Bev Johns testimony before Illinois House Task Force on the future of special education
In Illinois we are engaged in a great debate over the future education and also of special education.
It is nasty, as Illinois politics often are.
The special education administrators in Illinois (IAASE) are supporting moving away from direct and dedicated funding for special education teachers and instead move to funding based on the number of General education students and provide State funding for Response to Intervention.
I was one of only 3 people invited to present testimony on special education funding (one of the 3 represented private special ed schools).
Here is my testimony. BHJ
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Testimony of Bev Johns, March 21, 2017
Illinois House Education Task Force
Leader Currie, Spokesperson Pritchard, Members of the Task Force –
I am Bev Johns and while I serve as Chair of the Illinois Special Education Coalition, am Immediate Past President of the Learning Disabilities Association of Illinois, and now serve as Chair of Professional Development for the Illinois Council for Exceptional Children (CEC), this testimony is personal.
As you may know each student in special education has an Individualized Education Plan (an IEP). I have chaired over 8,000 IEP meetings over 20 years for 22 school districts in a special ed coop just west of here.
Then, I did something relatively rare – I started a public school – a public school for children with the most severe behavioral disorders.
It was so successful, that I was asked to write a book about it, and I have now written 18 books mostly about Learning Disabilities (LD) and Behavioral Disorders (BD) but also on Alternatives to Suspension, and on Adaptations for special ed students in Bev Johns testimony before Illinois House Task Force on the future of special education. | Fred Klonsky:
