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Candidate Guide
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Thank you to the Tacoma Special Needs PTA community for your participation in creating this questionnaire. Six poignant questions were finalized and sent to the candidates on September 17, 2019 with a completion deadline of October 1, 2019 and a final reminder sent on September 30, 2019.
The following candidates received these questions:
POSITION 1
Debbie Winskill
Lisa Keating
POSITION 2
Enrique Leon
Kristopher Kerns
DISCLAIMER: Under the National PTA organization rules, a 501(c)(3) organization may NOT conduct partisan activities to support or oppose any candidate for public office, including endorsing a candidate. This exercise was with intent to give all candidates an equal platform to share their thoughts on the special needs community. All candidates were given the same questions and the same time frame in which to participate.
A response was received by Lisa Keating. No responses were received from the other three candidates.
The following candidates received these questions:
POSITION 1
Debbie Winskill
Lisa Keating
POSITION 2
Enrique Leon
Kristopher Kerns
DISCLAIMER: Under the National PTA organization rules, a 501(c)(3) organization may NOT conduct partisan activities to support or oppose any candidate for public office, including endorsing a candidate. This exercise was with intent to give all candidates an equal platform to share their thoughts on the special needs community. All candidates were given the same questions and the same time frame in which to participate.
A response was received by Lisa Keating. No responses were received from the other three candidates.
What is your philosophy on special education?
As a facilitator of an arts enrichment program, I am committed to providing inclusive programming and assure that every student feels represented and safe. In this program, consistently 20% of participating students are on the special needs spectrum. As a teaching artist I incorporate learning plans that celebrate artists like Sandra Silberzweig, who has synesthesia, and Esref Armagan, who is blind and a painter. I also guide students through learning about and understanding the Disability Justice movement. All of this is to help students have a greater awareness, compassion, and commitment to be inclusive to others and celebrate the differences between us.
What do you think is the greatest challenge in the Tacoma School District regarding special education and what specific steps do you plan to take to address this challenge?
Given the complexities of IEP's, 504 Plans, and the civil rights of students with special needs, a district created challenge is not having a department head who is certified in SpED. To me, this is a legal and financial liability. It puts students at risk, as well as staff. If just from a preventative perspective, having someone competent and experienced working with this student population would decrease the level of civil rights violation alone. Students with special needs and transgender students have the highest rates of civil rights violation in our state. Tacoma Public Schools has an unfortunate record of civil rights violations for both populations.
I also know that the caseload for SpED teachers creates safety issues for them and their students. Their colleagues who teach GenED don't understand the differences and complexities of their jobs. SpED classrooms are understaffed and over capacity. Too many educators I have spoken with have been treated as less valued and disregarded compared to those in GenED. This ultimately sends the message to students and families that the district doesn't equally value students with special needs.
Do you believe that our school staff needs more training in issues such as autism, behaviors and mental illness? If you believe it's needed, do you think it should be mandatory and how would that happen? Or do you believe there are alternative methods more effective in addressing these issues? Please explain.
Yes, I feel more training in issues such as autism, behaviors and mental illness are needed. At the root, it is a safety issue. Proper training aids in de-escalation, having tools to redirect disruptive behavior and look at behavior as a symptom or story to something else. In moments of stress, anxiety, or sensory overload a student doesn't often have the ability to verbally articulate what is causing the reactive behavior. Discipline disparities for students of color and SpED students are, in my opinion, impacted by a lack of training, skills, and an awareness of implicit biases by the adults.
I have had numerous discussions with hourly staff, such as playground supervisors and paras, who were never given the opportunity to attend training sessions on these issues, which they wanted and felt was important for student safety.
Since the Tacoma Special Needs PTA formed in December of 2016, only one school board member has attended our meetings. With our unique position working with the district's Special Education Administrative Team and connecting with parents district wide, we are looking to have a greater connection with the school board. In order to help us serve our population of students better, would you be open to dedicating one study session per year to special education, including a parent panel, to address issues and concerns? Please explain.
I am have been a member of the Tacoma Special Needs PTA for the past two school years. I also had the privilege of knowing several of the founding members through my role and services as Community Building Chair for the Geiger PTSA. In my work as an advocate for LGBTQIA students, I frequently collaborate with the leadership and members. A high percentage of transgender and/or non-binary youth also are on the autistic spectrum. As a result, this organization is an essential resource for myself and those I serve.
