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New school year gets under way with plenty of changes and challenges

By Mildred D. Browne, Ed.D., Assistant Superintendent, Pupil Services and Special Education

We worked hard this summer to recruit and hire staff due to the large number of people retiring  or moving to new positions within the school district, and are still recruiting for a few open positions. We are hopeful that we will quickly get new staff members oriented and trained over the next few months.

Please welcome our new Assistant Director, Student Services, Jonathan Roselin; Program Specialists Carolyn Patton and Berry Murray; Administrative Secretary Josie Sardea; and new School Psychologists Jessica Cummins, Jennifer Rinna-Hildreth, Lolice Perez, Jennifer Steinback and Rhonda Wieder.

Changes in the Special Education Department mirror the myriad administrative and staff changes at our school sites.  A new directory of staff in the district and at school sites will soon be available at www.mdusd.org, our new web address.

With the recent passage of the state budget and AB 114 (Committee on Budget), the education finance legislation, the responsibility for providing school-based mental health services has, for the most part, shifted back to school districts. We are grappling with a number of issues and consider this year as a transition year while new guidelines for mental health services are developed by the California Department of Education.

We are hopeful that our positive relationship with the Contra Costa County Mental Health Department will continue, even with this shift in responsibilities. Our partnership with County Mental Health has resulted in the development of the Mental Health Collaborative, which has yielded comprehensive services for students. The bigger challenge will be in reshaping programs and services to be more cost-effective.

We continue to receive feedback on a draft Board of Education policy that addresses equity and disproportionality. Our leadership training this summer focused on strategies to address these issues.

Good communication will be essential for our parents and staff to enhance a healthy working relationship and to ensure that students are successful in the midst of so  many changes. All parents are encouraged to attend the Special Education Community Advisory Committee (CAC) meetings, held the first Monday of the month, where issues of concern may be addressed.

A warm welcome to new parents and staff who are joining us this year, and to returning parents and staff. We hope you have an excellent school year!