Schools

Northville Public Schools Announces New Hire at Cooke School

Jennifer Bugar has been named Assistant Program Supervisor at the school.

- From a press release


A graduate with 12 years of hands-on experience in elementary special education, Jennifer Bugar has been named Assistant Program Supervisor for the Northville Public Schools special education center programs at Cooke School. The Northville Board of Education unanimously approved Bugar’s appointment at its July 9, 2012 meeting.

As Assistant Supervisor at Cooke, Bugar will help in the day-to-day operation of the district’s two special education center programs — financed through the Wayne County Regional Educational Service Agency and staffed by Northville educators — which serve severely cognitively and multiply impaired students from preschool through age 26 from school districts across western Wayne County. Currently located at Cooke and Old Village schools in Northville, the district is finalizing the consolidation of the two center programs at Cooke School for the 2012-13 school year. Long-time Old Village Program Supervisor Arthur Fischer recently retired from the district and the Assistant Supervisor position was created at Cooke under the supervision of Cooke Program Supervisor Mary Meldrum.

Bugar comes to Northville Public Schools from South Lyon Community Schools where she served this past school year as a teacher consultant and resource room teacher at Hardy Elementary School. She also worked as a resource room teacher and teacher consultant at South Lyon’s Salem Elementary School for
eight years. Prior to joining South Lyon Schools, Bugar was a special education basic classroom teacher for two years at Cooper Elementary School, part of Livonia Public Schools, and a resource room teacher and teacher consultant at Carlson Elementary School, part of Van Dyke Public Schools, in Warren.

In addition to her extensive classroom experience, Bugar has taken on numerous leadership and administrative responsibilities throughout her career, including training and supervising staff for a program for moderately cognitively impaired and emotionally impaired students; providing building-level professional development; evaluating students for special education eligibility and child study team assessment; serving as a mentor and trainer for new special education staff; and serving as building administrator for MI-Access, the state-standardized test for students with disabilities for whom the Michigan Educational Assessment Program (MEAP) and Michigan Merit Exam (MME) tests are not appropriate.

“Jennifer is an accomplished educator who has honed the science and art of her skills for 12 years,” said Northville Superintendent Mary Kay Gallagher. “She encourages parent involvement and has provided effective leadership as a team member in all her teaching assignments. Jennifer is a thoughtful and
effective individual who sees the whole child and the holistic needs of all children.”

“We are very excited to welcome Jennifer into our program,” Meldrum said. “Through the interview process, Jennifer impressed us with her understanding and experience working with students at varying levels, as well as her strong leadership skills. Jennifer will be a great asset to the program as we look forward to the consolidation of Cooke and Old Village schools.”

Bugar has a Bachelor of Science in Special Education — Emotionally Impaired and a Master of Special Education — Learning Disabilities from Eastern Michigan University (EMU). She also expects to complete her Specialist in Arts, Special Education Administration and Supervision degree from EMU this year. Bugar graduated from Northville High School (NHS) in 1989.

“As a NHS graduate and area resident, I am thrilled at the opportunity to serve Northville Public Schools,” Bugar said. “I feel honored to represent the educational environment that taught me how to hone my skills, strive for excellence, and give back to our families and community. I am looking forward to teaming with and supporting families as we foster future possibilities for all our students.”

Bugar resides in Plymouth with her husband, Robert, and their daughters Hadley, 9, and Julia, 7.


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