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January 30, 2007

Letter from New Director of PA Special Education

John Tommasini was appointed as the new director for PA's Department of Education, Bureau of Special Education on December. In a letter from John to stakeholders he outlines his vision for the bureau and his commitment to children with disabilities and to partnering with all constituencies in the bureau’s work.

Date:  December 21, 2006

To: Pennsylvania School Districts
Intermediate Units
Advocacy Organizations
Parent Training and Information Centers
Interested Parties

From: John J. Tommasini

On December 12, 2006, I was asked to serve as the Director of the Bureau of Special Education for the Pennsylvania Department of Education as Linda Rhen steps into a new position with the Department leading the commonwealth's efforts on IDEA Reauthorization and the revisions to Chapters 14, 16 and 711. I am honored and humbled by this new opportunity as I follow Linda Rhen's productive leadership and tenure. 

As the new director, I understand the enormity of the responsibilities that await me. I also am energized, because I now have the opportunity to work in concert with the families and agencies committed to improving services to children with disabilities. I believe that the combination of PDE's highly trained team and concerned parties in the field can maximize inclusive opportunities, provide ample technical assistance and professional development to achieve concrete results for our children.

I want to assure you that communication between our partners in the field and PDE staff is an important priority as we move forward. In that spirit, in the next few months, I would like to meet with interested parties through a public process to seek input on our continued efforts to:

• Improve student learning and results;
• Implement the Settlement Agreement in Gaskin v. Commonwealth;
• Implement a Standards Based Aligned System;
• Coordinate the School Improvement processes and “Getting Results;”
• To ensure that Individualized Education Program (IEP) teams consider the least restrictive environment with supplementary aids and services; and
• Expand and support training and communication for parents of children with disabilities.

Under Secretary Zahorchak's leadership, PDE is committed to working in partnership with all constituency groups to best serve all children with disabilities. As you know, we successfully reached a settlement agreement in Gaskin v. Commonwealth and the Secretary has fully supported its faithful implementation across the commonwealth.

As we move forward in our shared responsibilities to improve the quality of educational services and academic achievement of children with disabilities, I thank you for your assistance and commitment. It is my great honor and privilege to serve in this capacity and I look forward to working with you.