The Ohio Association of Pupil Services awarded Kristina Hulse, director of special education for Pickerington Local School District, with the Dr. John Opperman Outstanding Contribution Award for her excellence during the pandemic.
Hulse has been director of special education for the district since 2014. She has worked in the district since 1998 first as a supervisor of special education, then as special education coordinator and an intervention specialist before her current role.
In the fall of 2019, Hulse created a mentoring and support program for OAPSA in which she meets monthly with members who are new to their administrative positions.
“In my years as a director, I felt like we worked in a silo within the district and it is good to connect with others in our field,” Hulse says.
During meetings with mentees, Hulse provides administrators with guidance and discusses relevant issues, such as state laws. She says she enjoys discussing case law as a way for her and her mentees to learn how courts are interpreting special education operating standards.
When the pandemic shut schools down in March 2020, Hulse continued to meet with the mentoring group virtually. It was during these months that the group had its best attendance. She says that going virtual was "a blessing in disguise."
Hulse’s efforts have created a powerful, state-wide resource and community for administrators full of professional learning and growth.
“It is a collaborative group. We all work together and share our thoughts and experiences. I lead and organize the group, but I have benefited just as much as they have,” she says.
OAPSA is an organization of school administrators charged with overseeing district-wide administrative responsibilities for Pupil Services, such as at-risk programs, school psychology, gift/talented programs, guidance, attendance and student accounting.
The Dr. John Opperman Outstanding Contribution Award, established in 2019 and named after the first executive director of OAPSA, recognizes a member of OAPSA who has greatly contributed to the profession. Hulse is the second person to receive this award.
Hulse was honored to receive the nomination, but she believes that every special education administrator should be awarded for their accomplishments during the pandemic.
“Our students and staff need us more than ever and this is our time to make a difference in others' lives. We are all deserving of this award, due to the impact we have made,” she says.
Ellie Roberto is an editorial assistant. Feedback welcome at feedback@cityscenemediagroup.com.
