SCHOOL-BASED PROFESSIONALS

Public School Committee Mission Statement:

The purpose of the Committee on Public Schools (PSC) is to support and represent public school personnel affiliated with the Michigan Speech-Language-Hearing Association (MSHA) including Speech/Language Pathologists, Teachers of the Hearing Impaired, Educataional Audiologists, Supervisors of Speech-Language-Hearing Services and other educational personnel. The PSC monitors and responds to issues affecting the provision of services in the public schools. In addition, the PSC encourages and celebrates excellence in public school programs through the conferring of awards.

The Public School Committee consists of speech, language and hearing professionals from across the state of Michigan. The functions of the committee include:

  • Monitors issues affecting provision of services in the public schools

  • Coordinates the Public School Forum held at the MSHA Annual Conference

  • Reviews nominations and selects recipients for the MSHA Program of the Year Award

  • Submits suggestions to the Vice President for Professional Development and Education for invited speakers at the MSHA Annual Conference.

Contact the Public School Committee

The 2010 Chair for the Committee on Public Schools is Judy Lytwynec. Questions and comments can be directed to Judy by clicking on her name to e-mail her, or contacting the MSHA office at msha@att.net.

Hot Topics:

IES has released the FY 2011 Requests for Applications for two research grant competitions: Education Research Grants (84.305A) and Special Education Research Grants (84.324A). To view the Requests for Applications and learn more about the application process, click here:  http://ies.ed.gov/funding

Please click on the link below to see the guidelines for school consolidation.  The lik will take you to the Michigan Department of Education and the guidelines are under the "Memo" section.  All a district has to do to get the flexibility is Consider consolidating Something.  A school does not have to actually do.  Any affected class of employees should ask to be on the committee considering the change.

Michigan Department of Education Guidelines for Consolidation

Committee Organization and Membership

Membership on the Public School Committee (PSC) is open to any MSHA member who is interested in school issues. Student members are welcome. The committee is comprised of a steering committee which coordinates overall committee activity with input from various subcommittees and representatives (i.e, members of PSC who have volunteered to attend meetings of other professional organizations/groups or other MSHA committees).

Subcommittees

The PSC has established the following standing subcommittees:

School Program of the Year Reviews programs nominated for honors.

Guidelines and Standards Maintains the standards for the delivery of speech-language services in the Michigan public schools by reviewing/revising these guidelines as needed.

Professional Issues Addresses issues arising which are brought forward by members such as work load, legislative initiatives, dysphagia treatment of children, English Language Learners, literacy, alternate assessments/standards and salary supplements.

Recruitment/Public Relations Provides information to both the public and prospective students about the career of the SLP in the school setting.

The following ad hoc subcommittees of the PSC are currently completing their designated tasks:

Research Task Force Has collected data regarding service delivery to speech and language impaired children by SLPs in the state.

Task Force on Public School Issues Has met to discuss academic and practicum requirements for SLPs to provide appropriate and effective services to children in the schools.

Upcoming Meetings and Minutes

Invitation to Attend: Everyone is invited to attend and participate. If you cannot attend, please send your ideas, questions or comments to Judy Lytwynec, Vice President of Public Schools at jalytw@aol.com Teleconferencing to other sites in the state will be made available.

 Volunteers Needed:

Please consider volunteering to serve in an official capacity on the committee. Examine the preceding proposed new structure for the PSC Steering Committee. In which one of these capacities could you serve? We currently have vacancies for the School Program of the Year subcommittee. Please contact Judy Lytwynec for details. Since there were no designated "roles" for PSC members who attended meetings in the past, except for the Vice President, who chairs the meetings, virtually all slots are open!

State Network

The Public School Committee has determined a need to increase outreach to school board members throughout the state. A new initiative is to establish a network of MSHA members employed in various regional areas within the state. The PSC is striving to identify a MSHA member in each of the 57 intermediate school districts throughout the state who would serve as a contact. Contacts would assume responsibility for relaying concerns of MSHA members within their constituencies to the PSC. In turn, contacts would report back to their colleagues within the ISD any information/support provided by the PSC.

