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Argus Leader Media - News
South Dakota has a new superintendent for its School for the Deaf, who arrives from the West Coast to face multiple challenges from falling enrollment to parental criticism and determining the future of the Sioux Falls campus.
Terry Gregersen of Riverside, Calif., has accepted the job for $100,000 a year and will come to Sioux Falls by Sept. 1, Tad Perry, executive director of the Board of Regents, said Wednesday.
Gregersen is deaf, a fact that had nothing to do with the decision to hire him, Perry said. "It's not a factor, period. The only thing was: Is this the person who can lead the school and do the best job?" Perry said.
Gregersen said he was "deeply humbled and honored" by the offer.
"I look forward to the challenges that this position offers but more to the possibilities that it also presents to all of us stakeholders who have a vested interest in the school," he said.
Gregersen replaces Maureen Schloss, who was superintendent for three years and is returning to a faculty position at Northern State University.
Gregersen knows of difficulties ahead, Perry said. The school, which opened in 1880, had a record 132 students in 1973. But enrollment has fallen to 38 for this fall, with only eight in high school. The curriculum does not offer enough courses for students to graduate without taking classes from another school. The school does not accept all deaf students. And it puts too much emphasis on speaking and hearing and not enough on learning American Sign Language for some parents' liking.
None of this will surprise Gregersen, Perry said. "He's been in the school business a long time. These are not new issues," Perry said.
Most of the school's service to the hard-of-hearing is in the form of outreach services to 221 children across the state, causing some to question whether the Sioux Falls campus has a role anymore.
"All topics are on the table, but we have no plans," Perry said. "The new superintendent will counsel the board on the future direction of the school and how we meet the needs of each of the individual children."
Gregersen and Raymond Olson of Garretson were the two finalists who interviewed for the position July 23. Gregersen accepted the job, but a formal offer is subject to final action by regents at the board's next meeting, Perry said.
A Sioux Falls woman who moved with her family from Rapid City largely because the School for the Deaf was available for her child said she expects great things from Gregersen.
"I think he really can make a difference," said Julie Doucette, who met both of the final candidates. "I thought either of the final two would have been good, but he just seemed so confident and committed to helping the individual child."
The new superintendent must "make sure to open the doors to all children across the state who deserve a free and appropriate education," she said. Also, "He's going to have to be able to convince the regents to understand our issues," she said.
A Belle Fourche woman who has two children with hearing impairments said she wants a superintendent who will stabilize the Sioux Falls school. Jo Dewey's children receive outreach services through the School for the Deaf.
"The law requires them to get that service from the district, but if the School for the Deaf weren't available to provide the outreach, I don't know where we'd turn," Dewey said.
Gregersen said he foresees "a time when all of the stakeholders and the constituencies of the state of South Dakota will thrive in - what Dr. Francis Duffy, a noted university professor and author, called a 'learning culture based on trust, commitment and collaboration' on behalf of our deaf students.' "
Most of Gregersen's professional experience has been in the state of Washington, where he worked for 27 years in the Tacoma School District, first as a teacher of the deaf and hard of hearing and later as assistant special education director. At Tacoma, Gregersen was responsible for a dual-track education program providing both bilingual and auditory-oral instruction, similar to instructional programs provided at South Dakota's School for the Deaf. In 2005-06, he was director of instruction at the California School for the Deaf.
He holds an education specialist degree from Gallaudet University, a master's degree in deaf education from Western Oregon University and a B.A. in education from Seattle University.
Frank Turk became the South Dakota school's first deaf superintendent in 1989. Larry Puthoff, his successor in 1991, also was deaf. Jon Green, who held the position for nine years beginning in 1995, was hard of hearing.
South Dakota has a new superintendent for its School for the Deaf, who arrives from the West Coast to face multiple challenges from falling enrollment to parental criticism and determining the future of the Sioux Falls campus.
Terry Gregersen of Riverside, Calif., has accepted the job for $100,000 a year and will come to Sioux Falls by Sept. 1, Tad Perry, executive director of the Board of Regents, said Wednesday.
Gregersen is deaf, a fact that had nothing to do with the decision to hire him, Perry said. "It's not a factor, period. The only thing was: Is this the person who can lead the school and do the best job?" Perry said.
Gregersen said he was "deeply humbled and honored" by the offer.
"I look forward to the challenges that this position offers but more to the possibilities that it also presents to all of us stakeholders who have a vested interest in the school," he said.
Gregersen replaces Maureen Schloss, who was superintendent for three years and is returning to a faculty position at Northern State University.
Gregersen knows of difficulties ahead, Perry said. The school, which opened in 1880, had a record 132 students in 1973. But enrollment has fallen to 38 for this fall, with only eight in high school. The curriculum does not offer enough courses for students to graduate without taking classes from another school. The school does not accept all deaf students. And it puts too much emphasis on speaking and hearing and not enough on learning American Sign Language for some parents' liking.
None of this will surprise Gregersen, Perry said. "He's been in the school business a long time. These are not new issues," Perry said.
Most of the school's service to the hard-of-hearing is in the form of outreach services to 221 children across the state, causing some to question whether the Sioux Falls campus has a role anymore.
"All topics are on the table, but we have no plans," Perry said. "The new superintendent will counsel the board on the future direction of the school and how we meet the needs of each of the individual children."
Gregersen and Raymond Olson of Garretson were the two finalists who interviewed for the position July 23. Gregersen accepted the job, but a formal offer is subject to final action by regents at the board's next meeting, Perry said.
A Sioux Falls woman who moved with her family from Rapid City largely because the School for the Deaf was available for her child said she expects great things from Gregersen.
"I think he really can make a difference," said Julie Doucette, who met both of the final candidates. "I thought either of the final two would have been good, but he just seemed so confident and committed to helping the individual child."
The new superintendent must "make sure to open the doors to all children across the state who deserve a free and appropriate education," she said. Also, "He's going to have to be able to convince the regents to understand our issues," she said.
A Belle Fourche woman who has two children with hearing impairments said she wants a superintendent who will stabilize the Sioux Falls school. Jo Dewey's children receive outreach services through the School for the Deaf.
"The law requires them to get that service from the district, but if the School for the Deaf weren't available to provide the outreach, I don't know where we'd turn," Dewey said.
Gregersen said he foresees "a time when all of the stakeholders and the constituencies of the state of South Dakota will thrive in - what Dr. Francis Duffy, a noted university professor and author, called a 'learning culture based on trust, commitment and collaboration' on behalf of our deaf students.' "
Most of Gregersen's professional experience has been in the state of Washington, where he worked for 27 years in the Tacoma School District, first as a teacher of the deaf and hard of hearing and later as assistant special education director. At Tacoma, Gregersen was responsible for a dual-track education program providing both bilingual and auditory-oral instruction, similar to instructional programs provided at South Dakota's School for the Deaf. In 2005-06, he was director of instruction at the California School for the Deaf.
He holds an education specialist degree from Gallaudet University, a master's degree in deaf education from Western Oregon University and a B.A. in education from Seattle University.
Frank Turk became the South Dakota school's first deaf superintendent in 1989. Larry Puthoff, his successor in 1991, also was deaf. Jon Green, who held the position for nine years beginning in 1995, was hard of hearing.