Montana Youth Transitions Project
Miles City Regional Meeting
September 13, 2010
Minutes:
Transition –
1. Theresa Baldry, P.L.U.K., showed us the Toolbox on P.L.U.K. website.
2. Isaac Baldry spoke about his new position as an Ambassador for MYLF. He will be visiting nine
schools by December.
3. Karen Pickart said that the CSPD has $2,000 for scholarships for teams attending the Transition
Conference. CSPD email address: [email protected]
4. Miles City Community Management Team list of community resources is still being compiled.
Karen Pickart and Theresa Baldry will work on getting this information for other communities in
the Region as well, after information on Miles City is available.
5. Talked about Transition Conference October 3-5, 2010, at Red Lion Colonial Hotel in Helena.
6. Transportation—Transportation Advisory Council says there may be bus service in Miles City in
the near future (about 6 weeks). It will be $5.50/ride, a dollar less than taxi ride.
RSVP has been driving people to Billings for medical appointments, but funding ran out.
Now Council on Aging will be providing 2 medical trips to Billings—new program.
7. Teachers send students to Voc Rehab and sometimes nothing happens because parents/students
don’t follow through.
8. Parents sometimes don’t understand that nothing can happen with VR until the form is signed.
9. Miles City Schools do not have a school to work program, but some students who have jobs are
allowed to leave school early.
10. Voc Rehab was told that if job was the goal of the IEP, student could get credit for that.
11. Cheri Reed, Eastern Montana Industries, is great resource. Does vocational evaluations and
supported employment for VR. VR pays for her services.
12. Plentywood has school to work program.
13. VR can be involved as consultant at any time. VR can’t do application for services until spring of
junior year or fall of senior year.
14. Glendive has school to work program. Phone company donated station wagon for transportation.
15. Brenda Mast is great resource in Glendive. Expert in autism and does a lot of school to work
things.
16. In Plentywood, a teacher was told by VR counselor that VR can’t work with students until they
have graduated, and teacher has no contact with student after graduation. It was suggested that
teacher call Tammy Hogan, supervisor in VR office in Great Falls (406-454-6060).
17. Sometimes VR wants to do phone conferences instead of coming to the school because of time
constraints and long travel distances.
18. VR has huge caseloads.
19. Maybe this would be a good time to suggest that Miles City start another school to work program.
Could use model of Glendive’s school to work program.
20. Several years ago, a student who wanted to be a cowboy, got a job at the stockyard. This made
school more relevant to him.
21. If had a CSPD training on Transition, what would this involve?
Student-led IEP meetings.
Agencies—who they are, what they do, when to connect students to them.
How to start portfolios—on Rural Institute website.
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23.
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25.
Transfer of rights.
Entrepreneurship.
How to access state transportation.
Teachers just have so much time.
Transition has to start in the schools.
Are teachers at different places in understanding Transition?
Secondary Transition training—there are four webinars on Transition.
Resources:
Rural Institute has a ton of information on Transition—online Toolbox, general track training,
youth track training. Can get to from P.L.U.K. website.
MCIS also good resource—can build portfolio.
School for the Deaf and Blind has Transition information—iTransition.
Student Assistance Foundation Pep Talk—part of MCIS—interviewing, colleges, etc.
Next Meeting: Wednesday, January 26, 2011, 11:00 A.M., DEAP Conference Room, 2200 Box
Elder, in Gaberson Building off Valley Drive E., Miles City.
Rhonda will check on list of community services from the Miles City Community Management
Team. CSPD and P.L.U.K. will work on getting some information from other communities in the
Region.
Karen Pickart and Theresa Baldry will try to put together CSPD training on Transition for people
interested in Transition, parents, and teachers.