SISE Conference

Our new Superintendent and I have visited several times since he has filled that position not quite two months ago.  It is a very interesting position to be in because we both can understand the learning process since this is his first opportunity to serve as a Superintendent.  Although I have had three Superintendents serving in the supervisor position I have been very fortunate to have different perspectives on how each has handled situations which confront their office.  In my conversation with our current Superintendent, we discussed the obstacles that this district has faced and the amount of change that I personally have endured in the completion of this program.  The areas we discussed which have presented the most problems and caused me to work more diligently in improving my abilities were focused on the instructional portion of the intern plan.  With the inconsistency of having three Superintendents in an eight month period left a great deal of responsibility on me forced me to address areas out of my expertise.  In our discussion we felt that it brought to the forefront those weaknesses that I realized going in to the program brought in to focus the need to improve prior to attempting the position of Superintendent.  The changes also brought to light a number of strengths that I think will serve me well in the future.  The ability to bring stakeholders to a consensus and establish a district and community wide plan which will assist in the improvement of our district plan through the passing of a bond proposal.  As our new Superintendent stated, very few people outside of the CEO of a district gets the opportunity to lead and pass a bond election.   The experiences that I have been fortunate enough to have had goes far beyond the normal internship plan because the vast majority of the projects such as the bond issue which actually came with my position and fell in to my lap due to the change in our district leadership.  

Three Year Professional Development Plan

Part of the process of this program which has left me with the greatest appreciation is the self evaluation in which we have been held accountable for through our responses.  As we have found out, the process of looking in to the mirror where our professional abilities are concerned has presented us at time some uncomfortable realities.  The Professional Development Plan provides us with one more reflection which pushes us to not only set goals on how we plan to improve but also holds our feet to the fire on how we plan to accomplish these outcomes.  Initially, the areas of which I would like to improve will take some precedence however in our district we have some initiatives of which I am involved that must be addressed.  The most pressing portion of my personal improvement must be directed in the instructional areas which have been addressed in the first year of my plan along with the building project of which I am deeply involved.  Year two is more directed at my continued improvement to assist our district in establishing a better learning environment and increasing parent participation.  These areas are not only my personal goal but since we have an unacceptable campus and the increasing demands on testing our district must keep pace and we must work to include parents as an integral part of the process.  Year three goals of budgetary improvement is a personal objective that all of us in education must consider since our funding continues to be an uncertainty.  With the requirement of this project it has assisted me in looking further in to the future not only for myself but also for our district as a whole.

Blog Comments on the Professional Development Plan

Part of the process of this program which has left me with the greatest appreciation is the self evaluation in which we have been held accountable for through our responses.  As we have found out, the process of looking in to the mirror where our professional abilities are concerned has presented us at time some uncomfortable realities.  The Professional Development Plan provides us with one more reflection which pushes us to not only set goals on how we plan to improve but also holds our feet to the fire on how we plan to accomplish these outcomes.  Initially, the areas of which I would like to improve will take some precedence however in our district we have some initiatives of which I am involved that must be addressed.  The most pressing portion of my personal improvement must be directed in the instructional areas which have been addressed in the first year of my plan along with the building project of which I am deeply involved.  Year two is more directed at my continued improvement to assist our district in establishing a better learning environment and increasing parent participation.  These areas are not only my personal goal but since we have an unacceptable campus and the increasing demands on testing our district must keep pace and we must work to include parents as an integral part of the process.  Year three goals of budgetary improvement is a personal objective that all of us in education must consider since our funding continues to be an uncertainty.  With the requirement of this project it has assisted me in looking further in to the future not only for myself but also for our district as a whole.

Lessons Learned, District Improvement Plan

Week Three Assignment, Part 2 – Part C of the Comprehensive Final Report

Describing Recommendations and District/Campus Improvement Initiative/Action Research Lessons Learned

Review the above analysis, and write at least one page thoroughly describing recommendations and lessons learned from experiences with the improvement initiatives or action research plans.

