'Growth in Small Steps': Special Ed. Supt. Ready to Retire

'Growth in Small Steps'
Special Ed. Supt. Ready to Retire

By HOWARD MEGDAL

Susan Erber, a tireless advocate for city students with special needs, is retiring as Superintendent of District 75 effective Jan. 31, the Department of Education announced last week.

Ms. Erber's 32-year career was spent entirely within District 75, which handles the city's 23,000 special education students. She began her career as a Teacher, eventually holding the position of Superintendent for 10 years.

Work With Parents Key

She credited the partnership she helped create between special needs educators and parents as the key to her district's success.

"Our top accomplishment was working with parents as full partners to improve education of the students," Ms. Erber said in a Jan. 11 phone interview. "Approximately half of the 23,000 students we work with are very emotionally or medically challenged. These kids can't come home and say they had a good day, bad day. That's where we need parents to be the mouthpiece for their children."

Ms. Erber pointed to several initiatives that she spearheaded to make the partnership more fruitful. One was the Inclusion Program, which allowed many special needs students to enter the general education population.

"Our notion of parent choice has been really important," she said. "Ten years ago, we had 150 students in Inclusion. But we now have some of the most needy students in full Inclusion. We have 1,600 students yearly in full Inclusion. These students are at the city's most exemplary schools."

Real-World Experience

Ms. Erber also greatly expanded the District's Work Site program, which trains special needs students by using them in real jobs to prepare them for life after school.

"We have the same goal as general ed," she said. "When they leave at 21, we want them to be productive members of society. Ten years ago, only a handful of students were a part of our work program. That number is now over 1,000, with students working at hospitals, soup kitchens, even DOE itself."

While she takes pride in the large numbers of students she's helped, Ms. Erber can't help but focus on individuals who have particularly touched her during her tenure.

"I had a student named Benjamin when I became a Principal. Benjamin could not walk in the beginning. So we had weekly meetings with the parents to know what they were doing. We had weekly meetings with the Teachers to know what they were doing."

Ms. Erber's vigilance paid off.

Legs Saved His Life

"Fast forward to Sept. 11. Benjamin was a student at Stuyvesant High School [not far from the World Trade Center site]. The staff walked with Benjamin to escape the horror. And they said it was Benjamin's strong legs that allowed Benjamin to escape. As I look back, it was Benjamin's early work that allowed Benjamin not to just walk, but walk strongly."

Her individual successes, Ms. Erber said, were made possible by the ample support she received from her colleagues.

"I think what makes District 75 special is reliance on others to make your professional development possible," she said. "Sometimes growth is in small steps, but when you work as a team with the parents, the nurses, the specialists, you begin to rely on each other to celebrate the growth of the students, and rely on each other to overcome obstacles."

Though she is retiring, Ms. Erber is not ready to give that community up just yet.

"I was asked to come back and help after I relax a little," she said. "Of course I said yes. You can't say goodbye overnight."