Highland Park Educator Tapped to Head Special Education

An educator from Highland Park was tapped Thursday night to take over special services for the school district.

Michael Weissman was approved by the to succeed Theodore Kozlik as the assistant superintendent of schools for pupil personnel services. Kozlik has announced his retirement effective July 31.

“He is a knowledgeable, thoughtful and collaborative leader,” Assistant Schools Superintendent Anita O’Neal said of Weissman. O’Neal was reading a letter from Schools Superintendent Margaret Dolan recommending Weissman to the board. Dolan was not present at the meeting.

The pupil personnel services post oversees all special education programs and funding, along with guidance services and bullying prevention. The post oversees 17-percent of Westfield’s 6,000 students and millions of dollars in the district’s budget. Many of the special education funds in the budget cannot be transferred to other line items.

Under Kozlik, the special education department was tasked with finding ways to bring Westfield special education students placed in out-of-district programs back into the town’s public schools.

“Allowing our Westfield students to go to school in Westfield is a goal of this board,” BOE President Julia Walker said.

Bringing special education back into Westfield has been part of the district’s budget strategy in recent years, with savings from out-of-district programs, which could cost several hundred thousand dollars a year per student. Former BOE member Alice Hunnicutt, who from the board in April, made the return of special students her signature issue.

Weissman, who did not speak at the meeting, is the current educational services director in the Highland Park school district. He is a former child study team member and is a certified school psychologist. In his career he has worked in special education positions with the Matawan-Aberdeen Regional Schools, the Linden public schools, the Union County Education Services Commission, Princeton House and IEP Youth Services in Freehold.

According to O’Neal’s presentation, Weissman has experience in program and staff development, child study team supervision, special education budget preparation and management, federal and state special education funding and development of individual education plans for special education students. O’Neal said that Weissman has experience in obtaining alternative funding grants for special education programs.

In Highland Park, Weissman has presided over a 41-person staff of teachers, social workers, nurses, therapists, psychologists and secretaries spread over two elementary schools, a middle school and a high school. According to a staff directory from the Highland Park special education website, the program includes a preschool disabiltiies program, along with special education classes at all levels.

According to the Highland Park website, Weissman has also worked with a special education parents advisory group, similar to the special education advisory committee of the town's Parent Teacher Council.

Weissman has a psychology doctorate from Rutgers, a master’s degree in Education and school psychology advanced certificate from Brooklyn College and a bachelor’s in psychology from SUNY Oneonta.

Weissman is scheduled to start in the district no later than Sept. 1. Kozlik could be overheard telling BOE members following the vote that he has made himself available to assist Weissman with the transition into the fall months. 

Weissman was selected following a search led by a committee consisting of parents, teachers and administrators.

Former BOE member Gary McCready, who in April, made a return appearance to the board meeting to praise Kozlik on his work in the district.

“There is one word that comes to mind when I think of Ted and that is respect,” McCready said. “Respect for the students he serves, respect for the taxpayers’ money and respect for the Board of Education.”