Because Jasper ISD has been under the scrutiny of an external Campus Improvement Team monitor, I have been fortunate/unfortunate to have experienced a tremendous amount of planning, organizing and implementation throughout the past 12 months.  Many of the lessons that I have learned have stemmed from this process which has had an enormous affect on our district and community.  We have also witnessed how an effective plan can take a number of negatives and produce some very positive feelings about how our educational future could be much brighter than it appears to be at this time.

Of course the issue at JHS was not the only one that JISD has faced over the time frame of my internship but it was the most public.  Others that we faced were as mentioned in my earlier assignment such as the transition classes and the curriculum should affect the vertical alignment.  One of the aspects that fell right in to place during this internship was that the District Improvement Plan served as a basis for improvement for our district as a whole.  Because the DIP existed we were able to ask questions based on what had been determined to be an important aspect in the district wide plan.  Not always did the DIP serve as a beneficial resource, it often times provided us with a plan that was inefficient.  This observation led us many times to review the procedures taken to organize the plan and adjust accordingly. 

Because we have had several changes in the Superintendent office over the past few years, we have not had the consistency that a district needs to maintain a proper guideline for a long term DIP.  This was never more evident than with the unacceptable rating and confusion over our vertical alignment.  If I have learned anything over the course of this internship, it is that strong central leadership is essential to a school district that wishes to continue to improve its educational value.  On so many occasions, we were left with each of us who were responsible for departments or programs working in different directions without even realizing.  We were not given a direction and in essence we many time at an impasse because of the lack of decision making. 

One example was that of the indecision to continue with Kilgo and also purchase CSCOPE as our main curriculum source.  I attended training sessions in Austin in anticipation of the continued use of Kilgo.  This training ultimately was in vain due to the fact that we have now focused more on CSCOPE while using Kilgo as a supplement.  Although my job does not include that aspect in my normal duties I was asked by our Curriculum Director and external CIT monitor to join in on those activities in an effort to have more people involved in the process.  Even though it was not part of my job description, it actually fell right in to the portion of my internship which enabled me to experience a number of activities associated with the curriculum side of things.  What I learned is that regardless of how sound that your District Improvement Plan is you must have someone in charge that will insure that everyone will implement the overall plan.  I also learned that we must all buy in to the use of any particular program regardless of our own personal feelings and that ultimately the Superintendent is responsible for it all.  Therefore the person holding that office must have the working knowledge necessary to follow through on the implementation of all programs working towards a common goal of district improvement.

Week Two Reflections

Week One Assignment, Part 1 – Description of SBEC Superintendent Leadership Experiences by Domains and Competencies

Using your Intern Plan, your course and campus supervised logs, please prepare at least one page describing how your experiences attempted to address each of the elements of the 10 competencies. Be sure to comment on lessons learned from these extensive experiences.

Domain I—Leadership of the Educational Community – Competencies 1 - 4

Competency 1 Area:

The superintendent knows how to act with integrity, fairness, and in an ethical manner in order to promote the success of all students.

One of the responsibilities that I assume in my regular job is that of policy updates.  As we receive the TASB policy updates, I establish meetings with the JISD Board of Trustee Policy Committee in preparation to present the latest policy updates for full board approval.  In an effort to provide guidelines which enable our board and Superintendent to act on behalf of our students, we must review how each policy considered affects the educational experience of our student body.  In the presentation, I must provide any backup information that would assist our policy committee in making the decisions that will affect our school district for some time to come.

My recommendations must be in the best interest to all of the students, parents and patrons who are stakeholders.  Although I may have an opinion in how policy is added or deleted, my opinion is not necessarily the proper answer for the questions that may be posed during the meetings.  The integrity in providing the information needed could be questioned if I were to slant what I provide those policy committee members.  In my meetings, I work diligently to be as non committal as possible in order not to sway our members in to a decision that they may regret later.  This also lends itself to providing a fair judgment to all students when we work to stay away from any ulterior motives from either the administration presenting the policy or the board members who may have an agenda to work that information in a way advantageous to their wishes.  Maintaining this type of integrity in the procedure lines up with the way that a Superintendent should respond in an ethical manner and is non-negotiable.   The lesson learned here is that not always are the board members listening and they would rather make a large number of decisions from you.  They want to be a part of the process however many times they just do not feel comfortable making the ultimate decision.

