Special Education

The following educational programs will be broadcast on Charter Cable 15. For more information, call 241-3111, Ext. 218. TODAY 7 a.m. - Glendale Unified School District Calendar 6 p.m. - GUSD Calendar 7 p.m. - GUSD Issues: PTA, Strong Support for Learning 8 p.m. - GUSD Measure K Project Tour 9 p.m. - GUSD "A Day in Kindergarten" TUESDAY 7 a.m. - GUSD Calendar 6 p.m. - GUSD Calendar ...

James Rogan Recently, I joined an overwhelming majority in Congress to support a bill that guarantees quality public education for disabled students. Passage of this bill was long overdue. Since 1975, the federal government has partnered with local and state education officials to fund special education and disabled student programs. That year, Congress passed what would eventually be known as the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. It is a bill still in effect today.

DIRECTOR OF SPECIAL EDUCATION The board approved the appointment of former Glendale High Principal Lou Stewart as director of special education. WHAT IT MEANS Stewart would take the place of Tim Walker, who left Glendale to take the position of assistant superintendent of special education at the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District in February. The district's special education programs serve about 2,800 students. VOTE: 5-0 REVISION TO BOARD POLICIES The board discussed whether it would approve the revised salary schedules and placement policies, as well as the health and welfare, conflict of interest and disclosure code, and employee workplace safety policies.

GLENDALE ? The needs of English-language learners were the focus of a hearing on Wednesday as State Deputy Supt. of Instruction Bill Padilla visited Glendale High School to hear public comment on ways to modify the No Child Left Behind Act. Padilla held the hearing as part of a series of open forums designed to gather suggestions that state officials can take to Congress as it considers reauthorizing the act next year. No Child Left Behind, enacted in 2001, sets federal accountability measures for schools, including stiffer requirements for assessment tests.

A group of parents of children with special needs experienced frustration firsthand on Saturday when they were asked to perform a series of exercises designed to test their visual perceptions and thought processes. The word “Red” was printed in blue, and when parents were asked to say the color's name, they shouted “blue.” But they were supposed to say “red.” The exercise was designed to acquaint parents with the frustration and processing difficulties experienced by their special-needs children.

CLARK AND HACKER Jessica M. Clark, daughter of Christy and Major John Clark of Salt Lake City, Utah, and Steven G. Hacker, son of Darlene and Pete Hacker of Rancho Santa Fe, have announced their engagement. The bride-to-be graduated from the University of Utah. She is employed as a third-grade teacher at Roosevelt Elementary in Burbank. The groom-elect graduated from Burbank High School in 1986. He owns his own business, H2O FX. An August wedding is planned.

City sisterhood to be celebrated City officials and nonprofit organizers will celebrate the fifth anniversary of Glendale?s ?sister city? status with Ghapan, Armenia, tonight at the Alex Theatre. The Glendale Ghapan Sister City Assn., together with the city, is sponsoring ?A Night of Cultural Unity? at the historic theater, a free performance-driven event featuring cultural dance troupes and video presentations from Armenia. A member of the audience will be eligible to win a free trip to Armenia, with the winner announced at the end of the program.

School officials in Burbank and Glendale may not have to absorb hundreds of thousands of dollars in transportation costs after the state Legislature on Thursday restored $248 million for student busing operations. Gov. Jerry Brown, who eliminated the funding last month after state revenues fell short of projections, has indicated that he supports the move, according to the Los Angeles Times. Glendale Unified stood to lose about $750,000, including $350,000 in reimbursements for home-to-school busing of special education students.