Karin Cevasco

While I am a duly elected member of the Milford School Board, my testimony is solely my own. While the concept of an advisory council is a good one, I wonder if every district would be able to secure the volunteers to make the council work in a valuable and productive manner. The bill mentions using parent organizations within the schools to secure membership on the advisory council, though the parent organizations in our district are challenged at recruiting and retaining membership. What I do like about this bill is the requirement to conduct an annual workshop for parents to inform them of the special education process. This could possibly be done in collaboration with the Parent Information Center (PIC). The more we can do to encourage partnerships between parents and educators in the special education process, the better results we will see for the student’s outcomes. However, do we need legislation to mandate parent information sessions, or could it be achieved through best education practices? Additionally, the focal impact on this bill is noted at $0, which is understated. There will be costs to districts for staff to conduct meetings and presentations, with costs falling on the local property taxpayers.