Since I established my intern plan, I have facilitated two board policy committee meetings and made a presentation to the full board.  We discussed and presented TASB Board Update 94 which was very light in local policy changes.  This update centered on the requirement for district to adopt local policy for the care of students with a diagnosed food allergy who are at risk for anaphylaxis as required by SB 27 from the 82^nd Legislative Session.  In our procedures we meet as a Policy Committee to discuss the non-negotiable items which are Legal policies but mainly focus on the Local policies.  As is procedure, the board can not act on the legal policies, just the local.  The board has the option to change or adjust any local policy if so desired.  However, the majority of the time if TASB has made a recommendation, we usually stick with their option.  At times, we receive options through the updates in which we must make a choice and that usually initiates much more conversation in the process.  Once the committee has reviewed all of the information provided by me and we discuss what options that we may have, we determine if we are to make the recommendation to the full board.  At the board meeting, I make the recommendation on behalf of the administration and usually one of the committee members makes the motion to accept that recommendation.    

Competency 2 Area:

The superintendent knows how to shape district culture by facilitating the development, articulation, implementation, and stewardship of a vision of learning that is shared and supported by the educational community.

In order to provide our students, parents and patrons a vision of where we would like to take education in Jasper, we must develop a long range plan which will provide all stakeholders an outline of our goals. 

We must first establish our own goals internally as a staff and be able to not only share that plan with those employees who will assist I implementing those goals.  In Jasper ISD, we are working through an unacceptable campus issue at our high school and the public view is not great.  We have been assigned the task of not only establishing a program which will be affective but also meet a large amount of public scrutiny.  We must exhibit an effort that will provide our patrons with the knowledge that we will do our best to be good stewards of the tax payer money.  We must present it in a way in which it is easily understandable by the masses and that it get implemented in the proper stages. 

In order to develop a short and long term plan, we began with strategic planning meetings on several occasions. These sessions have long been a staple of any school district which is attempting to stay as focused on their long range goals as possible. These strategic planning meetings not only are focused on curriculum goals but also financial goals as well.  With the drop of state revenues that JISD has experienced, we also must plan on how our staffing will affect what we do and how we do it.   Since I currently serve as Asst. Supt. of HR / Student Services so I have been in all strategic planning sessions.  The sessions actually started in January and were to be completed in May however we have had a Superintendent change and have had an interim in place.  Currently we have met on eight occasions and logged 12 hours of meeting time.  Our initial meeting dealt with a number of issues district wide and outlined the areas of need.  Each subsequent meeting was dealing with Personnel, bond issue, curriculum, testing, Campus Improvement Team and infrastructure.

·         Personnel-we discussed the outline of those areas where cutbacks through attrition could be achieved.  This process has necessitated me visiting with campus principals as well as our Director of Finance to attempt to meet our financial and educational goals.

·         Bond Issue-with the passage of a bond issue, we spent an amount of time working on how the bond would affect different aspects of our strategic plan. 

·         With the JISD Asst. Supt. for Curriculum retiring, a large amount of time was spent discussing the possibility of consolidating positions solidifying our trend to trim positions.

·         Testing-took a large portion of time for our strategic plan because of the personnel changes and with the new testing requirements we needed to address how to approach a new curriculum which was installed.

·         Campus Improvement Team-With the change in personnel, CIT made several adjustments in relation to the unacceptable rating at the High School campus.

The lesson learned here is that many want to complain about how the long range plan is established after it is implemented.  However those same people are not willing to spend the time necessary to assist in the origination process and be held accountable.

Competency 3 Area:

The superintendent knows how to communicate and collaborate with families and community members, respond to diverse community interests and needs, and mobilize community resources to ensure educational success for all students.