The 57 intermediate school districts are encompassed into four larger regional groups identified within the state:

Region 1: ISDs in the Upper Peninsula and northearn Michigan (typically split into two subdivisions)

Region 2: IDDs in Michigan's thumb

Region 3: ISDs in southwestern Michigan

Region 4: ISDs in southeastern Michigan

The 57 MSHA contacts all belong to one of the four regions. ISD contacts would communicate with one another within their respective regions and a single regional representative would be chosen to sit on the PSC steering committee. Additionally, these regional representatives would communicate directly as MSHA liaisons to the Michigan Department of Education.

The Public School Committee is actively recruiting interested MSHA members as contacts. Consider becoming one of the 57 ISD contacts. You need not be a current member of the Public School Committee to volunteer. If interested, contact Judy Lytwynec, Vice President for Public Schools, at jalytw@aol.com or call 517.332.5691.

The Regional Representatives living a considerable distance from Lansing could fulfill their obligation to communicate with the Steering Committee by correspondence, e-mail and/or telephone conferencing. Attendance at all Steering Committee meetings in Lansing would not be mandatory.

The Public School Committee is continuing to work on setting up its network of contacts throughout the state in all of the 57 intermediate school districts.

Michigan Counties

The following list shows the current representatives:

Region 1 (UP & North): 8/17
Clae-Gladwin: Linda Patterson, Jane Wittkopp
COOR: Jeannette Murray
Traverse Bay: Heather Miller, Debbie Drayton Nelson
AMA (Alpena-Montmorency-Alcona)
Charlevoix-Emmet: Jill Naturkas
COP (Cheboygan-Otsego-Presque Isle): Sue Ermler**
Copper Country
Delta-Schoolcraft
Dickinson-Iron
Eastern UP (Chippewa-Luce-Mackinac): Janine D. Parish
Gogebic-Ontonagon
Iosco
Manistee
Marquette-Alger
Mason-Lake
Menominee
Wexford-Missaukee: P.K. Harrison
UP Contact: Suzette Cooley-Sanborn (checking for links in UP)

Region 2 (Thumb & Mid-State): 11/15
Bay-Arenac: Theresa Dauer
Clinton: Lori Gill
Ingham: Ellen Gehl, Martie Repaskey (alternate)
Lapeer: Shellie Butler
Mecosta-Osceola: Colin Macpherson
Saginaw: Judy MeJeur
Sanilac: Pat Schell, Jane White (alternate)
Shiawassee:
Eaton:
Genesee: Maureen Spryshak
Gratiot-Isabella: Any Van Der Merwe
Huron: Shari Etzel
Livingston: Lori Ziolkowski Goss, Susan Huelsberg, Maureen Keating Spryshak
Midland County:
Saginaw:
Tuscola

Region 3 (Southwest): 11/17
Allegan County: Sharon Dolfin, Sally Sterling
Calhoun: Cathryn Kelenske
Ionia: Dana Lepien
Kalamazoo: Dawn Chamberlain, Randee Sedore, Darcie Martin
Montcalm: Kristine Bowland
Newaygo: DeAnn McClintock
Barry: Susan Egelkraut
Berrien: Shelley Lietz and Frances Roden
Branch:
Cass:
Hillsdale: Janell Wilson
Kent: Kathi De Young
Muskegon: Jean Silbar, Theresa Augustyniak
Ottawa: Sally Shumway, Nicki Callen
St. Joseph County:
Van Buren:
Oceana:

Region 4 (Southeast): 7/7
Jackson: Kary Swiontek
Oakland: Susan Dilgard
Macomb: Terry Lange-Winkle, Maureen Staskowski
Washtenaw: Kimberly Anderson, Theresa Sutton
Lenawee: Gail Elliott
St. Clair:
Monroe: Julie DuMoulin
Wayne: Diane Betman, Pamela May, Mary Chambers, Tiffany Mullins

 

MSHA Public School Program of the Year Award 2009

Drama Club - Ann Arbor Public Schools and Washtenaw Intermediate School District

Successful social interactions are frequent keys to success in adult life. They require a number of complex social and reciprocal communication skills that are often significantly compromised for individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorders. Some of the fundamental skills include making eye contact, joint referencing, expressing and interpreting emotional responses and being able to "put one's self in another's shoes." Connie Huber and Mary Spence have developed a unique approach to address these skills deficits for ASD students. They have partnered with Wild Swan Theater, one of the most admired professional theater companies for families in the nation, and have developed and implemented the Drama Club. Wild Swan Theater has garnered praise for their ingenious artistry, innovative audience accessibility programs and their drama workshop for participants with disabilities.

