Boots Whitmer's Response to the CAC Questionnaire
The Community Advisory Committee for Special Education issued its own questionnaire for BOE candidates this fall. Boots Whitmer's response was the third received:
1. Do you believe that children with disabilities have a right to a free and appropriate education in the least restrictive environment?
Yes.
2. Are you close to anyone who has a child with disabilities?
Yes. My own daughter has a hearing processing disability. I have a niece with a learning disability (visual processing). I have several close friends with children whose learning disabilities range from severe autism to brain damage (loss of short term memory), Downs (misdiagnosed!) and other visual and hearing disabilities.
3. How familiar are you with the basics of The Individuals With Disabilities Education Act?
I have been an attorney for 28 years, but I have never practiced in this area. I have taken one C.L.E. (Continuing Education of the Bar) course in representing children under the IDEA, but that does not make me an expert in the area. I am, however, familiar with its basics. I would guess that any of the parents on the C.A.C. are probably vastly more expert in this law than the average attorney, even one who practices in the area!
4. What steps will you take to see that the federal government fully funds IDEA and that the State of California directs all of the money to school districts for special education purposes?
My information is that not one state is in compliance with the IDEA, so that is a tall order. Passing legislation which neither funds its subject nor carries sufficient sanctions for its violation effectively accomplishes nothing, except to give cover to legislators who want credit for sponsoring it. I want to travel to Sacramento and Washington DC, hopefully with some members of the CAC in tow and see what kind of fire can be lit under both bureaucrats and legislators. If the SFUSD BOE can act in concert, preferably with BOEs in other California jurisdictions and present some sort of united front, we might be able to accomplish more in this area and I would encourage our BOE to do so.
5. How will you ensure that appropriate services are provided for our children, particularly our most vulnerable children, in the reality of meeting budgetary demands?
The needs of children with disabilities are high on my priority list. I plan to work with the CAC on this formidable goal. I see this issue as one which our entire City must embrace. I would like San Francisco to be the City that every other jurisdiction emulates in this area.
The SFUSD's attitude on the treatment of children with learning disabilities reminds me at times of the attitude of insurance companies after one has incurred a covered loss. Insurance companies' first impulse is NOT to be helpful and fund the loss, but to try to find a way that coverage can be denied.
When I knew my child had a problem, the first line of defense from the SFUSD was to refuse to even advise me on her situation on the ground that she was performing "at grade level". Saving money seemed to be the most important goal. My child's welfare didn't seem to count. I wasn't even asking for services to be rendered at that point... I merely wanted to find out how to get to the bottom of her problem. I was willing to fund it entirely myself! And I was still sandbagged. I will work to overcome the barriers I know all too well from personal experience.
First, we must overcome the SFUSD's reluctance even to be a resource for parents of children with disabilities. The SFUSD should, at minimum, provide INFORMATION for parents seeking help and should partner with outside providers better able to advise on such issues. To fund this, we need to get City services involved so that the SFUSD is not expending money in what could be considered non-educational areas.
As you probably know, the manner in which the state doles out money to the individual counties for special ed/disabilities is based on a model which may be penalizing the SFUSD. This is the first place I'd like to start. Getting our fair share should be based on the actual number of children with the need. In addition, I would like to see the WSF start at the state level, not just the local level. We are a tax-rich city with a very needy public school population and it should be funded accordingly. I hope to work with our local elected representatives to get that changed to the SFUSD's favor.
The SFUSD's attitude on the treatment of children with learning disabilities reminds me at times of the attitude of insurance companies after one has incurred a covered loss. Insurance companies' first impulse is NOT to be helpful and fund the loss, but to try to find a way that coverage can be denied.
When I knew my child had a problem, the first line of defense from the SFUSD was to refuse to even advise me on her situation on the ground that she was performing "at grade level". Saving money seemed to be the most important goal. My child's welfare didn't seem to count. I wasn't even asking for services to be rendered at that point... I merely wanted to find out how to get to the bottom of her problem. I was willing to fund it entirely myself! And I was still sandbagged. I will work to overcome the barriers I know all too well from personal experience.
First, we must overcome the SFUSD's reluctance even to be a resource for parents of children with disabilities. The SFUSD should, at minimum, provide INFORMATION for parents seeking help and should partner with outside providers better able to advise on such issues. To fund this, we need to get City services involved so that the SFUSD is not expending money in what could be considered non-educational areas.
As you probably know, the manner in which the state doles out money to the individual counties for special ed/disabilities is based on a model which may be penalizing the SFUSD. This is the first place I'd like to start. Getting our fair share should be based on the actual number of children with the need. In addition, I would like to see the WSF start at the state level, not just the local level. We are a tax-rich city with a very needy public school population and it should be funded accordingly. I hope to work with our local elected representatives to get that changed to the SFUSD's favor.
6. What qualifications and experience are you bringing to the board that will help enhance new vision and positive academic achievements for all students despite a continuing lack of necessary funding sources?
I am the parent of a child with a learning disability, the relative of a child with a learning disability and the friend of many with children who have disabilities which include very challenging ones. This area is "up close and personal" with me. I am an attorney with 20 years of civil litigation experience. I have been a public school parent and volunteer for 16 years and served on the Site Councils of Presidio Middle School (which I chaired for two years while the WSF was a pilot project there); Lowell High School and George Washington High School (where I was Vice-Chair for two years). I have trained in Lindamoode-Bell and am familiar with other successful programs, including those of Scientific Learning (Fast Forward) which was instrumental in helping my child improve and correct her hearing processing problem.