A very large portion and probably the most important part of a Superintendent’s job is communication with stakeholders.  It is not only important to provide information to the patrons but also listen to what they have to say.  We must be a give and take organization because we are a public entity and our tax payers do not want to feel as though they are not being listened to on a regular basis.  Part of the give and take has been a large part of our success in passing our latest bond initiative in which I was the lead organizer.  The committees established during the bond initiative opened doors to more community input and discussion about happenings in the district.  This feedback has been essential to us in handling some of the bad press surrounding our unacceptable campus and presenting an open ear to our patrons. 

One of the experiences which were a byproduct of our community committees led to one of my intern experiences.  I was able to visit with two of our community members to get their feedback on what they expect from JISD and their impressions of how we are doing at this point.  The committees provided each of them with the comfort level to be as open as possible in their viewpoints of our district.  Each of them have a vested interest since they both have children and were graduates of JISD.  Their perceptions are valuable since in many cased patrons like to say “well, in the good ole days” and times just are not the same.  Each of these gentlemen understood that nothing stays the same.

Steve Few-Owner TLC Cleaners and new resident of JISD

Mr. Few is a new resident of JISD and has a son that is yet to enter the system.  Mr. Few and his wife determined that they would move to Jasper due to the size of the school and opportunities that it would afford their children over time.  Mr. Few is a graduate of JISD and feels as though the environment would best suit their educational goals for their family.  His only concerns were for the reduced amount of financing provides schools through the recent cutbacks in the state funds.  He has seen how it affects the operation of the school and the potential that it may continue to play a role in the school’s infrastructure for years to come.

Scott Stover-Attorney

Mr. Stover has three children who have attended JISD.  One has graduated and is in college and two who are still in school.  Mr. and Mrs. Stover have been very active in their support of JISD and have played a large role in their children’s campus activities.  Mr. Stover’s concerns center also on financing but also with the increased burden placed on the schools due to the state standardized testing.  He sees that it has inhibited a number of opportunities that his children may have been able to experience had the testing not been either not in place or adjusted in some way.  He sees that much of their time has been spent learning the test and not expanding their opportunities for learning.  He recognizes that many of our teachers are hamstrung with having to dumb down some information rather than working to push their students to greater heights.  

What I learned from this experience is that at time we may think that many of our patrons just do not understand we have a large number that do.  It is usually that small vocal group that provides the most misunderstanding.

Competency 4 Area:

The superintendent knows how to respond to and influence the larger political, social, economic, legal, and cultural context, including working with the board of trustees, to achieve the district's educational vision.

The position of the Superintendent is one in which an individual must understand the stated and the unstated job description.  The actual job description outlines the areas in which a Superintendent must adhere to specific guidelines which in a legal sense is mandated.  However there are many other circumstances which can pull an individual towards areas which are not stated within the written materials of that description. 

Within a small town like Jasper the political and social aspects of the job which are not listed in a job description can be an even greater pull on a Superintendent.  With so many outside pressures placed on board members, much of the time spent by a Superintendent can be working on damage control.  Of course Jasper is no different than many other small towns and understanding the hierarchy of the community is essential to the cultural context of the position.  Each community has its own identity and understanding that identity is important to meet the needs and goals of the district’s educational vision.

As an example, our latest bond initiative was one that encompassed all of the aspects listed.  Due to an economy in free fall, our patrons have been very leery to pass any type of program which would raise taxes.  Just two years ago we had a bond initiative defeated by an 81% to 19% vote.  We had a group of individual who worked against our proposal due to the threat of increased taxes.  Twelve months later, JISD received word that we had been approved to receive funding from the TEA Qualified School Construction Bond program which provided either little or no interest money for construction.  JISD was still reeling after the last initiative which was defeated so soundly.  At that time, we knew that our buildings needed work in the worst way however we had to address the feelings of our community. 

At that time, I was asked to take over the project which would propose using the $6.2 million in QSCB money offered for the updating of facilities within JISD.  We would also ask for an additional $1 million which would be earmarked for buses.  This proposal would not be a complete answer but actually be the first step in a long range building plan for the district.  In working in this direction, we began meeting with patrons and board members to see what their thoughts would be in relation to this initiative.  We had to take in to consideration the culture context of the community, the social climate, local economic impact, how it impacted the local political scene and make sure that each step was legal in preparation of the bond package. 

