Nicky Macchiavello , once a standout soccer player for Edison High , is fighting back from traumatic brain injury . Above , he is wheeled onto the field by Coach Elliot Skolnick .

ACSA ’ s Every Student Succeeding Awards program includes our 19-part series leading up to the ESS luncheon at the 2017 Leadership Summit . Watch the videos on these remarkable recipients on Facebook , YouTube and at www . acsa . org .

There are questions in life we can never adequately answer or explain . But for the people who know and love Nicky Macchiavello , one question stands out .

“ Why do bad things happen to good

As many educators are aware , one of the most complex and challenging areas of education is special education . Here , the needs of each child are many and varied , and the legal requirement to provide each student a free and appropriate education can throw extra complexity into the mix . Add in that special education has been drastically and chronically underfunded by the federal government and that finding sufficient , qualified special education teachers is a herculean task , and you have challenges galore .

So , Menlo Park City SD is fortunate to have as director of student services , Virginia “ Ginny ” Maiwald , ACSA ’ s 2017 Special Education Administrator of the Year .

Maiwald shared that she never set out to become a school administrator . But working in special education is something she can easily relate to since she has two differently abled children herself .

“ Much like the unanticipated yet incalculably precious journey of becoming the parent of two amazing deaf children , I did not plan or foresee myself becoming an administrator ,” Maiwald said . “ I love the vibrancy , creativity , flexibility and the rapture of working on the front lines with

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Maiwald people ?” Edison High Special Programs Administrator Elliot Skolnick asked .

“ And there ’ s no simple answer .”

Nicky was the kid everyone wanted to be . He was a soccer standout at Edison High in Huntington Beach . He was popular . And he was beloved . But on Jan . 10 , 2015 , Nicky ’ s life changed in an instant when he and his friends went to a motocross track in Riverside . Nicky crashed and was rushed to Arrowhead

See ESS , page 6

children . I always felt the classroom was the very best place for this and never expected to leave my work as a bilingual classroom teacher . When I learned that leadership stretches to dimensions that impact systems , policies and practices which support and influence the very nature of service to students I felt a moral and social obligation to become a leader .”

Maiwald shared that she draws inspiration from her children – Meghan and Sean – her colleagues and the many parents of special education students she has worked with .

“ The collegial spirit forged in the work of supporting children in new and innovative ways , and the intensity of forging new programs has also been my inspiration and brought me tremendous happiness ,” Maiwald said . “ I am grateful for the soulful and insightful life of learning my two deaf children have gifted me . They have taught me the bliss and perfection of imperfection , the power of extraordinary , and enriched

ACSA Legislative Advocate Martha Alvarez wrote the following analysis of the budget passed by the state Legislature . Her full analysis can be accessed at www . acsa . org / advocacy .

The Legislative Budget Conference Committee has completed its work to reconcile the differences between the houses on the 2017-18 state budget . The governor succeeded in holding the line with his more conservative revenue assumptions and contributing additional funding into the state ’ s Rainy Day Fund for a total balance of $ 8.5 billion . By the end of 2017-18 , this amount will constitute 66 percent of the constitutional goal of having 10 percent of tax revenues in the state ’ s reserves .

The Conference Committee compromise reflects the Legislature ’ s top priorities , including restoring funding for schools and early childhood education , making college more accessible and affordable for California students , and improving the state ’ s transportation infrastructure through recently enacted gas tax increases . As for the overall education package , both houses agreed to distribute $ 866 million in onetime discretionary funding on a per Average Daily Attendance basis in 2017-18 instead

See BUDGET , page 3

me in the profoundest of ways by their very being .”

A special education director with Menlo Park since 2013 , with the two years previous in the same position with Cambrian SD , Maiwald already has a long list of accomplishments . She has established coteaching classrooms ( regular and special ed ), a structured classroom for students with ASD , and written numerous presentations and articles in the field . She said her most proud accomplishment was co-authoring the book , “ Keys to Raising a Deaf Child .”

“ The work of writing a book is much like birthing a child ... it was a tremendous expe-

See MAIWALD , page 7

With the beginning of a new fiscal year , ACSA is simultaneously bidding farewell and a warm welcome to association leaders who have or will serve as committee chairs , council presidents , and region presidents .

Following is a list of the leaders who terms have ended or are just beginning as of July 1 , as well as those whose service is continuing :

Outgoing committee chairs / council presidents :

Kimberly Hendricks-Brown – Equity Committee .

Buck Roggeman – Leadership Summit Committee .

Gabe Escalera ( deceased ) – Retirement Committee .

Michael McCormick – Urban Education Committee .

Social justice . Social justice . Educational leaders have a moral obligation to students to eliminate inequity that threatens public education . By taking NASS ’ s Social Justice Certification course , participants will walk away with a social equity and engagement plan customized on your role based on the support of education . Whether you are a school superintendent , site administrator , teacher / counselor or parent / community member . The outcomes of this certification benefit all . Go to nass . us for more .

Teacher PD . P21 , the creator of the Framework for 21st Century Learning , has launched a new two-day onsite professional development course for K-12 educators around the 4Cs : communication , collaboration , critical thinking and creativity . The workshop aims to equip K-12 teachers with the skills and knowledge needed to develop , teach and assess the 4Cs for all learners . It harnesses best practices gathered from P21 ’ s national network of exemplar schools . Find out more at www . p21 . org / component / content / article / 2151 .

Write for magazine . There is still time to submit an article for the September / October edition of Leadership magazine . The theme is “ School climate / School choice ” and deadline for submissions is June 23 . Articles should be up to 2,500 words and written in an informal style . The November / December theme will be “ Equity / Student Issues / Subgroups ” with a deadline of August 7 . Email to lroberts @ acsa . org or nalikhan @ acsa . org . Find full 2017-18 themes and topic suggestions online at www . acsa . org / publications .

CTC opening . The Commission on Teacher Credentialing is seeking applicants for the school administrator seat on the Committee of Credentials . For more information , and to apply , go to the CTC website at https :// goo . gl / TLdhRL .

Joyce Lude – Adult Education Council . Elizabeth McKinstry – Career Technical

Education Council . Monica Ross – Classified Educational

Leaders Council . Ron Thomas – Co-administration

Committee . Jason Angle – Curriculum , Instruction and Accountability Council . Scott Borba – Elementary Education

Council . Kathryn Allaman – Secondary Education

Council .

Timothy Calkins – Student Services and Special Education Council .

Incoming committee chairs / council presidents :

Yadira Moreno – Equity Committee .

See LEADERS , page 2