By Shari Kaplan
At its Aug. 13 regular meeting, the Los Gatos-Saratoga Joint Union High School District Board of Trustees voted unanimously to expand the Transition Partnership Program, which links the district with the state of California Department of Rehabilitation in preparing special education students for college, careers or life in general after leaving high school.
The district has been involved in the TPP, a cooperative agreement with the Department of Rehabilitation, for about three years, according to district project director L.D. Hirschklau.
The TPP expanded contract specifies an increased salary for transition specialist Sharon Smith from $16,731 to $27,511 per year. This will provide Smith with added time and resources to help 34 students instead of the former limit of 25. Teachers and other staff also assist. The salary of a secretary who handles TPP matters will also increase, due to the time and effort of additional record-keeping duties. Federal governmental funds come to the district based upon how much time TPP personnel spend with students; a portion of the funds goes to the Department of Rehabilitation as well.
The district's TPP fact sheet also specifies that additional materials and computer software for use by TPP will be purchased. They include such items as workbooks covering English, math and life skills geared toward students with various types and levels of learning disabilities.
"It's a curriculum that's transition-oriented. We help them learn how to do things like balance a checkbook or fill out a résumé," Hirschklau explains, adding that reference books and computer software are also part of the plan. "The software helps students with self-assessment, so they know what their interests and abilities are."
The TPP will expand to include juniors and seniors; sophomores with special needs will be identified. Previously, the program did not have enough money to extend much past seniors and a few juniors.
According to information gathered by Hirschklau, the district serves some 191 students with special needs, some of whom are classified as developmentally disabled or with severe learning disabilities. In the past, some of these students were lacking in social skills or work experience, did not know about certain training programs available to them, or were unsure what college or career goals, if any, were right for them. The TPP combines special classes with the time and resources of a transition specialist.
"Preparing for adulthood is a long process. Helping these kids while they're young and flexible will help them to be better adults. The Department of Rehabilitation gives them funding; we give them time and direction. It avoids a lot of failure later on," Hirschklau says.
This article appeared in the Los Gatos Weekly-Times, August 21, 1996.
©1996 Metro Publishing, Inc. All rights reserved