We established an open meeting with community leaders and discussed the project with those who so strongly opposed the last initiative.  We sought out their opinions and even provided a personal tour of our facilities to those were in opposition the last time.  In our presentation, we outlined the upside of the project and explained the long range advantages of our plan.  With their help and providing the right amount of exposure, the initiative passed with 57% of the vote.  I learned that although the job description of the Superintendent is very substantial, this portion of the job comes without directions.

DOMAIN II—INSTRUCTIONAL LEADERSHIP – COMPETENCIES 5 - 7

Competency 5 Area:

The superintendent knows how to facilitate the planning and implementation of strategic plans that enhance teaching and learning; ensure alignment among curriculum, curriculum resources, and assessment; use the current accountability system; and promote the use of varied assessments to measure student performance.

Due to Jasper High School’s unacceptable rating we have had a number of meetings of which I have been involved over the past 12 months.  Many of these meeting centered on addressing the needs of our student growth in test scores which drive the ratings in which we have scored low. 

Currently, JISD has an external Campus Improvement Team monitor for Jasper High School.  We have been working directly with her to attempt to improve our scores not only at the high school but also align our curriculum from Pre-K through 12.  The problems did not originate at the high school level but were built as several different levels along the way.  I have been involved in the re-establishment of our curriculum and the personnel piece which is vital in this adjustment. 

One of the areas of which I have been involved is making sure that we have the proper personnel in place for these extensive changes to take place.  We have projected our needs at the different grade levels and how they will ultimately affect the high school exit scores.  We have reviewed the effectiveness of individual teachers and where they would best serve our students.  We reviewed the master schedule and examined what personnel measures best suit the curriculum alignment.

In assessing the implementation of our strategic plan, we had to use the previous accountability system (TAKS) to prepare for the current system (STAAR) since 2011-12 was the transition year.  We also used local assessment for understanding where and when to use our curriculum resources.  We were also preparing for a transition year in which we moved to using the CSCOPE curriculum offered by TEA Region V.  In the past JISD had used several curriculum standards however we have since determined that the CSCOPE program would best suit our needs therefore we have moved to that program for the 2012-13 school year. 

All of these changes brought about an “all hands on deck” mentality to our district so I was pulled in to a great deal of discussion concerning the changes in store for JISD.  We have all participated in monitoring teachers and were trained in using walk through methods of evaluation of the classrooms. We used a resource call Teachscape which enabled us to make observations using our ipads with the program guiding us through the process.  Teachscape provided us with the opportunity to view the teacher’s process and send them some immediate feedback through email sent while sitting in their class.  This was all done within a five minute period of observation without disturbing their instruction. 

What I learned was that when you have some instructional issues district  wide, everyone is working toward a goal and regardless of their job description they are responsible for assisting in moving scores.

Competency 6 Area:

The superintendent knows how to advocate, promote, and sustain an instructional program and a district culture that are conducive to student learning and staff professional growth.

A part of my responsibilities as Asst. Supt. is that I review and assist our Asst. Principals with the production of our student handbook and Discipline Management Plan.  In these meetings which are held in the spring of each year, we discuss the items in these documents which need addressing or have had an impact on the learning environment. 

Our procedures are simple, we ask each AP to mark or note each of the items which have had an impact both positively or negatively throughout the school year.  We discuss each of them in our first meeting to see if others have had the same type of impact on their campus and how they were able to manage it.  We discuss suggestions and attempt to maintain as much continuity as possible from campus to campus.  Although it would seem simple just to say that we always fall back to the same district wide discipline management plan, there are a number of factors which come in to play.  Addressing an area of concern may be easy on one campus however the age level of the student can play a huge role in how it is handled.  Also, we must consider the campus climate as well and how our guidelines make the environment conducive to student learning. 

