To the Colorado Deaf News, Hands and Voices, Colorado Department of Education, and CSDB Communities – After a public meeting with Colorado Association of School Board* back in March and in review of the Colorado School for the Deaf and Blind (CSDB) Superintendent Job vacancy brochure, an ad hoc committee, representing the CSDB Alumni, Parents, and stakeholders, was formed. While we applaud the sincere efforts by CASB and CSDB to recruit the most qualified candidates, we believed that it is imperative that the qualifications and skill sets for the next Superintendent is heard and understood amongst us and them as well as to support CASB, with its limited knowledge and experience in the field of Deaf Education, during the search process especially in advertising and recruitment. An open letter (see below) has been sent to the CSDB Advisory Board and CSDB Search committee on March 29th. We await a response. Progress have been made by the ad hoc committee in communicating with CASB and the CSDB Superintendent Office to ensure that we are recruiting and creating a good pool of qualified candidates who posses professional knowledge in bilingual Deaf education (ASL and English). We will keep you posted on the progress of the CSDB Supt. search committee. In meantime, click http://www.casb.org/jobs-supt.htm to learn more about the qualifications of CSDB Superintendent and see how our letter has come forward to the Advisory Board and the search committee. For the betterment of the Deaf and Hard of hearing Education in the State of Colorado! Best regards, Mike Baer Chair, CSDB Supt. Search ad hoc committee michael.baer@comcast.net *CASB was hired by CSDB to assist the CSDB Advisory Board and the incoming Board of Trustees with the selection process (advertising and recruitment); development of the brochure, and a report from focus groups. ========================================== March 29, 2004 An Open Letter to: The CSDB Advisory Board The CSDB Superintendent Search Committee We are an ad hoc committee established with the intent to monitor the search and hiring of the new superintendent for Colorado School for the Deaf and Blind (CSDB). As representatives of the Deaf community, parents of current or potential students at CSDB, or as CSDB alumni, each of the members of the committee have a vested interest in this process. In forming the committee, our purpose is to support CSDB and Colorado Association of School Board (CASB) in the search for a highly qualified leader that will represent both the school for the Deaf as well as the school for the Blind. While we applaud the sincere efforts of the CASB and CSDB to recruit the most qualified candidates, without question, a critical component of the search for the new superintendent is the involvement of the Deaf community, as well as all of the stakeholders within the community at-large. This involvement will ensure that the new superintendent for CSDB can maintain a balance as the representative of both schools. After review of the CSDB Superintendent Job vacancy announcement, we would like to express some thoughts regarding the qualifications listed. In addition to those listed, we believe it is absolutely critical that the next superintendent be able to demonstrate the following: · Advocacy for children that historically have not been well-represented. · Professional knowledge in bilingual Deaf education (ASL & English), especially as it relates to reading and writing. · Ability to communicate via ASL and English. · Commitment to maintain stronger ties and visibility with the Deaf, Hard of Hearing, and Blind communities they serve. · Increased accountability and communication with the Deaf, Hard of Hearing, and Blind communities they serve. · Commitment to bring CSDB to a national level of recognition and leadership in Deaf education We believe that without these critical abilities, the next superintendent will find it impossible to meet the demands of the position. An innovator, visionary, and agent of change for Deaf education is necessary for this important position. It is our sincere hope you will contact Michael Baer, the chair of the ad-hoc committee to open up a dialogue with us so that we may work together for the betterment of Deaf and Blind education in the state of Colorado. Mike can be reached at (303) 801-3810 or michael.baer@comcast.net.