Resolutions

What do you want to be thankful for this time next year? Reasonable question. The answers will vary by individual.
As a school board member I am now thankful we did not vote to spend the several million dollars voters granted to us in spring 2007.
We had plans for the money, but not the buildings. We had plans for projects, but not the future of the system. We had plans that would have consumed nearly all the funds but would have perpetuated the system without an adequate long range plan.
What your school board hopes to be thankful for this time next year is a view of our system as it exists and operates today. In addition, we would like the community to have a plan and a vision for the future of your schools and how to achieve that vision.
In recent work sessions dating back to June the board has been constructing a path forward. A map. It begins with an honest assessment of where we currently envision the system.
The end will be a best-case dream of what the entire community would wish in an ideal world with no limits on possibilities. And why not? Don’t our students and we deserve the best that can be?
Perhaps the best thing the board brings to the process of developing this vision is a true outsider’s view of the system as it exists. We are not a part of the system. We are not educators. We have no preconceptions. Like you, our only experience is personal. And dated.
One would hope our picture of present conditions resembles that of most of the rest of the community. If we are wrong we will be told in short order and adjustments can be made.
The challenge will be finding the courage to be brutally honest. To remove the polite veneer we all tend to use to cover over the blemishes. It is important to be accurate, not politically correct if we are to address the shortcomings.
Once the starting point and ending goal are clearly defined the steps needed to travel from beginning to end will become more obvious. Done correctly anyone in the community should be able to identify where we are and how much progress has been made.
This is far more detailed than just a statement of intent or mission statement. We are looking inside at all the parts. Transportation, curriculum, safety, buildings and grounds, information technology, organization and staffing, work standards, continuous improvement, accounting and finance. And more. The total of the pieces that make up the operation.
It’s a tall order but a necessary one. It will bring a focus and level of responsibility needed to assure a minimum of wasted effort and resources. It should instill confidence that the system is operating with maximum efficiency achieving desired results. And that there are steps being taken to address shortcomings.
The academic side of this process has been in development for over a year. The Professional Learning Community (PLC) process is designed to address the same issues from an academic standpoint.
PLCs seek to identify our current status and methods then identify and implement best methods to achieve optimal results. From there it is a continuous process of seeking yet better and more efficient methods.
This time next year it would be nice to be thankful for this process to have been successfully completed and implemented with the community at large supporting its ongoing development. There are a lot of steps between here and that result, but it’s within reach. How are your resolutions coming?