Maintaining order in the buildings are essential if we are to promote and sustain and instructional program which benefits our students.  Too many adjustments may cause a lack of clear understanding by the staff and those who we left to implement the plan.  We must provide our staff with the tools win which they will best be able to perform their tasks.  If we are not able to provide them with the tools that they need, we will stunt their professional growth and stifle their ability provide the most stable educational environment for our students.

We must also provide an atmosphere for our Assistant Principals to grow in their professional environment as well.  In our process, we ask that the AP’s be responsible for the Discipline Management Plan because we want them to spend the time in research as well as obtain their feedback since they are usually the ones who must deal with the majority of the discipline matters at the campus level.  It places a level of responsibility on them and establishes their own identity as the person who works to provide that consistency to their campus.  Each of them provided a strong example of how this process has worked over the years in that they have taken the responsibility and owned it.  We have now evolved in to a process which they come to expect my notices and are prepared for our meetings well before the planned event.  It has also opened the door for them to communicate regularly and seek out advice from each other so that the exchange of ideas does not wait until our spring meetings.  This process has taught me that as a leader in the district, all processes move towards providing the best educational experience possible for our students.  The sharing of ideas on the Discipline Management Plan is just one area where the communication of ideas from campus to campus assists in the overall betterment of our students.    

Competency 7 Area:

The superintendent knows how to implement a staff evaluation and development system and select appropriate models for supervision and staff development to improve the performance of all staff members.

One of the areas of which I am responsible for is the Human Resources Department for Jasper ISD.  In this position I am responsible for the hiring procedures, firing procedures, payroll, and job descriptions for the entire district.  These responsibilities also include all other areas of HR including, staff development of substitute teachers, staff evaluations and PDAS training which is established to improve the performance of all staff members.

The current process for training teachers for their PDAS evaluations is an online program supported by several TEA region centers for those who need the orientation.  This program is provided through our office and enables these teachers the opportunity to complete the training online and maintaining a copy of the information for future use.  This program enables them to refer to the PDAS process throughout the year as they proceed through the evaluation schedule.  We also provide a calendar of events for the evaluation process and make a recommendation to the board in outlining these activities.  This timetable enables both those who are evaluated and are the evaluators to have a yearlong plan.

We also must address staffing of the campuses which includes recruitment and retention of teachers.  Currently we work several college job fairs throughout east Texas in both the Fall and Spring of each year.  Although many times we are uncertain of what positions that we will need, we go to the job fairs and attempt to compile as many applicants as possible so when the positions open.  Over the years we have had some success in those universities locally so we have focused on them.  SFA and Lamar are the two where we have had the most success however with so much financial completion it is very difficult for us to pull those applicants immediately.  Therefore once we get them to Jasper, it is important for us to keep them here.  Therefore we have initiated a retention program which is funded through our Title programs.  This enables us to keep some teachers who may be considering leaving because they realize that they would receive in upwards of $2,000.00 in retention incentives if they remain with JISD.  This program has had great success and we are hopeful that it will continue to provide us with the strong teachers in the core areas in which the program is centered. 

I am also responsible for the compensation element to our budget process each year.  I plan and develop the proposed raised for our employees based on the number of employees and amount allocated from our budget.  We begin the process with the actual employees with the district and then use several scenarios with percentages focused on the mid-point of our salary scale.  These projections are input in to our budget process and we then provide the scenarios to the board.  We make recommendations based on the scenarios and the board approves the entire budget according to the recommendations after several budget workshop meetings.  This process usually takes a month to produce a final recommendation and approval for the next year’s budget. 

I have learned that when you when you least expect it, the processes of the HR Department will through you a curve so you had better be prepared for the unexpected. 

DOMAIN III—ADMINISTRATIVE LEADERSHIP – COMPETENCIES 8 – 10

Competency 8 Area:

The superintendent knows how to apply principles of effective leadership and management in relation to district budgeting, personnel, resource utilization, financial management, and technology application.

One of my current duties is that of organizing and overseeing the One Stop Registration program for Jasper ISD.  This program incorporates the registration for the entire district including over 2700 students prior to the 2012-13 school opening. 

