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.
Everyone is invited to attend and participate in meetings.   If you cannot attend, please send your ideas, questions or comments to Ellen Gehl or Lindsey Halpin, 2011 V-Ps for SLP-Public Schools. 
 
Meeting Dates:
 
Thursday, January 19, 2012, 4:30 pm via Skype.  For more information please contact Ellen Gehl or Lindsey Halpin at mshapsc@yahoo.com
 
Michigan Speech-Language Guidelines: Suggestions for Eligiblity, Service Delivery, and Exit Criteria:  This document can be viewed at http://www.misd.net/SEconsult/MichiganSpeechLanguageGuidelinesRevised12-06.pdf  To purchase the document please contact the MSHA office at 517.332.5691 or msha@att.net
 
The following documents regarding the standardized testing portion of the speech and language rule related to subtests should be added as an addendum to the Speech-Language Guidelines. Please click here to view the Introduction to SLI Primary and the SLI Primary Addendum.   Please share this information with your colleagues.
 
 
Program of the Year
The intent of the Public School Committee's Program of the Year Award is to give visible recognition to outstanding speech, language, and hearing programs in the public schools of Michigan and to those persons responsible for their development and implementation.  This is an annual event where recognition is given to one or more programs at the MSHA Annual Conference in March.  To nominate a program download the Program of the Year form or submit the form online  to the MSHA office no later than January 15, 2012. 
 
 
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: ISDs 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 Ellen Gehl or Lindsey Halpin, Co-Chairs for the Committee for Public Schools at mshapsc@yahoo.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 following list shows the current representatives:
 
Region 1 (UP & North): 8/17
Clare-Gladwin: Linda Patterson, Jane Wittkopp
COOR: Jeannette Murray
Traverse Bay: Heather Miller, Debbie Drayton Nelson
AMA (Alpena-Montmorency-Alcona)
Charlevoix-Emmet: Jill Matthews
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: 
Lapeer: Shellie Butler
Mecosta-Osceola: Colin Macpherson
Saginaw: Judy MeJeur
Sanilac: Pat Sheridan-Schell, Jane White (alternate)
Shiawassee: 
Eaton:
Genesee: Maureen Spryshak
Gratiot-Isabella: Amy 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 and Michele DuBay-Cassidy
Wayne: Diane Betman, Pamela May, Mary Chambers, Tiffany Mullins