Chairman Branstad's Welcoming Introduction
January 15, 2002
Hotel Washington, Washington, D.C.

Welcome!

I want to take a couple of minutes this morning to welcome everyone - fellow Commissioners, old friends, new colleagues, viewers and staff - to the first meeting of the President's Commission on Excellence in Special Education.

This day has been a long time coming. Postponed in the first place by the tragic events of September 11, then announced by President Bush on October 2, only to be postponed again by the wrangling on Capitol Hill over the appropriations bills!

Actually the timing is great since President Bush just last week signed H.R. 1, the No Child Left Behind education legislation. It's great to get started!

The President's Commitment to Excellence in Special Education

President Bush has made education his highest priority. His education agenda has four pillars: accountability for results, local control and flexibility, expanded parental options, and doing what works to improve student performance.

The first stage in this agenda was President Bush's plan to reauthorize the Elementary and Secondary Education Act. The second stage in this agenda will be the reauthorization of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). The children served through IDEA deserve and demand the same thorough review, the same deliberate attention, and the same significant reform - and this is where we step in.

President Bush is asking us to apply the same four principles to special education that he applied to ESEA:

• Accountability for results is just as important for children with disabilities as for any other kids.
  
  
• Flexibility and freedom from federal red tape can help school districts tailor their services to the needs of their students-something that has eluded our special education policy under current law and practice.
  
  
• Expanded parental options will help the parents of disabled children choose a format for services that fits their child's needs.
  
  
• Finally, supporting teaching methods and procedures based on scientific research will ensure that we are doing what works for our children with disabilities.

The Mission of the President's Commission on Excellence in Special Education

The Commission was formed by President Bush to recommend policies for improving the educational performance of students with disabilities. The Commission will supplement and complement the standard process for reauthorization of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, but it is not intended to replace that process, which has already begun at the Department of Education.

The Commission will collect information and study issues related to Federal, State, and local special education programs. It will hold hearings and meetings around the country and all meetings will be open to the public. The Commission is charged with producing a final report to the President by this summer containing findings and recommendations on the following nine areas:

1. Cost-effectiveness: The effectiveness and cost of special education and the appropriate role of the Federal Government in special education programming and funding, including an analysis of the factors that have contributed to the growth in costs of special education since the enactment of the Education for All Handicapped Children Act (a predecessor of IDEA);
   
   
2. Improving Results: How Federal resources can best be used to improve educational results for students with disabilities;
   
   
3. Research: A special education research agenda;
   
   
4. Early Intervention: The impact of providing appropriate early intervention in reading instruction on the referral and identification of children for special education;
   
   
5. Funding Formulae: The effect of special education funding on decisions to serve, place, or refer children for special education services and possible alternative funding formulae that might distribute funds to achieve better results and eliminate any current incentives that undermine the goals of ensuring high-quality education for children with disabilities;
   
   
6. Teacher Quality and Student Accountability: How the Federal Government can help States and local education agencies provide a high-quality education to students with disabilities, including the recruitment and retention of qualified personnel and the inclusion of children with disabilities in performance and accountability systems;
   
   
7. Regulations and Red Tape: The impact of Federal and State statutory, regulatory, and administrative requirements on the cost and effectiveness of special education services, and how these requirements support or hinder the educational achievement of students with disabilities;
   
   
8. What Models Work in the States: How differences in local educational agency size, location, demographics, and wealth, and in State law and practice affect which children are referred to special education, and the cost of special education; and
   
   
9. Federal v. Local Funding: A review of the experiences of State and local governments in financing special education, and an analysis of whether changes to the Federal "supplement not supplant" and "maintenance of effort" requirements are appropriate.

Why Individual Members of the Commission Were Chosen

Each member of the Commission - each of you - brings a fresh perspective about special education services, providing the President with new ideas to better serve children with disabilities. We are lucky to have members who represent many areas of the country - all over America - and who can think well "outside the box." The President is looking for exactly the kind of insight you will bring to special education policy discussions.