7. What is your experience with Special Education?
For a period of time, my daughter was put on a pull-out program which did nothing for her and which damaged her ego tremendously. I would like all children's educational needs handled in ways which are most effective, least emotionally scarring and at the same time most inclusionary. That is a difficult balancing act and I know parents who have opted out of inclusion because they felt it was best for their children. Parents are the best judges of what is best for their children.
Aside from the inclusion question, we must streamline and improve each child's access to their own IEPs and see that those IEPs are revised in as timely a manner as possible and fully reflect the true picture of each child's progress.
Aside from the inclusion question, we must streamline and improve each child's access to their own IEPs and see that those IEPs are revised in as timely a manner as possible and fully reflect the true picture of each child's progress.
8. Please tell us what you think about the full inclusion of children with disabilities in general education classrooms. Do you think that all schools in SFUSD should allow children with disabilities to be educated in classrooms alongside their non-disabled peers?
Yes, unless the parents of the individual disabled child don't wish this. I think it is as healthy for all children with disabilities to be included with their non-disabled peers as it is for their non-disabled peers, who will learn tolerance and appreciate the strengths and struggles of disabled children.
9. What are you willing to do and how far are you willing to go to ensure every child in this district, with or without an IEP, learns to read, write, problem solve, and use math to a level where they will pass the graduation requirements and help them have a successful life?
The last census showed that at least 70% of the graduates of the SFUSD will go on to higher education and a substantial number of these children will have or will have had disabilities which impact their educations. Not only should every graduate of the SFUSD pass the graduation requirements and be able to read, write, problem solve and use math, they should each have found something the LOVE to do: art, music, sports, craft, etc. Many children who struggle academically "find" themselves through classes which are beyond the core academic pursuits and this "saves" them from going down darker paths. Our jails are full of men and women who started down the wrong path simply because their learning disabilities went unaddressed, or they failed to find anything that gave them a reason to stay on the right path.
One thing which has struck me as I have campaigned is the strong desire of the citizens in San Francisco to improve public education. It is almost as though they are all peering through an impenetrable fence watching a child drown, impossible to prevent it. We need to find ways to harness sectors of our citizenry to help. Building and Trades Unions should be working to help develop vocational programs; editors of local newspapers should be working with high school newspapers; etc. If it "takes a village", we need to get the village on board. And even more, we need to get our local elected representatives working harder for the SFUSD. I plan to try every novel, creative and rational means of improving public education during the brief time I have on the Board of Education. My law partner, William Flenniken, specializes in representing defendants in criminal appeals. He has jokingly suggested that he hopes I am unsuccessful in reaching my goal of improving public education because the current state of education "keeps me in business". Much as I would not want to put my cherished law partner out of business, it would give me a certain satisfaction to do so. And besides, he can always go back to class actions!!
One thing which has struck me as I have campaigned is the strong desire of the citizens in San Francisco to improve public education. It is almost as though they are all peering through an impenetrable fence watching a child drown, impossible to prevent it. We need to find ways to harness sectors of our citizenry to help. Building and Trades Unions should be working to help develop vocational programs; editors of local newspapers should be working with high school newspapers; etc. If it "takes a village", we need to get the village on board. And even more, we need to get our local elected representatives working harder for the SFUSD. I plan to try every novel, creative and rational means of improving public education during the brief time I have on the Board of Education. My law partner, William Flenniken, specializes in representing defendants in criminal appeals. He has jokingly suggested that he hopes I am unsuccessful in reaching my goal of improving public education because the current state of education "keeps me in business". Much as I would not want to put my cherished law partner out of business, it would give me a certain satisfaction to do so. And besides, he can always go back to class actions!!
10. How will you deal with entrenched bureaucracy if it interferes with service delivery to students?
I will sic the CAC for Special Ed on them.
I'm only half-joking about that, because I have been impressed with the formidable force you have become. It's really amazing that most of the major reforms of the SFUSD have come because of parent initiative. The BOE members just seem to be warming seats. Whether or not I am elected to the Board of Education, I hope that more parents will serve on the BOE, preferably parents who have truly been problem-solvers in their own niches.
The best way to deal with entrenched bureaucracy is to shine the light of day on the malfeasance. We need something like "Chronicle Watch" for the SFUSD. Other than that, persistence is the only way to deal with it. I'm not patient, but I can be persistent. It will need an army of parents, but the army is growing and I will encourage it.
I'm only half-joking about that, because I have been impressed with the formidable force you have become. It's really amazing that most of the major reforms of the SFUSD have come because of parent initiative. The BOE members just seem to be warming seats. Whether or not I am elected to the Board of Education, I hope that more parents will serve on the BOE, preferably parents who have truly been problem-solvers in their own niches.
The best way to deal with entrenched bureaucracy is to shine the light of day on the malfeasance. We need something like "Chronicle Watch" for the SFUSD. Other than that, persistence is the only way to deal with it. I'm not patient, but I can be persistent. It will need an army of parents, but the army is growing and I will encourage it.
