School finance: A confusing conundrum

The Lansing State Journal has an interesting article on April 23rd. It highlights the difficult position that the Waverly and East Lansing School Districts find themselves in. These school districts are part of a group of 40 school districts in the state that are called "20j" districts. These districts have been able to able to have additional revenue, revenue that was not available to all districts in the state. Last year that revenue was cut.

I objected to the way that revenue was cut. The school year had already started, those districts had created a budget anticipating the availability of that revenue, and those districts had not been given any reason to doubt that the "20j" revenue was in peril. Then two months after the school year started those districts learned that the "20j" revenue for the current school year was going to be cut. That was an unconscionable decision by the Governor to do that without providing those districts with enough planning time to do it right.

However, it highlights the disparity in funding between districts in Michigan. In the Lansing State journal article it states that legislation is being introduced that would bring "20j" districts per-pupil funding to the top of the state's funding range, which is currently $8,324 per student.

While that is commendable why would that legislation pass when our district - the Grand Ledge Public Schools - receives a per pupil allocation of $7,261? Why would legislation be introduced that would continue inequity?

I understand that the "20j" districts are being hit harder than other districts. But in our district we are closing schools, laying off teachers, and trying to find ways to continue to provide a quality education with less money. If legislation is introduced to bring some district up to the top of the state's funding range I want my district to be a part of that. If our per pupil allocation were raised to $8,324, our district would have an additional 5.5 million dollars a year.

School funding in Michigan has a structural problem. They system is broken. Instead of creating stop-gap, individual district fixes the whole system needs to be re-examined. Now is the time to do that.

Kindergarten round up helps us focus

This week we have been using Central Office for kindergarten round-up. It is an exciting time. Parents register their children for kindergarten and I get to think of the possibilities for the next generation of students. If I calculated this right these new 2010-2011 kindergarten students are the Grand Ledge High School Comet class of 2023.

What changes will they see in their school career?

The iPad is the newest invention, but what will come as they speed through school?

We are living in tough times. The economy is rebounding but things are still very difficult. Yet these kindergarten students bring hope for the future. As I see the parents and their children I am reminded that even in difficult times we have a responsibility to make sure that we can provide the quality that these students need to excel in their world.

Mixed Emotions

Today was a day full of emotions. This morning I was able to wish our high school gymnastics team good luck as they headed off to Rockford to compete in the state finals. The team is the two time defending state champion. They were happy and full of life. Their parents and others beamed with pride. Their coach was smiling.

An hour later I was in my office saying good bye to one of our Central Office administrators. Our district restructuring plan called for us to lay off two Central Office administrators. Today was the day. It was hard to say good bye.

Such is life right now in school districts across Michigan. The events of school go on, yet there are painful and necessary discussions and decisions going on about the future of every district. Grand Ledge is doing its part. We are making painful choices to balance our budget. Yet we are also working hard to make sure that our students have opportunities.

It was a day of mixed emotions. There will be many more just like this one in the days ahead.

Ten Year Olds and Dreams

There was an article in the Seattle Times on Wednesday, February 24th, that talked about the United States Nordic Combined Olympic team. The United States had never won an Olympic medal in a Nordic Combined event. Until this year.

This year, the United States won one individual medal and one team medal. The article talked about the effort of the US team and their excitement at winning this medal. It spoke of how long these athletes had been working to get to this point and their satisfaction and joy on reaching their goal.

What struck me most about the article however, was the last sentence. It read, "And only a fool would bet against a 10-year-old with a dream."

This captures our goal in Grand Ledge. I want our school district to do two things. One, I want us to help 10-year-olds learn to dream. I want us to help every student in our district learn to dream, to hope, to have a vision for what they passionately care about. Then I want us - the teachers, administrators, and staff who work here - to be able to give them the skills, the passion, and the heart they need to succeed.

The vision for our district is to be among the best schools in the nation. One way to do that is to make sure we help students dream about the future and then prepare them to achieve those dreams.

Adapting to our environment allows us to grow

Wired Magazine has an interesting article on California redwoods. The giant redwoods have developed the ability to absorb as much as 40% of their water directly from the fog that is a constant in the part of California that they grow in. Without this ability to absorb water from the fog these trees could never grow so tall. If they relied on their roots only, they would be much smaller trees. The water from the roots could never get up to the heights that these trees grow.

To me this is a great example of how we can use the resources around us to do great things. These trees grow to great heights because they use their resources.

Our district has to continue learning how to use its resources to grow to great heights. It is possible in the difficult environment that we find ourselves to continue to adapt and grow. That is our challenge and my goal.

Our School Should Be A High Reliability Organization

I recently attended a workshop on "high reliability organizations" or HROs. The workshop focused on whether or not we can and should expect schools to be high reliability organizations. An HRO is an organization that does not tolerate failure. It is an organization that operates under high-risk conditions and makes the effort necessary to avoid failure in that environment.

I think the HRO is an excellent model for schools. When we fail in our system it is catastrophic! If we fail then we let our students, our parents, our community down. We cannot afford to be an organization that tolerates failure. In that respect we have to be a high reliability organization. We have to create a system that will prevent failures.

As I contemplate moving forward in our district I want us to become that high reliability organization. We have to have a preoccupation with failure. When failure occurs we have to analyze and examine the causes and not be content with simply interpretations. We have to cultivate a culture that is resilient so that setbacks will not become permanent. Finally we have to cultivate expertise in teaching and learning so that know what works and we can find solutions when problems present themselves.

This will require that we use data better, that we understand how to help students, and that we intervene early rather than late. My goal is to help our district become that high reliability organization so that we can reassure every parent that our schools will help their son or daughter succeed.

Warning: Winter Ahead

As I left the high school gym last night a very light film of ice had developed on the sidewalk and cars. After I arrived home I check the National Weather Service to see what the forecast was for the rest of the night. The National Weather Service said that freezing rain was on tap for the evening. I went to bed early expecting an early morning phone call letting me know that conditions were dangerous and we should delay or close school. Yet the phone call never came.

Deciding when to delay or cancel school because of weather is difficult. Our district covers 125 square miles and has many miles of dirt roads. This winter we have been told that the county is not going to be as aggressive with spreading salt on the roads, hoping to keep its costs down.

We live in Michigan so we expect snow in the winter. If there was a chart that identified the exact conditions necessary to delay or cancel school it would make things a lot easier. Unfortunately, no such chart exists.

My commitment is to keep our students and employees safe. As we go through this winter there will be times when we delay or cancel school. We do it in order to maintain safe conditions for our students as they travel to school.

There have been days already this year where parents have called and told me I should have delayed school because of fog. There were days last year when parents called and asked why I delayed school because of wind chill. If you ever have a question about why I made the decision that I made do not hesitate to contact me. We may not agree but I will let you know why the decision was made.

My hope is that we have a mild and dry winter so I never have an early morning call asking me to decide if we should delay or close school.