April 2009
Amarillo ISD's Lana Fincher shares vision for special education association
By Raven L. Hill

Amarillo ISD Special Education Director Lana Fincher had individuals like her aunt in mind when she decided to pursue a career in special education. Fincher’s aunt, the late Ozie Caswell, had mental disabilities; she grew up during a time when segregation or exclusion was the norm for children with special needs.

“There was no programming for her. I always wondered why she couldn’t go to school or have certain opportunities,” says Fincher, who is also president-elect of the Texas Council of Administrators of Special Education.

As she prepares to take the helm of TCASE in July, Fincher is focused on continuing to provide quality training for members through innovative programming.

TCASE aims to provide leadership and support by shaping special education policies and practices. Fincher joined TCASE in 1989 and quickly became impressed by the group’s advocacy and lobbying efforts. When she became Amarillo ISD’s special education director several years later, she decided the time was right for her to become more active.

“I’ve always been so impressed that our mission is our kids are students [first],” she says, “and we must support them, and our directors, in implementing programs. I just wanted to be more involved in the advocacy that TCASE does for special education directors.”

She has served on the group’s education and conference-planning committees and as a regional board member. She co-chaired two conferences in 2007 and has spoken to state legislators about TCASE priorities.

With districts cutting back expenses in reaction to the tough economy, TCASE will have to be creative and innovative in reaching its members, Fincher says.

“I want the organization to continue to focus on providing high-quality staff development for our members, but I think we have to look at that in different ways than we’ve done in the past,” she says.

Fincher says she believes that technology will be a vital tool in connecting members. Fincher wants to implement a strong virtual training component that includes Web-based activities and podcasts. She cites the group’s popular 15-minute audio “postcards” on various topics as an example of how technology can broaden TCASE’s reach. In addition, she wants to increase state and federal lobbying efforts through better communication with members.

“We have to get the word out,” she says. “We have to tell members about the things that we’ve been able to accomplish through lobbying.”

She points to the success of the group’s task force on TAKS-Alt, the new state assessment for students with severe disabilities, as one example.

Amid teacher concerns about the alternative assessment, “we worked with our membership and through TEA. We were able to make it less cumbersome for teachers,” Fincher says.

Fincher first worked with students with special needs during her college years at West Texas State University (now West Texas A&M University) while serving as a volunteer for the Special Olympics. Fincher jokes that she has been a teacher since childhood, when her little sister, stuffed animals and dolls comprised her first classroom.

She began her teaching career in 1975 with Channing ISD and joined Amarillo ISD two years later. She stepped up to her current post in 1991.

Amarillo ISD’s relatively small size has helped foster a supportive community for all children, she says.

“We’re an urban district, but we’re not too big,” Fincher says. “We’re large enough in that you have support at all different levels. We’re able to have several teachers collaborate and learn from each other. From the superintendent to the school board to administrators, the entire staff is so supportive of all kids.”

Her son, Christopher Skeet Fincher, joined the district this year as a teacher at Palo Duro High School, teaching in the same classroom where his father, A.B. Fincher, taught for 30 years.

Outside of the classroom, Fincher is active with United Way and serves on the board of the Eveline Rivers Christmas Project, which serves youth in low-income families. She has received awards for her work in the community and in the school district, including Amarillo ISD’s Volunteer Appreciation Award in 2007 for her service to students.

Fincher also enjoys reading, relaxing on the beach and making scrapbooks, but she is all business when it comes to TCASE.

“TCASE is a really strong organization. I want us to continue to grow and build,” she says. “We just have to work with what we have and keep moving forward.”