Lorrane McPherson CV 2005

 

CURRENT ADMINISTRATIVE POSITION
Tucson Unified School District, Tucson, AZ

Executive Director, Grants Management/Resource Development 12/04 – Current

Executive Director of Exceptional Education and Special Programs 7 /00 – 4/01; 7/03- 12/04

Assistant Superintendent – Central School and Services 4/01 – 6/03

Tucson Unified School District has approximately 63,000 students and 106 schools.

Current Duties: To supervise and administer grants for the district including developing and administring policies and procedures for compliance with state and federal laws, regulations, and grant requirments; to assess professional development needs and provide staff development; to supervise and administer special programs.

Previous Duties: To supervise and administer Special Education Programs and Gifted and Talented Programs., including: the responsibility to interpret federal and state statutes and develop policy in the areas of special education, to develop procedures that ensure compliance with state and federal laws, regulations, and district policy; to analyze special education and gifted education program needs and allocate physical and human resources; to develop and maintain 40 million dollar budget; to write and manage grants; to assess professional development needs and provide staff development; this position provides executive leadership for approximately 1200 staff.

Previous responsibilities include the supervision of Health Services, Resource and Grant Development, Magnet School Selection and Parent and Community Relations. As well as the responsibility to supervise schools and administer programs that provide educational services to the entire district. The schools included: Miles K-8 Elementary Learning Center, Howenstine Magnet High School, Mary Meredith K-12 School, and 16 Middle School and High School Alternative Education Schools.

Served as Superintendent designee on Governing Board directed committees: School Community Partnership Council and Joint Committee on Shared Decision Making.

CERTIFICATIONS

 Arizona - Superintendent; Principal K-12, Supervisor, Speech/Language Therapy

License to practice Speech Pathology

American Speech Language Hearing Association - Certificate of Clinical Competence

EDUCATION

Bachelor of Science

Speech Pathology/Audiology 1977
University of Wyoming, Laramie, WY

Master of Natural Science

Communication Disorders 1989
Arizona State University, Tempe AZ

Master of Science

Educational Administration 1982
Chadron State College, Chadron NE

Doctorate in Educational Leadership

Coursework completed
Northern Arizona University

979/80 - Research - Department of Linguistics, Institute of Phonetics

University of Stockholm, Sweden

PREVIOUS ADMINISTRATIVE AND PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

Amphitheater Public Schools, Tucson, AZ 8/95 – 7/00

Director of Special Education and Special Services

Amphitheater Public Schools has approximately 16,800 students and 2300 students with disabilities. The role of this position is: To supervise and direct the activities of the Special Education Department, and Alternative Education Programs, the Rillito Center, a K-12 specialized school, San Joaquin, a 9-12 alternative high school and El Hogar, a 6-12 alternative school; To interpret federal and state statutes and develop policy in the areas of special education, section 504, and alternative education to recommend to the Governing Board; To develop procedures that ensure compliance with state and federal laws, regulations, and district policy; To analyze special education and alternative education program needs and allocate physical and human resources; To develop and maintain multi-million dollar budget; To write and manage grants; To assess professional development needs and provide staff development; To coordinate all Section 504 activities for the district; To supervise and direct dropout prevention programs; To coordinate four middle school alternative education programs; To coordinate services with other departments including health services, Title I, Language Acquisition, Native American Services, REACH (Gifted and Talented program); To direct all homebound services to students; To coordinate Medicaid reimbursement program; To represent Amphitheater Public Schools on numerous city-wide, county-wide and state-wide advisory boards.

Tucson Unified School District, Tucson, AZ

Director of Exceptional Education/Community Liaison - 1/93 - 8/95

The role of this position is: to act as parent liaison for special education issues and assist in coordinating the Special Education Parent Advisory Council. Provide mediation for problems in all aspects of special education including placement, services and evaluation. Represent the district in due process. Supervise TUSD day education program for students with severe emotional disabilities. Assist in the development of inclusionary practices that promote good education for all students. Supervise Integration Specialist positions. Coordinate and review all special education placements outside of the school district. Represent TUSD on multi-agency committees especially in the area of behavioral health and developmental disabilities. Administer Extended School Year programs for approximately 200 students. Provide training for surrogate parents. Assist in the development of the Medicaid reimbursement program.

