Good evening, I would like to thank the League of Women Voters for hosting this forum tonight and for everyone coming out tonight.  My name is Aaron DeVries and along with my wonderful wife Regina we have two kids in the Austin School District.  Aidan is in Ms. Carroll’s 3rd Grade class at Neveln and Cece is in Ms. May’s 1st Grade class and Ms. Schoen’s class at Southgate.  I have heard that some people think I only stand for kids with special needs and that is not true.  I want to make sure all kids continue to get the supports they need to be successful in school whether they are in special education, in a regular classroom or in the GATE program.  Cece being in special ed caused me to become more involved in the education process but I soon realized that all kids need to have a voice.  All kids have different abilities which require some to need more supports than others to allow them to learn at their full potential.  Starting this year Aidan is in the GATE program and I have already seen how important this program is to the district while at the same time realizing that it stands in line with all the other programs to receive funding.

I am running for school board because first and foremost I am a parent who wants to make sure all children get the best education we can provide.  Secondly, I feel that things happen to us for a reason and we bear a responsibility to use our experiences to make the world better for others and if we do not use what we have learned we are wasting what we have been given.  I have experience working with a variety of district staff from teachers to former Superintendent Anderson on various issues to do what is right for the students.  We do not always agree with the final outcomes but it is vital that everyone is able to have their voice heard and feel that the process is fair.  When I am on the school board I will work to allow everyone to have their voices heard.  I will work to make sure the policies and procedures are fair and they are in the best interest of the students.  I understand not everyone will agree with the school board but I will do my best to make sure that the school board is not viewed as Mark Twain suggests in the following quote “In the first place, God made idiots.  That was for practice.  Then he made school boards.”  

As you know in November we will be voting on a Levy Operating Referendum that would increase taxes on a $100,000 home by $84 per year.  According to an August 20th article in the Austin Daily Herald “If the referendum is not approved, they will be forced to cut programs, which includes staff, because of inflationary costs.”  While I understand the times are not the best to be asking for more money from the taxpayers I think it is in the best interest of the children to approve the referendum.  Since the district receives a portion of their revenue from local taxpayers I feel they bear a responsibility to show us that they are spending the money wisely.  I feel the school board should make sure the district is being fiscally responsible in all areas including but not limited to buildings and grounds, technology, staff compensation and transportation.

I look forward to sharing more of my ideas and beliefs tonight. Thank you.

Chairperson Fox, members of the board, Superintendent Anderson I want to thank you for the opportunity to speak to you tonight. My name is Aaron DeVries and along with my wife Regina, we have two children Aidan in 2nd grade at Neveln and Cecelia in Kindergarten at Southgate in Mrs. Schoen’s Special Education class.

Tonight I am here in my position as parent facilitator to share with you about the Special Education Advisory Council or SEAC. I plan to talk about what SEAC is, why I joined, and details about how parents, district staff, school board members HINT HINT and general community members can join SEAC.

SEAC is intended to help parents, district staff and community members work thru various special education issues together. SEAC is not intended to resolve a specific child’s issue but by sharing our child’s experience we can often help out other children. This is what we have come up for our mission statement:

To advocate for high quality educational programs for all learners and assure that the School Board, District Administration, and community members are informed of special education successes, issues, and concerns.

To increase the involvement and add the informed perspective of parents and families of children with disabilities in the making and implementation of District policies.

To fulfill the requirements of Minnesota Statute 125A.24.

As you heard it is required by law but I feel strongly that is not the only reason that the district has SEAC. I feel that the district truly values parent’s perspectives and I think it shows in the conduct of everyone involved from the bus drivers to the paras to the classroom teachers to the special education supervisors to the Director and the school board.

Early on in my journey I came across this poem I will share with you now as it really explains what it feels like to be a parent of a child with special needs and why I need to discuss issues with other parents like me. The poem called Welcome to Holland was written by Emily Perl Kingsley.

I am often asked to describe the experience of raising a child with a disability – to try to help people who have not shared that unique experience to understand it, to imagine how it would feel. It’s like this……

When you’re going to have a baby, it’s like planning a fabulous vacation trip – to Italy. You buy a bunch of guide books and make your wonderful plans. The Coliseum. The Michelangelo David. The gondolas in Venice. You may learn some handy phrases in Italian. It’s all very exciting.

After months of eager anticipation, the day finally arrives. You pack your bags and off you go. Several hours later, the plane lands. The stewardess comes in and says, “Welcome to Holland.”

“Holland?!?” you say. “What do you mean Holland?? I signed up for Italy! I’m supposed to be in Italy. All my life I’ve dreamed of going to Italy.”

But there’s been a change in the flight plan. They’ve landed in Holland and there you must stay.

The important thing is that they haven’t taken you to a horrible, disgusting, filthy place, full of pestilence, famine and disease. It’s just a different place.

So you must go out and buy new guide books. And you must learn a whole new language. And you will meet a whole new group of people you would never have met.

It’s just a different place. It’s slower-paced than Italy, less flashy than Italy. But after you’ve been there for a while and you catch your breath, you look around…. and you begin to notice that Holland has windmills….and Holland has tulips. Holland even has Rembrandts.

But everyone you know is busy coming and going from Italy… and they’re all bragging about what a wonderful time they had there. And for the rest of your life, you will say “Yes, that’s where I was supposed to go. That’s what I had planned.”

And the pain of that will never, ever, ever, ever go away… because the loss of that dream is a very very significant loss.

But… if you spend your life mourning the fact that you didn’t get to Italy, you may never be free to enjoy the very special, the very lovely things .. about Holland.

I joined SEAC because I wanted to be able to share my experiences in a non-threatening setting where they would be listened to by people that truly care. I realized that In SEAC I can share my experiences and know that it will affect the special education process in the district. It is very rewarding and fulfilling for me to be involved in SEAC since I know we are making a difference.

This year we are working on getting an active SEAC going by recruiting more members, while making sure we address topics of interest. We are going to be discussing transitions, and the special education prom at upcoming meetings. The next SEAC meeting is Wednesday March 4th from 12-1 PM in the district conference room at Austin High School. Meetings are held the first Wednesday of each month from September thru May. If you RSVP at least a day ahead of time you will have a free lunch as well. If you need more information on SEAC or would like to RSVP for the March 4th meeting you can contact the Director of Special Services at AHS.

While I would not have chosen this journey I accept it for what it is and look forward to working with other SEAC members and making everyone’s journey just a little bit easier. Once again we are looking for members who share our passion for children to help us improve special education in the district. In closing I would again like to thank you for the opportunity to share SEAC with you tonight and I look forward to sharing with you in the future some of the great things SEAC has been able to achieve in the district.