By Angel Perkins Staff Writer
BOURBON — For several months, the JESSE (Joint Educational Services in Special Education) program in Marshall County has been undergoing some restructuring.
JESSE is a local cooperative made up of the Argos, Culver, John Glenn, Knox, North Judson - San Pierre, Oregon-Davis, Plymouth, Rochester, Triton and Union-North school corporations. Organized in July of 1975, the cooperative that incorporates seven counties, is governed by a 10-member board of managers made up of the 10 school superintendents who meet the second Monday of each month.

Serving more than 2,000 students with disabilities within the area’s 38 schools (in more than 80 special classes and resource programs) the cooperative is further divided into several sub-committees to assure full representation of members’ involvement.
The breakdown of committees are as follows: executive committee (three members) — oversees reorganization process; committee for decentralization of services and decision making (five members); curriculum committee (three members) — oversees curriculum, instruction and student achievement; staff development committee (two members) and committee for fiscal management (three members).
While inclusion of all members of the school systems is a priority, not everyone was seeing eye to eye and some schools in the cooperative hinted that they might pull out of the program. The Indiana University Educational Leadership department was called  upon to assist and has been doing a study on the group, noting strengths and weaknesses.
However, Triton School Corporation was not one of those that was unhappy. Recently-retired Triton School Corporation Superintendent Ted Chittum was on the committee that specifically focuses on curriculum, instruction and student achievement.
He said that the initiative is looking at how they can provide the best program possible for their students. He said that in his opinion, he thought some schools felt they could meet the children’s needs cheaper (without  JESSE) and other school representatives felt the ownership of the program would be greater if it came under their local schools.
Of those reasons he saw causing potential problems for the initiative, he said, “All are very valid to those particular school corporations.” “I think the majority of the board realizes we are a cooperative—which by that very name means we do things cooperatively,” he explained. “Not every superintendent on the board has the same philosophical base nor places the same degree of importance to the cooperative.”
    Argos Schools Superintendent Barbara Flory also has a good view with which to give opinion on the program as she’s spent 10 years as an educator at LaVille (part of the JESSE coop). “I was principal in the Whitko School District for three years,” explained Flory. “Their special education cooperative had been disbanded and I saw and experienced the problems with that situation.”
    Dr. Robert Boyd, of the I.U. Educational Leadership program, visited an area JESSE meeting after making some observations and shared his findings. Superintendent Flory explained. “Dr. Boyd said he doesn’t believe JESSE needs to be dismantled but that it needs renovated,” she said to the Argos School Board. “He said he felt there were definitely things that needed re-thought and re-done. He said he feels there’s been a breakdown in the system. JESSE hasn’t kept pace with (individual) student achievement. It hasn’t changed much in 30 years. We need more of a focus for accountability for all the students’ needs.”
    One potential topic the members are to determine to guide the changes is to find what services can be provided by the individual school corporations. Another is to find out what services for low-incidence special needs students, administrative services and support services must still be provided by the cooperative.
    Further, a new director was thought to be an initiative for the coop, so as to recreate the organization and provide a new focus on improving the academic performance of all students, to implement the current changes in the IDEA (Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act) law and to maximize the effectiveness and efficiency of the human and financial resources of JESSE. As a result, assistant director Bob Wise was given that position and Linda Holland was given Wise’s former position.
    In the end, it was decided by the JESSE board that each corporation commit to a three-year time frame for studying and reorganizing the way things are being done. “Some that were very vocal about pulling out of JESSE are now committed to seeing if we can’t fix it and make it better,” Flory explained. “There’s no way we could provide for the (special education) students without the JESSE aides. I think we’re taking JESSE out of the prehistoric times of special education.”
    Chittum agreed that he felt the study proved productive. “I am convinced the results of this study will make JESSE stronger and we will serve our students better,” he said. “That is something  we can all agree on.” Chittum added that at this point, none of the school corporations has pulled out of the cooperative.
    The first general reorganizational progress report will be made at the September 2008 JESSE Board meeting.