I am absolutely open to dedicating one study session per year. Early on in my campaign, I had a listening session with a large number of SpED educators and paras. It was eye opening and reinforced my commitment to removing barriers and increasing equitable access for students with special needs. I'm honored to have some of the district's most talented SpED educators endorsements and support. Many of them knocked doors for me over the summer as well.
It was my intent to hold a listening session with parents/families during my campaign. Unfortunately, I was not able to carve out the time with the demands of running a campaign. What I can say is that I have spoken to dozens of parents, students, and family members connected to the SpED community. I have listened to heartbreaking and troubling stories of many families' experiences within the district. A consistent break down is the lack of consistency in staffing, skill, knowledge, and resources from building to building. The stories that concerned me the most were where a student was thriving and meeting goals only to transition to a new school and backslide, sometimes dramatically. The best way to stay informed is through a continued dialog.
Our PTA community has a vested interest in the Inclusion Model and how it is implemented in our district under the Urban Collaborative. According to the district timeline, reporting on Urban Collaborative recommendations ends in 2020. How would you propose measuring the success of our district's inclusion efforts going forward, aside from data?
Academic focused data is important. Also looking at LRE percentages for students, investments and training into the co-taught model. Especially at the secondary level, which is critical. There must be strong systems in place for inclusion to be successful. Student engagement with typically developing peers outside of academic classroom settings (extracurriculars, sports, clubs, leaderships, electives or specialist classes).
Do you have any additional thoughts on the special needs community that you would like to share?
In my years as a youth advocate, I strongly believe in the need for comprehensive sexual health education. The statistics of children and youth impacted by sexual violence is a public health issue. The risk of sexual violence dramatically increases for LGBTQIA and special needs youth. Education is key.
TPS has begun to implement the FLASH curriculum, which is a good starting point and has a lot of room for improvement. One of the unintentional barriers of this curriculum is assuring that every student sees themselves in it. Another important step would be preparing every teacher to create equitable, safe, and inclusive learning environments for each student. The students I work with (including my daughter) who have gone through this curriculum have reported having vastly different experiences. For example my daughter's teacher asked her to fact check the lesson and to advise her teacher on terminology and inclusivity. Our students should not be the ones responsible to make sure a sex Ed curriculum is comprehensive, accurate, and representative of every student.
Additionally, I have been a champion for students and families for over ten years locally, across the state, and nationally. I will also bring a working knowledge of the daily operations of our school buildings. My experiences serving on two school decision making committees, being a teaching artist, an award winning TPS Community Partner, and DEI trainer within the district uniquely qualifies me to serve on our school board. I also bring experience as a Human Services Commissioner for the City of Tacoma. In this role, I am responsible for making funding recommendations to our city council and mayor. I serve on the team that reviews funding for services related to homelessness, food insecurity, mental health, substance abuse, and domestic violence. All of which impact our schools. As a board member, I would have a depth of understanding of services, barriers, and gaps. I have a proven track record on policy development, implementation, and diversity, equity, and inclusion. My leadership is reflective of the changing needs of our community.
What is your philosophy on special education?
As a facilitator of an arts enrichment program, I am committed to providing inclusive programming and assure that every student feels represented and safe. In this program, consistently 20% of participating students are on the special needs spectrum. As a teaching artist I incorporate learning plans that celebrate artists like Sandra Silberzweig, who has synesthesia, and Esref Armagan, who is blind and a painter. I also guide students through learning about and understanding the Disability Justice movement. All of this is to help students have a greater awareness, compassion, and commitment to be inclusive to others and celebrate the differences between us.
What do you think is the greatest challenge in the Tacoma School District regarding special education and what specific steps do you plan to take to address this challenge?
Given the complexities of IEP's, 504 Plans, and the civil rights of students with special needs, a district created challenge is not having a department head who is certified in SpED. To me, this is a legal and financial liability. It puts students at risk, as well as staff. If just from a preventative perspective, having someone competent and experienced working with this student population would decrease the level of civil rights violation alone. Students with special needs and transgender students have the highest rates of civil rights violation in our state. Tacoma Public Schools has an unfortunate record of civil rights violations for both populations.
I also know that the caseload for SpED teachers creates safety issues for them and their students. Their colleagues who teach GenED don't understand the differences and complexities of their jobs. SpED classrooms are understaffed and over capacity. Too many educators I have spoken with have been treated as less valued and disregarded compared to those in GenED. This ultimately sends the message to students and families that the district doesn't equally value students with special needs.
Do you believe that our school staff needs more training in issues such as autism, behaviors and mental illness? If you believe it's needed, do you think it should be mandatory and how would that happen? Or do you believe there are alternative methods more effective in addressing these issues? Please explain.
