Mary Schillinger Collaboration for Success, LLC
Cellular 805-231-2391
schillingermary@gmail.com
Deposition / Trial Testimony experience:
As an expert, I have testified in multiple depositions and courtroom trials, both virtually and in person.
Areas of expertise include:
Education Supervision and Administration
Education Policy and Procedures related to student safety and supervision
Standard of Care – General Education Pre-school through High School
Standard of Care – Special Education Pre-school through age 21
Appropriate Supervision / Discipline – all levels – general education and special education
Discipline related to students with disabilities; Section 504 / Special Education / IDEA
Individual Education Program (IEP) implementation
Determination of school district authorization relating to implementation of IEPs
Professional Experience
Consultant / Trainer 2010 - Present Collaboration for Success, LLC
As an educational consultant, I conduct training and am a speaker for national, state, county, and district conferences and professional development. Topics include; building and maintaining comprehensive and defensible programs for students with autism, supporting special education students in state core standards, Universal Design for Learning and special education success, Co Teaching strategies and practice, and effective strategies for supporting all students in core standards and executive functioning skills. In addition, I conduct full day “Administrative Bootcamps” and coaching for Special Education administrators.
I am currently (School year 2021 / 2022) on contract with districts in southern California, the state of Vermont, and the territory of Guam as an administrative management support provider and professional development specialist. In this role I review policies and procedures, advise on litigation, advise on supervision and safety policies, conduct staff training, serve as the administrator for IEPs, and conduct Alternative Dispute Resolution sessions.
Expert Witness / Consultant 2016 - Present
In addition to the above consultation, speaker, author, and trainer experience, I am an experienced Expert Witness for both defense and plaintiff legal cases. Counties where I have been retained (to date) include; Ventura County, Los Angeles County, Orange County, San Diego County, Marin County, San Bernardino County, Alameda County, and Riverside County. Case jurisdictions include both Superior Court and U. S. District Court. I have experience compiling Rule 26 reports based on my review of records for federal court cases.
Deposition / Trial Testimony experience:
As an expert, I have testified in multiple depositions and courtroom trials, both virtually and in person.
My areas of expertise include:
· Education Supervision and Administration
· Education Policy and Procedures related to student safety and supervision
· Standard of Care – General Education Pre-school through High School
· Standard of Care – Special Education Pre-school through age 21
· Appropriate Supervision / Discipline – all levels – general education and special education
· Discipline related to students with disabilities; Section 504 & Special Education / IDEA
· Individual Education Program (IEP) implementation
· Determination of school district authorization relating to implementation of IEPs
Assistant Superintendent Education / Deputy Superintendent 2007 – July 2016
Las Virgenes Unified School District Calabasas, CA 91302
As Assistant Superintendent of Educational Services I supervised four Directors in the Educational Services Division; Director of Elementary, Director of Secondary Education, Director of Pupil Services, and Educational Technology Director. My areas of responsibility include the CAASP Assessment program, discipline including expulsion proceedings, staff development for curriculum implementation, oversight of the development of a comprehensive educational technology plan, and community outreach for district initiatives. I continued to remain involved with special education have presented at national conferences on Special Education issues.
Advising, supervising, and directing school site administrators in the appropriate response to the myriad of challenging issues that arise on a daily basis was a major component of my position. Policies and procedures relating to student discipline, instructional best practices, instructional and support personnel oversight / supervision, and extracurricular activities / supervision, were my responsibly.
Member; Autism Advisory Committee to Jack O’Connell 2006 – 2007
California Superintendent of Public Instruction Autism Advisory Committee
Las Virgenes Unified School District is a member of the California Suburban School District Coalition. Through my association with that organization, I worked with a task force to write an Autism “White Paper” which resulted in legislation AB 2513. This bill called on the State Superintendent to convene an Advisory Committee to consider a plan to meet the exploding number of autism spectrum disorders (ASD) among California children. I was selected to serve as a member of the California Superintendent of Public Instruction Autism Advisory Committee. In July 2007, our final report was published titled “A call for Action: Improved Services for Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD). Subsequently, legislation is being developed in an effort to establish a statewide clearinghouse for information on the findings of educationally related research-based recommended practices to support children with autism.
Director Pupil Services 2003 - 2010
Las Virgenes Unified School District Calabasas, CA 91302
The position of Director of Pupil Services included oversight of the special education programs in the district (approx. 12,200 ADA with 1100 employees) as well as coordination of support services such as nursing, speech services, designated instructional services, etc. Special Education represents approximately 10% of the total ADA of the district and as of December 2010, children with Autism represented 15% of the total special education population.
The development and implementation of a Five-Year Strategic Plan for Special Education including development of comprehensive programs for students with autism and emotional disturbance, management of legal cases, and staff development was an overarching goal for me in this position. I was responsible for all curriculum, instructional methodology, and training across all special education eligibilities. Responding to the critical need for a continuum of placements and services for all special education students, and in particular in the area of autism, was a primary focus. Under my guidance, the district developed research-based programs in a continuum of environments that have been recognized by experts in the field as being in the forefront within the state.
As director, I monitored and trained staff in areas relating to compliance with Special Education mandates and laws. Procedural guidelines were updated and communicated to all staff to ensure consistency in implementation. Management of Coordinated Compliance Reviews by the state as well as the ongoing procedural training for compliance with Federal and State regulations under IDEA and Section 504 were an important area of responsibility. I used my skills in Alternative Dispute Resolution on a daily basis in addressing a variety of due process and legal issues with a highly educated and informed parent population. I maintained ongoing open communication with all stakeholders including parents and community members in order to maximize the understanding and support needed to maintain highly successful programs for special needs students.
