Hello,
I'm writing to you because there are concerns to the new proposed policy for advisory boards at BCPS. Our Broward ESE Advisory Council Chair has urged us to write to you with this appeal:
*Pause this poorly planned restructuring & changes to policy that could weaken these bodies & undermine district-level volunteerism
*Engage in a more meaningful process of dialogue with Advisories/committees, their members & the parent community, to understand the individual impacts these proposals will wreak

Thank you for your work.

Thank you,
D. Gutierrez
Broward ESE Advisory Council member
786-445-9047
gutierre@umich.edu
chanchito_nica@yahoo.com

The ESE Advisory Council and its subcommittees play a crucial role in advocating for and supporting individuals with unique abilities. It’s essential that policies truly reflect the needs and voices of our community, rather than diminishing their impact. These students require the highest level of support, and grouping all their needs into one broad category wouldn’t provide them with the quality education they rightfully deserve. Significant changes like these should be driven by data and proven to lead to better outcomes.

The advisory committees consist of concerned parents who want to do what is best for their children. By limiting and consolidating the advisory committees, you are showing the parents, your clients that you are not willing to take their concerns seriously. Advisory committees have helped get important initiatives passed in Broward schools. Rather than empowering the stakeholders, you are choosing to limit their input. If you choose this path, I foresee Los in many more students to private schools and charter schools where parents will have more input into their children’s education.

The advisory committees consist of concerned parents who want to do what is best for their children. By limiting and consolidating the advisory committees, you are showing the parents, your clients that you are not willing to take their concerns seriously. Advisory committees have helped get important initiatives passed in Broward schools. Rather than empowering the stakeholders, you are choosing to limit their input. If you choose this path, I foresee Los in many more students to private schools and charter schools where parents will have more input into their children’s education.

Reducing opportunity for Community involvement is the opposite of transparency. These VOLUNTEER Committees do important work and provide a path to influence the School Board, on behalf of Parents. Reduce this opportunity and we inch closer to School District run by Staff instead of for the People.
These Committees also provide a pressure release for Parents frustrated by a system designed to exhaust them rather than help. The Culture of NO is dominant in OUR District, and attacking Advisories will not improve Customer Relations. STOP wondering why there are 40,000 empty desks in OUR Schools, and just look in a mirror.

The ESE Advisory Council and its subcommittees are really important in standing up for and supporting people with unique abilities. We need to make sure that policies reflect the needs and voices of our community and don’t weaken their impact. These students need the most support. Lumping these communities into one support group wouldn’t give them the best chance at receiving a true, quality, education that the so rightly deserve. Big chances such as these should be backed my data and prove to work better.

The ESE Advisory Council and its subcommittees are really important in standing up for and supporting people with unique abilities. We need to make sure that policies reflect the needs and voices of our community and don’t weaken their impact. These students need the most support. Lumping these communities into one support group wouldn’t give them the best chance at receiving a true, quality, education that the so rightly deserve. Big chances such as these should be backed my data and prove to work better.

The ESE Advisory Council plays a vital role in supporting our community, ensuring that every voice is heard and that essential services remain accessible. The council operates through three key subcommittees—ACE-Autism, Meaningful Inclusion, and Down Syndrome—each dedicated to fostering inclusion and advocacy for those they represent.
I am the chair for ACE-Autism Committee. The last two meetings, we've had over 35 parents at the in-person meetings.

It is imperative that we justify any proposal for rule development with concrete data-driven rationale rather than relying solely on a request from the School Board. To uphold transparency, fairness, and community engagement, we strongly recommend the following recommend the feedback for the existing committees:

Consult with the committees before adopting any policy revisions.
Include a Due Process section for volunteers to safeguard their contributions.
Restore Community Involvement to the District’s Goals and Guardrails.
Strengthen training initiatives for district liaisons and facilitators.
Maintain the current policy (revised in 2022) to allow adequate time for assessment.
Prevent public disenfranchisement by ensuring proposed language remains inclusive.
Establish clear procedures for the management and compliance of public records.
Guarantee that policy revisions do not harm area and school advisory committees.
Ensure adherence to proper procedures if the School Board dissolves any committees.

The ESE Advisory Council and its subcommittees are essential in advocating for and supporting individuals with unique abilities. We must ensure that policies reflect the needs and voices of our community, rather than diminishing their impact.

Pause this poorly planned restructuring and put a stop to diminishing parental voices. Stop making changes to policy that could weaken these forums & district level volunteerism. Engage in a meaningful collaborative dialogue with the community, parents, advisory/committees and their leadership, to u
Fully understand the magnitude of these divisive decisions have on the student body especially students with disabilities who require advocacy and supports within a system that is not equally designed for them.

My name is Dr. Trudy Jermanovich.
I’m pleased that this policy came up for review during a workshop when there was also a quarterly discussion with committee chairpersons. I’ve witnessed this discussion before, and many chairpersons will certainly speak out.
The policy changes for elected committee officers should NOT be changed to a 2 year limit. Presently, you have a 4 year limit and you cannot get enough volunteers for these positions. One solution would be to add a waiver process to the present 4 year limit. If during 2 consecutive meetings the committee can’t fill the position, then the committee can ask the Board for a waiver for that specific position. I notice in the presentation that the smaller counties have more lenient terms of service for both committee members and chairpersons. I also note that both Dade and Broward have a Diversity Committee. With the current Federal edicts, I wonder if it’s feasible to have these committees without danger to the District.
Perhaps it would be best to keep the policy as it is now written, or to simply have elections without term limits. Listen to your present committee chairpersons as you tweak this policy. They have the best insight into how easy or how difficult it is to get people to volunteer at this time.