This creative program integrates the arts with a foundation in neuroscience, reaches students in a new and applied way and pairs action with thought. The user of improvisational theater allows for "in the moment" practice of social information processing skills such as inference and intentionality, skills rarely taught in the public school setting. These skills are also critical for reading, and in particular, for reading comprehension, a skill that is often difficult for children with ASD.

The Speech-Language Pathologist honored for this program is Connie Huber, M.A., CCC-SLP, Washtenaw Intermediate School District. Dr. Mary Spence, School Psychologist, Ann Arbor Public Schools, is also honored for her work for this program.

Attention Public School service providers.  Know the Rules!

If you provide service to a public school as a direct hire, contracted provider or if you are a service agency providing personnel to the schools, you need to know the Michigan Administrative Rules and Regulations for Speech-Language services.

You can locate them at: Michigan Special Education Rules and Regulations

Rule 340.1710 which defines the eligibility for Speech-Language Impaired can be found in Part 1, pages 15-16 and Rule 340.1745 which outlines the appropriate program service can be found in Part 3, pages 9-10 of the document. 

Comments or questions may be directed to Judy Lytwynec, Chair of the Public School Committee at jalytw@aol.com


Speech-Language Guidelines

Speech-Language Guidelines: Suggestions for Eligibility, Service Delivery, and Exit Criteria, Revised. Edited by Maureen Staskowski. The document can be downloaded from the Macomb ISD website at www.misd.net/SEConsult/SLIConsult.htm or you can order a disk or notebook (400 pages, in folder, with dividers) from MSHA. To order the Guideslines please contact the MSHA Office by email at msha@att.net or call 517.332.5691

Online ordering will be available soon. This site is currently being updated.

What Licensure Will Mean to School SLPs

What is the effect of licensure on my work as a speech-language pathologist?

Licensure:

  • Protects the individuals of all ages who need the services of SLPs
  • Identifies the differences between SLPs and others (paraprofessionals, assistants, teachers and rehabilitation techs) for employers, clients, family members and the public
  • Ensures that only those of us with the appropriate qualifications and training can provide speech-language pathology services
  • Deters the hiring or substitution of other workers who do not have the necessary, accurate and/or appropriate education, qualifications and training
  • Provides job portability allowing those who are qualified for full licensure to work in all settings
  • Enhances recruitment of CFYs and other professionals from other states to work in Michigan
  • Deters unethical behavior from professionals and employers, such as under-/over-utilization, fraud and misrepresentation
  • Allows a venue for you, as a professional, to express concerns regarding those in your profession who may be unethical in their practice
  • Provides a venue for consumers to seek censure of individuals who have committed malpractice or other unethical behavior
  • Provides the necessary authority to intervene in cases or provider misconduct
  • Increases accessibility to and reimbursement from third-party payer sources (such as Blue Cross/Blue Shield of Michigan) who stipulate that only licensed/regulated professionals participate in their plans.

Why should I have licensure and ASHA Certification?

Both licensure and ASHA certification play a vital role in the provision of speech-language pathology services. While licensure provides consumer protection and a mechanism by which incompetent and/or unethical practitioners may be removed from practice, ASHA certification is the fundamental standard among major health professions and the most widely recognized symbol of competency for speech-language pathology professionals in this country. Whereas licensure is important to legally perform our work, certification is important for internal professional recognition and external accountability.

What happens now?

A licensure board will be put into place. If you are interested in serving on the board, please follow the link below to obtain an application and submit it to the state.

  • The licensure board will work together in Lansing to form the rules and regulations of licensure for the next nine months to a  year. When completed, the rules will be posted for public review.  Once the rules are accepted, the Department of Community Health will notify you to apply for licensure. At that time, a deadline for compliance will be provided.  MSHA will keep you posted with information that you need to know in the et cetera and online.
  • The earliest that this process will be completed is approximately nine months from now.

How can I get more information?

Contact the MSHA office or Julie Pratt at julie@speechtherapyjackson.com.

Click here to view the full licensure document.

  Tenure for SLPs: What's it All About....

Teacher Tenure

 

 

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