BOE Appoints Supervisor of Child Study Teams and Autism Programs

The Board of Education officially created a new position and appointed a person to hold that position at their workshop meeting Monday night.

The position, titled Supervisor of Child Study Teams and Autism Programs, is designed to oversee and develop special education programs within the district in order to keep them consistent from elementary through high school, according to Interim Deputy Superintendent Patrick Peigari, Ed.D.

The board appointed Christina Olsen, who is currently the Social Development Teacher and Behavioralist in the Middletown Township Public School District.

According to the job description, the primary function of the Supervisor of Child Study Teams and Autism Programs is to assist in the operation of the total special education program including autism programs, with emphasis on curriculum and instruction.

"Special education has become a challenging department in regards to keeping up with state regulations and codes and providing the support for our students and our parents," Peigari said. "There are a myriad of responsibilities, but each one is carefully selected and needed in the district."

Olsen will be responsible for the development of new programs that meet state regulations, ensuring implementation of and assisting special education teachers with programs and intiatives, visiting children in offsight locations to determine if they can be brought back into the Matawan-Aberdeen district and working with the Child Study Team.

The goal of adding this new position to the district is to build the special education program to a level where certain students placed out of district can be brought back to a comparable program in Matawan-Aberdeen, according to Superintended David Healy.

"It's an absolutely necessary position for maintaining a program that quite frankly needs some work," Healy said.

If a district does not have a program fitting all state codes and requirements for a specific child, the district must by law pay for that child to go to school elsewhere. Healy estimated that the district spends nearly $7 million for out of district placements, and he said he is confident that bringing students back to the district would provide a cost savings large enough to cover the $87,500 salary for the new position.

Olsen is scheduled to assume her position as Supervisor of Child Study Teams and Autism Programs in December, but will begin sooner if possible, pending release from her current contract, Olsen said at the meeting.