Yes, I feel more training in issues such as autism, behaviors and mental illness are needed. At the root, it is a safety issue. Proper training aids in de-escalation, having tools to redirect disruptive behavior and look at behavior as a symptom or story to something else. In moments of stress, anxiety, or sensory overload a student doesn't often have the ability to verbally articulate what is causing the reactive behavior. Discipline disparities for students of color and SpED students are, in my opinion, impacted by a lack of training, skills, and an awareness of implicit biases by the adults.
I have had numerous discussions with hourly staff, such as playground supervisors and paras, who were never given the opportunity to attend training sessions on these issues, which they wanted and felt was important for student safety.
Since the Tacoma Special Needs PTA formed in December of 2016, only one school board member has attended our meetings. With our unique position working with the district's Special Education Administrative Team and connecting with parents district wide, we are looking to have a greater connection with the school board. In order to help us serve our population of students better, would you be open to dedicating one study session per year to special education, including a parent panel, to address issues and concerns? Please explain.
I am have been a member of the Tacoma Special Needs PTA for the past two school years. I also had the privilege of knowing several of the founding members through my role and services as Community Building Chair for the Geiger PTSA. In my work as an advocate for LGBTQIA students, I frequently collaborate with the leadership and members. A high percentage of transgender and/or non-binary youth also are on the autistic spectrum. As a result, this organization is an essential resource for myself and those I serve.
I am absolutely open to dedicating one study session per year. Early on in my campaign, I had a listening session with a large number of SpED educators and paras. It was eye opening and reinforced my commitment to removing barriers and increasing equitable access for students with special needs. I'm honored to have some of the district's most talented SpED educators endorsements and support. Many of them knocked doors for me over the summer as well.
It was my intent to hold a listening session with parents/families during my campaign. Unfortunately, I was not able to carve out the time with the demands of running a campaign. What I can say is that I have spoken to dozens of parents, students, and family members connected to the SpED community. I have listened to heartbreaking and troubling stories of many families' experiences within the district. A consistent break down is the lack of consistency in staffing, skill, knowledge, and resources from building to building. The stories that concerned me the most were where a student was thriving and meeting goals only to transition to a new school and backslide, sometimes dramatically. The best way to stay informed is through a continued dialog.
Our PTA community has a vested interest in the Inclusion Model and how it is implemented in our district under the Urban Collaborative. According to the district timeline, reporting on Urban Collaborative recommendations ends in 2020. How would you propose measuring the success of our district's inclusion efforts going forward, aside from data?
Academic focused data is important. Also looking at LRE percentages for students, investments and training into the co-taught model. Especially at the secondary level, which is critical. There must be strong systems in place for inclusion to be successful. Student engagement with typically developing peers outside of academic classroom settings (extracurriculars, sports, clubs, leaderships, electives or specialist classes).
Do you have any additional thoughts on the special needs community that you would like to share?
In my years as a youth advocate, I strongly believe in the need for comprehensive sexual health education. The statistics of children and youth impacted by sexual violence is a public health issue. The risk of sexual violence dramatically increases for LGBTQIA and special needs youth. Education is key.
TPS has begun to implement the FLASH curriculum, which is a good starting point and has a lot of room for improvement. One of the unintentional barriers of this curriculum is assuring that every student sees themselves in it. Another important step would be preparing every teacher to create equitable, safe, and inclusive learning environments for each student. The students I work with (including my daughter) who have gone through this curriculum have reported having vastly different experiences. For example my daughter's teacher asked her to fact check the lesson and to advise her teacher on terminology and inclusivity. Our students should not be the ones responsible to make sure a sex Ed curriculum is comprehensive, accurate, and representative of every student.
Additionally, I have been a champion for students and families for over ten years locally, across the state, and nationally. I will also bring a working knowledge of the daily operations of our school buildings. My experiences serving on two school decision making committees, being a teaching artist, an award winning TPS Community Partner, and DEI trainer within the district uniquely qualifies me to serve on our school board. I also bring experience as a Human Services Commissioner for the City of Tacoma. In this role, I am responsible for making funding recommendations to our city council and mayor. I serve on the team that reviews funding for services related to homelessness, food insecurity, mental health, substance abuse, and domestic violence. All of which impact our schools. As a board member, I would have a depth of understanding of services, barriers, and gaps. I have a proven track record on policy development, implementation, and diversity, equity, and inclusion. My leadership is reflective of the changing needs of our community.
