaints that have been filed,” Valadez added. “Mr. Walker has offered to meet with parents prior to the formal filing of a Due Process case, and has been very successful in resolving disputes with the creation of ‘Agreements.’”
After working with the East Whittier City School District for eight years as the director of special education, Valadez came to Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District after being hired in December, looking for new challenges and hoping to implement new programs.
Following a meeting with Valadez last month, members of the Special Education District Advisory Committee (SEDAC) said they have some concerns about the direction of the program under Valadez, the number one concern being that she reports directly to Walker, rather than Superintendent Dianne Talarico. “(Valadez) has to have kind of a global understanding and she has to be able to know what she can budget for and what programs the superintendent, who has [a] background in special education, would like to push,” said SEDAC Chairman Ken Haker.
Other concerns include whether Valadez is willing to implement a special education strategic plan that the Board of Education adopted in 2004, and whether the new director has a specific program for students with autism.
Many areas of the strategic plan have already been adopted and a good portion of the staff who helped draft the plan have left since approval, according to Valadez.
Some parents said they are concerned that Valadez didn’t have much to offer at the community meeting, which was held on Feb. 27, and criticized her for sidestepping questions.
“She was just checking things out and kind of... avoided specific questions,” said a parent of a special needs child, who asked to remain anonymous. “It’s clear that the tactic is to avoid what is appropriate to children and to keep the parents busy chasing tails so they’re exhausted and beaten down.
“It’s especially embarrassing to me, because we’re one of the richest school districts in the country and their agenda is to spend as little as possible on children with special needs,” said the parent, regarding the so-called “secret deals.”
Dodging questions seemed to be the case during a SEDAC meeting in January, said Tricia Crane, a member of the committee, when Valadez avoided inquiries about her view of the special education strategic plan, saying she would do so at the February meeting.
“My goals include working closely with my supervisor... to increase the district’s capacity with regard to staff knowledge in the areas of instruction, curriculum, behavior management, state and federal laws, and serving students with specific disabilities,” Valadez said of her plans for the future of the special education program.
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on March 23, 2007. Read the original PDF.