We originated the JISD One Stop Registration to address several needs with the district.  One was the idea that at the beginning of each school year, teachers were responsible for the passing out and returning of registration information to their students during the first portion of their first week classes. This process has for years been inefficient and therefore costing the district both time and money in the process.  We witnessed the problem four years ago when I was looking or information that should have been collected during that time.  None of what I was looking for was found in a file or computer but in a box that had yet to be handled.  Not a problem if it were in August however it was October.  The fact of the matter was that our clerical employees were so busy that they were unable to complete all of the filing of registration information necessary.  This began our thought process to “build a better mouse trap.”

After several months of review and organization we established the JISD One Stop Registration which enabled parents to register their children in one location.  Prior to that time, a parent which may have multiple children at different campuses had to deal with a location problem.  This also provided JISD with a solution to the filing situation that we had encountered due to the information being completed prior to the start of school.   This provided our registrars to have the necessary enrollment information prior to the first day of school therefore taking that job away from the teachers. 

This plan has had several positive outcomes for the district.  It has enabled our teachers to get started with teaching on the first day of school without having to handle registration procedures. It has increased our federal funding due to the amount of proper food service applications that are returned properly.  This type of funding is essential to a district such as JISD because our Economically Disadvantaged population grew from 61% to 71% due to the increased return of forms.  This in turn has increased our federal revenue.  One Stop has offered our parents a convenience which has brought a great deal of positive PR to our district. 

This process has applied effective leadership by identifying an issue and addressing it with the resources available including personnel and budgeting areas.  It has also assisted us with our financial management through the increased federal funding and has exhibited a technology application due to the registration materials being available online.

I have learned that identifying a problem then addressing them with others to come up with a solution if very rewarding and advantageous to our district.

Competency 9 Area:

The superintendent knows how to apply principles of leadership and management to the district's physical plant and support systems to ensure a safe and effective learning environment.

One of my current duties is to oversee the Jasper ISD Department of Transportation.  These duties take me to many places during the day in which I supervise the physical plant of the district as well at the motor pool.

Transportation presents a number of issues on a daily basis.  Due to Jasper ISD’s financial needs, our bus fleet is very over worked and out dated.  We currently have over twenty buses which are over twenty years old and out of our 23 routes, 10 of them use buses that old.  We have attempted over the years to address the maintenance needs with the replacement of the older models however the loss of local and state revenues has not provided that opportunity. 

JISD has passed a bond initiative which will provide anywhere from seven to ten buses for our fleet.  We have seven on order with hopes that they will be delivered in the fall around the beginning of October.  This will help however the strain of maintaining the currently fleet is overwhelming at times.

Much of our current dilemma centers around the age of the buses and not having the parts available for repair.  We are constantly calling and asking for help with very little success.  Because of the age at times we no longer have the tools to work on them.  When these are the staples of your student transportation needs, you are in big trouble.  Our most recent purchases are the 2007 models which at time receive way too much usage because they are our newest models.  The reason for this over use centers on sending students out of town and not wanting them to travel in sometimes unreliable buses.  It is a vicious cycle for us because now those buses need the most help.  

Without safe and secure transportation, we are not providing our students with the learning environment that they need.  This has provided a strong rationale to assist in the passing of our latest bond initiative.  The community sees our aging fleet and they are well aware of the needs, there are examples every day driving down our streets. 

Our currently plan of action consists of our current mechanics working during the day to keep up with the maintenance schedule however with a shortage of drivers; these employees must also drive a bus when we need a substitute.  Therefore we continue to fall behind and the buses just need more repairs and our children are traveling in vehicles which need maintenance.

What we have learned from this experience is that regardless of what you do in the classroom, you can not become successful with students unless we provide them with a safe and secure learning environment in all aspects of their experience.

Competency 10 Area:

The superintendent knows how to apply organizational, decision-making, and problem-solving skills to comply with federal and state requirements and facilitate positive change in varied contexts.

The JISD bond initiative has provide many experiences for me over the last several months.  It has shown me how to apply the organizational, decision-making and problem solving skills to facilitate a positive change within our district.

