Shirley Fonseca

I originally started my career as a teacher in Jamaica for about 5 years before immigrating to the United States around 1992. After working as a housekeeper for a couple of years, I returned to college at Kean University to earn my bachelor's degree as a special education teacher for students with handicaps. I began my work in Newark Public Schools in 1998 focusing on special education, and then from 2002 became a learning disability teacher consultant as part of the child study team, where I evaluated students and provided educational assessments to determine their eligibility for special education-related services. While working in that role, I pursued my master's degree in critical thinking and later earned my doctorate degree from University of Phoenix. In 2018, I moved into my current position as supervisor of special education, where I handle parent complaints and concerns, ensure compliance with IEP timelines and services, participate in mediations when parents file against the district, represent the district in court trials, and conduct staff evaluations for about 45 people throughout the school year. I also work part-time as an adjunct professor at a local university, teaching classes for educators pursuing their doctoral degrees. This work is deeply personal to me because I have a child who is autistic, which has made me more vested and involved in this field. I've been where these parents have been, I know what it seems to be for them and the concerns they have, so being able to help and thinking that I'm making an impact and helping parents navigate this system is something I'm happy to be doing. I would probably do it even if I wasn't getting paid.