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“Leadership in education is hard. With hundreds of competing interests, many choose the path of least resistance. Sheila Kukstis is different. A consistent advocate for students, families, and teachers, she demands excellence from all stakeholders. She attacks challenges with creativity and resolve. She follows initiatives to their conclusion. The result is an education environment that helps everyone rise up. ”

"Without exception, we will never navigate the world of special education without Sheila as our family's advocate. Sheila provides, among other things, a compassionate, experienced, and professional approach to the advocacy process. As our advocate, Sheila ensured we understood our rights, worked diligently to ensure our child received the services they needed, and worked to collaborate with the school on the best solutions."

I am the mother of a 15 y/o sophomore in high school, who has struggled since 5th grade (covid) with separation anxiety, depression and ADHD. We had a long road with school administration in securing appropriate services for her: 504, IEP- in large part because I had no idea what end was up with the evaluations, assessments or the paperwork that dictates the process. None of it is intuitive.

I never would have gotten to the desired outcome without Sheila Kukstis. She rolled up her sleeves and created the pathway to help me understand the IEP process, while working with the team at school to ensure we received all of the considerations that made the most sense for my daughter's needs. The IEP process is complicated, far more complicated than I ever imagined- Sheila interpreted all of it for me into language that I could understand, and we got on to a better road as soon as she got involved.

I would say that parents who are not conversant in the language of education plans should ever go it alone. There is so much left to chance, because of a lack of transparency. If you are struggling to get your child help, RUN!... don't walk to Sheila Kukstis.