Learning Disability Teacher Consultant Maria D. Santiago Selected as Educational Services Professional of the Year at Somerset County Vocational & Technical High School

BRIDGEWATER – Maria D. Santiago, a Learning Disability Teacher Consultant (LDTC) at Somerset County Vocational & Technical High School (SCVTHS), has been selected as the 2023-2024 Educational Services Professional of the Year. Ms. Santiago is known for her kindness, her dedication, and for being a tireless advocate for students and families.

Ms. Santiago began her ninth year at SCVTHS this past September. Before that, she was a classroom teacher of Spanish and French and also served as World Language Department Chair in both public and private schools. An administrator at one of her former schools recognized her skill working with special needs students and recommended she get certified as a LDTC. Ms. Santiago has a post-Master’s certification in LDTC from Kean University and has also recently earned her PhD in Education Reading, Literacy, Assessment, and Evaluation from Walden University.

As she works with her students, Ms. Santiago takes a whole-person approach. “It's not only the academic portion. You also have to work with the parents and teachers and the students, and help the students become self-advocates of their needs” she said. “I try to learn about their health and I get to know them because if I don't build that trust with the students, I don't have any impact.

Ms. Santiago is particularly proud of the success of her students even after they leave SCVTHS. “When they graduate, when I see them meeting their transition goals, and I see them exiting and they come back saying ‘I got this job. I got accepted at this university.’ then I see that the program has been successful, that whatever the school provided for the child worked.”

In addition to her day-to-day responsibilities, Ms. Santiago also works with the Social Emotional Learning District Committee, is a member of the school’s Green Team, the High School Safety Team, the Food Advisory Committee, and serves on the Culture and Climate Committee.

When administrators presented Ms. Santiago with the award - arriving at her door playing a guitar, shaking maracas, and singing - she was completely taken by surprise. When asked how she felt about being the Educational Services Professional of the Year, she said “It means the world to me. It made me very happy.” She also acknowledged that, while she tries to keep a low profile as she does her job, she appreciates that “people from outside see what I'm doing.”

Director of Special Services Maria Johnson stated “Maria is a sensitive, caring and motivated case manager/LDTC. She is always thinking of the students in her caseload and works tirelessly to identify strategies for students to perform at the highest level possible. She is their advocate and goes above and beyond to make sure teachers and staff have the tools needed to understand and implement the accommodations and modifications in the IEP (Individualized Educational Program).”

When she is not at SCVTHS, Ms. Santiago spends time with her family and also is very involved in community service, particularly in environmental, sustainability and Latino issues, both in her town of Franklin and throughout the State of New Jersey.

Ms. Santiago acknowledged that she has been supported and encouraged by everyone at SCVTHS. “There's no title, there's no degree that I add to my name that I received without people helping me” she said. “The counselors, students, the parents, administration, my supervisors, all of them. So I have to thank the community.”

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