Believe in Our District; Work to Make It Better

 I sat in a first grade classroom today and talked with a teacher.  She was very positive.  She talked me through some of the concerns she had about her class and her classroom.  There were a lot of very good things going on. She communicated clearly to me about the district and her faith in her colleagues.  At the end of our time together, there were two messages that I took away from our conversation.  First, she believed in our district.  Second, she believed we could do better.

I also sat in a conference room at the high school today.  The assembled administrators were also very positive.  While they spoke of some of their frustrations, they had come to solve the problem not to get lost in complaining about the problem.  They talked about classrooms and students and working with teachers to help students succeed.  We talked about student progress toward graduation.  At the end of our meeting, I also thought that they had two clear messages for me.  One, they believed in our district.  Second, they thought we could do better.

I sat with parent leaders last week.  We spoke about the school year and what was working and what was not working.  They shared concerns about where the district was right now.  At the end of our meeting, I felt they also shared two messages.  They wanted to believe in our district.  They thought we could do better.

As I talk with people who work for the district, who have children who attend the district, or who are just connected to our district, the message is the same one.  They believe in us, yet they believe we can do better.

It is a frustrating time to be in education.  Funding, enrollment, graduation requirements – the list of items that could bog a person down is almost endless.

Yet as I go to buildings, visit with parents, and see our employees in action, I am buoyed by the commitment that I see around me.  I see employees working hard, going out of their way to make things better.  I see students focused on learning.  I hear from parents who want to make a difference. 

Progress is not always easy and it is not always fast.  I understand that every year that any child is in our school district, attending one of our schools, it is an important year.  We cannot take a year off.  We cannot take a month, or a week, or even a day off.

When events try to crowd into the school year and appear to threaten progress, people have a right to be concerned.  Yet what I have seen this year has been a resolve to solve problems, a resolve to continue making us better.

Why?  Because people believe in our district.  People – be they employees, parents, or community members - understand that every one of us has a responsibility to work together to make our district better.  People are willing to commit because they believe in the district.  Yet with the first message comes the unmistakable second message.  We can do better.

My commitment to our district is that I will work hard to continue to help us improve.  If you have an idea that will help us improve or a concern about something that might be holding us back, do not hesitate to contact me.  Together, we can continue to build a great district.