While director of pupil services, I was a presenter at the Association of California School Administrators “Special Education and Student Diversity Symposium”. I have presented multiple sessions all relating to building comprehensive programs for students with autism over 10 years. Other topics include; Supporting Executive Functioning, Common Core and Students with Special Needs, and Essential Standards and Access for Students with Significant Disabilities.
Presenter / Author & LRP Publications 2008 – 2021
I have been a presenter / speaker at national conferences for LRP Publications, the Pacific Northwest Special Education Legal Conference, as well as by invitation by a variety of state departments and special education consortiums and county offices. My presentation topics vary ranging from programs for students with autism, the nuts and bolts of special education practices including documentation, and most recently, common core state standards and special education student success.
Presenter / Board Member – FETC / Future of Educational Technology 2016 - 2019
I was a presenter and on the board for the FETC / Future of Education Technology Conference in Orlando, Florida, specifically for the Special Education strand. Topics include; technology solutions for access to core for students with disabilities, using technology in Universal Design for Learning, and technology supports for executive functioning skills for students with disabilities.
Faculty Member 1995 – 2016
California State University Northridge
As an instructor in the Special Education Department in the Special Education Teacher Credential and School Psychologist Degree programs I taught, developed and continually updated course curriculum to keep pace with research based, recommended practices and changes in federal and state law. I have served on the Community Advisory Board for three years. As both a faculty member and an Assistant Superintendent for Las Virgenes Unified, I continually strived to forge partnerships with CSUN departments to facilitate placement of qualified staff in training and employment positions within Las Virgenes Unified School District.
Assistant Director Student Support Services Simi Valley Unified School District 1999 - 2003As Assistant Director of Student Support Services in Simi Valley, CA my duties included monitoring and staff training for compliance in all areas of special education services, coordination of DIS services including supervisory duties, case management for students placed in non-public school programs, and development of statistical and compliance reports.
As co-director of a state sponsored special project, RD&D / Research Development and Demonstration, I coordinated and managed the joint project which was a three-way collaboration with the California State Department of Special Education, California State University Northridge, and Simi Valley Unified School District. Simi Unified was one of eight districts in the state of California selected to participate in this state funded project. Research based best practices for including students with disabilities in general education environments were designed and implemented. Through this project I led trainings, participated in statewide meetings with other participating universities and districts with input and funding from the state department. Simi Valley Unified became a demonstration district with visitations from school and university staff from around the state.
Other responsibilities included presentations to community members, parents, and school board members regarding best practices in special education, requirements of IDEA 97, and development of long term goals, and plans for use of available resources. As coordinator of a State Compliance Self Study I conducted staff development, data synthesis, report development, and follow-up corrective actions for the district. I coordinated designated instructional services as well as hired, and supervised the district Extended School Year program.
As the administrative designee for the preschool / infant program for SVUSD, I was responsible for dispute resolution, program development, and supervision of the Applied Behavior Analysis services provided for students with autism.
Program Specialist - Simi Valley Unified School District
As Program Specialist I was responsible for the coordination of services for students with special needs grade levels kindergarten - age 22. These responsibilities included being the Administrative Designee for district level IEPs, site level IEPs, and non-public school placements. I conducted staff development training in IEP development, curriculum and instruction, core curriculum access, IDEA and IDEA97 requirements, and state compliance issues for special education and general education staff including administrative personnel.
My position as a staff development trainer for the Ventura Co. SELPA and the California Education Innovative Institute for Core Curriculum Access Strategies, involved topics ranging from instructional methodology, reading instructional techniques, and cooperative learning training.
Sch00l Improvement Program Coordinator - Simi Valley Unified School District 1991 - 1
As the School Improvement Program coordinator for Simi Valley High School, (ADA approx. 2000), duties included leadership of the SIP council, approval of staff development attendance, budget management of the SIP school budget, and facilitation of the school improvement plan.
WASC (Western Association of Schools & Colleges) Self-Study Coordinator Simi High School 1990 to 1992
As WASC coordinator my responsibilities included coordination of the school wide and departmental self-study committees, development of the self-study report, coordination of the site visit by the WASC review committee, membership on a WASC review of Inglewood / Morningside High School in Inglewood California, and completion of the SVHS WASC review resulting in a full six-year accreditation.
Resource Specialist - Simi Valley High School 1984 - 1992
As Resource Specialist at elementary and high school level, my responsibilities included instruction of students with a variety of handicapping conditions, development of IEPs, communication with families, collaboration with general education staff, and staff development training. In addition, I conducted training in and teaching of the Desshler Strategies Intervention Model for students with special needs K-12. I was a Mentor Teacher in the SVUSD for 3 years which included staff development training in Cooperative Learning Strategies.
Resource Specialist Positions / SDC Teacher Positions K – 8:
I have held a variety of Resource and Special Day Class positions working to integrate special needs students into general education environments while meeting the mandates of their IEPs;
Ø Resource / SDC teacher k-6 Brighton School District, Brighton, Michigan 1978 to 1982
Ø Resource / SDC Teacher k-8 Bozeman School District, Bozeman, Montana 1976 to 1978
Ø Elementary General Ed. Teacher Bozeman Public Schools, Bozeman, Montana 1972 to 1976