Family & Community Alternative Education
Massachusetts Proprietary Schools

Proprietary School Advisory Council Meeting Summary
5/14/09

Associate Commissioner David Haselkorn met with the council to listen to the role of regulatory oversight from the council's perspective and their recommendations, which included:

• Moving the proprietary unit out of DESE, or
  • Amending the Department's mission statement to include adult learners; and,
  • Appointing an Associate Commissioner specific to the oversight of proprietary schools; and,
  • Renaming the Office of Proprietary Schools to "The Office of Post-Secondary Career Education";
• Funding the proprietary school unit and obtaining a retained revenue account to be used to increase staffing;
• Providing unit w/necessary IT infrastructure;
• Amending and rewriting legislation to streamline oversight and enhance accountability;
• Adopting the multiple-disbursement regulations drafted in 2007; and,
• Removing the cap on surety from the proprietary statutes.

The Associate Commissioner welcomed the advisory Council's perspectives and expressed strong appreciation for their work in advising the Department. He looks forward to collaboratively addressing many of the issues raised in the coming year, in collaboration with Department staff, colleagues from other agencies, and the continued counsel and perspectives of the Council.

The council was provided updates on the national conference of state regulators, the Commonwealth Transfer Advisory Group (CTAG), pending massage therapy school regulations by the Board of Registration for Massage Therapists, a pending registration process by the Division of Professional Licensure for dental assistants, and current trends in school issues and with school closures. The Department also presented the group with a draft policy on the use of the terms certificate v. certification, which is being forwarded to the Department's legal office for review.

The technology working group met on April 27th to review Wisconsin's online application system and to speak with IT personnel from the Department about the feasibility of developing a similar system. Given the state's fiscal crisis, it is unlikely that such an expense can be met at this time. However, the working group will continue to explore options that may benefit both the proprietary school unit and schools.

The next meeting is scheduled for Thursday, June 25, 2009 from 10 a.m. - 1 p.m. at the Technology Learning Center in Oxford.

Absent: Barbara Lagergren