Maricopa Special Services Consortium, Buckeye, AZ

Director of Special Education/Special Projects Coordinator - 9/89 - 12/92

Provided administrative and technical assistance to the administration and teachers of four rural school districts in the areas of special education and special education policies and procedures. Wrote federal and state special education entitlement and discretionary grants and maintained budgets. Assessed needs and provided continuing education for teachers, special education personnel and support staff. Planned and provided training for parents in the areas of special education, Chapter 1, Migrant education and general parenting skills. Planned and coordinated Childfind activities. Developed and coordinated interagency integrated preschool programs. Administered Homeless project. Coordinated and supervised summer Migrant program.

Speech/Language Pathologist - 8/88-5/89

Provided speech/language services K-12 in three rural school districts and provided speech/language services at Buckeye Union High School and Head Start Programs.

San Luis Valley Board of Cooperative Services, Alamosa, CO

Special Education Program Coordinator - 7/85- 6/88

Provided administrative and supervisory assistance to 14 member school districts in the area of special education. Held the position of building level administrator of a self-contained K-12 school for students with Significantly Identifiable Emotionally/Behaviorally Disorders, supervisor of special education diagnostic teams for 14 school districts, provided consultation and assistance to 54 special education teachers within all the member districts. Supervised and coordinated with the local mental health agency and social service agency for all residential placements of students.

Custer State Hospital and Developmental School, Custer, SD

Speech/Language Pathologist - 6/83 -6/85

Provided speech/language and communication services to infants to adults with severely/profound multiple disabilities/. Provided in-service training to care providers in the areas of communication development. Wrote grants and organized and present state-wide training sessions in Blissymbolics (a communication system), building adaptive communication equipment and special training for teaching the individuals with multiple disabilities.

 Southwest Human Development, Phoenix, AZ

Speech/Language Pathologist - 1/83 -5/83

Provided speech/language services to preschool children in seven Head Start Centers.

 Gering City Schools, Gering NE

Speech/Language Pathologist -8/77 -5/79; 1/81 -5/82

Developed speech/language program and provided K-12 services to children. Developed infant -preschool program and provided services and parent training for children under age 5 years.

Svenskt Glas - 5/80 -9/80

Bilingual Sales Clerk, Stockholm Sweden

Provided bilingual services for customer, sales staff and management for a store specializing in Swedish Crystal.

PROFESSIONAL MEMBERSHIPS

Council for Administrators of Special Education American Speech Language Hearing Association

President - Arizona Division 1998-2000 (Currently Membership Chair )
National Executive Board 1998-2000
Member of National Committee on Knowledge and Skills of Special Education Teachers 1999-Current

Council for Exceptional Children

President Arizona Federation 1996
Treasurer Arizona Federation 1999-Current

American Speech Language Hearing Association

Executive Board Member 1990-92

Southern Arizona Directors of Special Education

Special Education Administrators Association

COMMUNITY ACTIVITIES

Arizona Department of Education/ Exceptional Student Services Division

Taskforce to development AZ-TAS Theme and Issues: Quality Preschool Screening
Taskforce to develop Cooperative Planning Procedures between Arizona Department of Education/ Special Education and Arizona Department of Economic Security/ Division of Developmental Disabilities
Childfind Advisory Board
Member of CSPD Advisory Board - Comprehensive Services for Personnel Development
Participant in many committees in the development of Guidelines for No Child Left Behind implementation, AZ LEARNS Assessment, Professional Development;

Arizona Department of Education

Certification Committee

Scottish Rite- University of Arizona Child Language Center

A non-profit community outreach program devoted to serving children with language disorders, supporting research to improve language learning, and linking professional training with clinical practice.
Member of the Community Advisory Board - 1999-2003

The Centers for Habilitation/TCH

A non-profit community agency providing services to adults with developmental disabilities including job development, housing and residential care, day treatment programs and habilitation services.
Member of the Tucson Advisory Board 1998-2000

Youth on Their Own – Member – Board of Directors 2004

A non-profit corporation dedicated to support homeless youth to complete their high school graduation requirements and to move into post-secondary settings.