Letters to the Editor
To the Editor:
At the January 7 Winchendon School Committee meeting, the public comment period was met with parents' concerns regarding contract for Ms. Suzanne Michel, the Director of Pupil Services and the Director of the Preschool, which is not being renewed at the end of June.
I am Pam Smith, the co-chair of our Special Education Parent Advisory Committee (SEPAC). In addition, I was on the hiring committee for the Director position when Ms. Michel was hired, a temporary member of the school committee, part of the WPS reopening team this summer and a parent of a child with special needs.
As co-chair of the SEPAC, I have worked closely with Ms. Michel through SEPAC meetings and trainings we have attended together. For these reasons as well as those noted previously, I am aware of Ms. Michel's contributions to the WPS.
As Director of pupil services, she handles most of the special education services, including early intervention students, required state indicators for students on IEPs who graduated, all the plans for students in special education transitioning to adults, and she is responsible for all 504 plans, which give students who have conditions that limit their daily activities in a major way the supports they need in school without being discriminated against. She can alleviate parent's concerns and talk them off the cliff which will in turn can stop out of district placements and mediation or potential law suits.
But in addition to her duties noted, some contributions that Ms. Michel has made as follows.
- One of her first jobs as director was to secure the student records as they were not being stored according to state law. They were in cabinets with broken locks in the open office area where anyone had access.
- She set up the District Curriculum Accommodation Plans (DCAP) for general education that is required to be in place for all WPS with the principals but it was not completed prior to her securing the director position.
- Ms. Michel has secured several annual grants and funding for special education, community engagement, early literacy and early childhood special education, which total over $500,000.
- In 2019, she secured a very competitive mental health grant totaling $110000.
- She has also worked on early literacy grants, securing funding for the Toy Town playground, worked with Rotary clubs to provide books and dictionaries to kids in our schools.
- For the High School ALL room students, she had set up internships at the preschool for students with disabilities to help the younger students with reading or classroom projects.
- She also set up buddy and mentoring programs with students in 2nd grade and preschoolers.
- She handles the annual accreditation of the preschool first at the federal level which was required for grant funding and now with new state guidance.
- She is the homeless/DCF liaison.
- She developed a procedural manual for all special education staff.
- She is Civil Rights Coordinator and writes revisions to policies for the district as needed.
Ms. Michel has been with WPS for over 20 years and you cannot replace the knowledge and the relationships she has built here. I believe we could see more mediation and more out of district placements with her removal. If the reasons for not keeping her are due to budget issues, management issues, or personnel issues, she is the first person who would be willing to get the training required to overcome these issues. There is no reason for not keeping her in district when she holds two positions and the town is paying for one salary.
I would request that if you have the same feelings, please write a letter with your concerns to the school committee and the Superintendent.
Thank you for your attention,
Pam Smith