As mentioned in several other items, our latest bond initiative was one that encompassed all of the aspects listed.  Due to an economy in free fall, our patrons have been very leery to pass any type of program which would raise taxes.  Just two years ago we had a bond initiative defeated by an 81% to 19% vote.  We had a group of individual who worked against our proposal due to the threat of increased taxes.  Twelve months later, JISD received word that we had been approved to receive funding from the TEA Qualified School Construction Bond program which provided either little or no interest money for construction.  JISD was still reeling after the last initiative which was defeated so soundly.  At that time, we knew that our buildings needed work in the worst way however we had to address the feelings of our community. 

At that time, I was asked to take over the project which would propose using the $6.2 million in QSCB money offered for the updating of facilities within JISD.  We would also ask for an additional $1 million which would be earmarked for buses.  This proposal would not be a complete answer but actually be the first step in a long range building plan for the district. 

The first step in the process called for us to meet with the people who could either kill the plan or make it happen, the employees of JISD.  We established first an employee facilities committee which we explained would direct us toward where they thing we should focus our attentions.  We wanted them to know that they would be the driving force behind any decisions to move forward with a plan or not. We met with them on four occasions working out details before we met with the board and community members.  

 

In working in this direction, we began meeting with patrons and board members to see what their thoughts would be in relation to this initiative.  We had to take in to consideration the culture context of the community, the social climate, local economic impact, how it impacted the local political scene and make sure that each step was legal in preparation of the bond package. 

We established an open meeting with community leaders and discussed the project with those who so strongly opposed the last initiative.  We sought out their opinions and even provided a personal tour of our facilities to those were in opposition the last time.  In our presentation, we outlined the upside of the project and explained the long range advantages of our plan.  With their help and providing the right amount of exposure, the initiative passed with 57% of the vote.  I learned that although the job description of the Superintendent is very substantial, this portion of the job comes without directions.

In the end, we organized the effort, we included stakeholders in the decision making process, we addressed and solved problems based on our district needs, we complied with the state QSCB program which was originated by the federal government’s stimulus plan and we worked towards a positive change.

I learned that although including others in the process may take longer, the end result can be very positive.

Week One Assignment, Part 2 – Job Entry Plan

In Week One, Part 2, we asked that you identify your career and leadership goals. One of the most important skills in preparing for a career move is developing a job entry plan(s). The job entry plan should describe what goals, objectives, activities, and resources needed for you to accomplish your first day duties.

Please write a job entry plan describing the following for your FIRST DAY, FIRST WEEK, FIRST MONTH, AND FIRST YEAR.

We are not asking for a comprehensive multi-page report. We are asking you to try to identify one or two goals that you hope to address your first day, first week, first month, and first year. Remember to include the following for each first:

Goal(s)

Objective(s)

Activities addressing goals and objectives

Resources needed to achieve goals and objectives

First Day

Goal(s): To just make it through the day!  Actually, establish a goal of opening a strong line of communication with the office staff and top administrative team. Nothing can be accomplished if there is very little or no communication.

Objective(s): My objective for the first day would be to lay the groundwork for obtaining the necessary information needed to make initial assessments and being as visible as possible throughout the district.  After normal work hours, work to make sure that the most essential contacts within the district have been made.

Activities addressing goals and objectives:  Meet with office staff in one meeting and top administrative team to introduce myself.  Make short visits throughout the district campuses if that option is available based on the size of the district.

Resources needed to achieve goals and objectives: Resources needed would include a willingness to listen which is essential. Also, a roster of the people in which I would need to visit and a description of what they do within the district.

First Week

Goal(s): Within the first week I would want to work on reviewing the objectives of the district and what programs do we have in place that are working to that end. I would want to have names and faces with the programs in which they are responsible and review our progress in each. 

Objective(s): Have a working understanding the role of each department and campus and how each plays a part in the objectives of the district as a whole.

Activities addressing goals and objectives: Dependent upon the size of the district I would meet with each principal and director briefly providing a job description of their position and a verbal synopsis of their responsibilities.

 Resources needed to achieve goals and objectives: District and campus plans.