Senior Associate Commissioner Special Education

The Senior Associate Commissioner of Special Education is a senior level position, serving on cabinet, and reporting to Deputy Commissioner Robert Curtin.

The Senior Associate Commissioner of Special Education will directly supervise four special education-related offices (Approved Special Education Schools, the Problem Resolution System, Special Education in Institutional Settings, and Special Education Planning and Policy). The role will be to coordinate efforts across these four offices and to coordinate closely with the Monitoring and Compliance Unit so that the Department provides coherent and consistent supports for students with disabilities throughout the Commonwealth.

The Senior Associate Commissioner of Special Education will organize coordination meetings of the directors and assistant directors of those four teams, data review meetings with the leaders of the four special education offices and the Bureau of Special Education Appeals (three times per year), and quarterly all special education staff meetings.

Special Education in Institutional Settings provides direct services to students in facilities maintained by the Department of Corrections, the Department of Mental Health, the Department of Public Health, and the Department of Youth Services and is the only instance in which the Department is ensuring the actual provision of educational services for students, similar to school districts. The Senior Associate Commissioner of Special Education will be needed to provide oversight and direction for those services, which is a unique undertaking for Department staff.

In addition, the Senior Associate Commissioner of Special Education will represent the Department in regular coordination meetings with special education advocacy and professional organizations. The Senior Associate Commissioner of Special Education will also serve as the Commissioner’s designee to the Autism Commission and will co-chair the Ages 0-14 Subcommittee of the Autism Commission. The Senior Associate Commissioner will also serve as the Commissioner’s designee to the Bureau of Special Education Appeals (BSEA) Advisory Council and will coordinate the Department’s oversight of the BSEA.

With support from the Director of Special Education Policy and Planning, the Associate Commissioner of Special Education, will co-lead coordinating with OSEP as the Department develops and implements improvements related to General Supervision that OSEP will review during a scheduled onsite monitoring visit in 2025. The Senior Associate Commissioner will support the Director of SEPP to coordinate our efforts with OSEP-provided technical assistance providers in support of our General Supervision improvement efforts.

Finally, the Senior Associate Commissioner of Special Education will direct specific interoffice initiatives that require a high level of oversight and coordination.