You are parents, educators, researchers, and administrators. You will bring the President an understanding of what works and what doesn't in California, Iowa, Washington State and Maryland.

You are experts who know that new ways of looking at special education are critical to making sure that children with disabilities can reach their full potential. You also know that current policies do not always deliver the excellent education that every child deserves.

Each of you has real experience and have used your expertise in your own unique way to benefit special education teaching and instruction for disabled children. Your time has been spent in the classroom, doing research, or serving children and parents in your communities.

Most importantly, you are results-oriented people who know what can be done to deliver on the promises of special education.

I know you are as enthused as I am about this special opportunity to serve President Bush and America's children with disabilities. Now, let me introduce you all to the Commission's staff -

Staff of Commission

Todd Jones is the Executive Director of the Commission, as well as the Acting Assistant Secretary in the U.S. Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights (OCR). Prior to joining the Bush administration, he served as an education trade association president, and as an attorney on the staff of the U.S. House Education and the Workforce Committee. During that period he was a chief negotiator of the IDEA Amendments of 1997. He holds a B.S.B.A. and J.D. from the University of Denver and an LL.M. from the Georgetown University Law Center.

Troy Justesen serves as Deputy Executive Director of the Commission. Prior to this position, he served as a policy analyst for the Office of Special Education Programs' Director. In the mid 1990's, Troy served more than three years at the U.S. Department of Justice working on enforcement of the Americans with Disabilities Act. He also worked at the Utah State University's University Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities Education, Research, and Service.

Troy has participated as a group member in numerous IDEA eligibility determinations and as an IEP team member. He is a former adjunct professor of special education. He holds a B.S. in education and an M.S. in special education, each from Utah State University and a doctorate in education from Vanderbilt University. He has several publications in the fields of assistive technology, and secondary and higher education.

Linda Emery is the Senior Policy Advisor. Prior to this appointment, President Bush appointed Linda to be Special Assistant to the Assistant Secretary for Special Education and Rehabilitative Services, Bob Pasternack. Before this, she was the education budget analyst at the U.S. House Budget Committee. She held appointments in the Reagan and Bush Administrations and first came to Washington as a staff member for U.S. Senator Don Nickles.

Linda began her career teaching special education in Gallup, New Mexico and also taught in Oklahoma City and Norman, Oklahoma working with children with cognitive disabilities and emotional disturbance. She holds a B.S. in education and an M.Ed., each from the University of Oklahoma.

Marissa Muñoz is the Confidential Assistant to the Commission. Previously, Marissa was employed in the Office of Presidential Personnel at the White House. Some of you may remember her calls during your clearance process. Prior to moving to Washington, D.C., Marissa worked on George W. Bush's Presidential campaign in Austin. Her public service also extends to the state level where she worked in former Governor Bush's office of Constituent Services and was a fellow in the Texas Governor's Appointments Office.

Marissa is a graduate of the University of Texas at Austin. She has attended Baylor University and has also studied abroad in Mexico. A native Texan, Marissa was born in San Antonio, and grew up in Floresville, a small town just south of San Antonio.

I am confident that this small staff will provide excellent service to you, the Commission, and the President, over the coming months.

My Goal as Chairman

My goal as Chairman of this Commission is to have very open and transparent process. Our Commission's operations have no pre-set policy agenda. We will be traveling the country for our meetings and hearings, seeking information on what works - and what needs work - in special education. We will be collecting data on best practices and exemplary programs. I am sure the Commission members will agree with me that we have no preconceived ideas or conditions. Our only agenda is to serve President Bush by recommending policies that promote excellence and achievement for children and adults with disabilities. On behalf of the President, I want to welcome the commission members to Washington and thank them for the service they will provide this year to this country.

But we must remember, this is a government body, and one cannot start a government entity without following official procedures. In today's case, that includes paperwork. To help us all finalize our paperwork we are joined by Gloria Mounts, Committee Management Officer from the Department's Office of Intergovernmental and Interagency Affairs. It may look like a daunting task, but with Gloria's excellent guidance we will be done in no time. Thank you, Gloria.

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