Tuesday, March 2, 2010
D3C1A10
We were having problems with Waterford computers dying. The only way to use the softwars was to purchase new computers from Pearson Digital which was very expensive. The software going to waste. I worked with Waterford techs and the District techs to purchase through Stimulus funds and install a server version of Wateford. The program can now be accessed from any computer as long as we don't exceed the number of licenses we possess. I am hoping to purchase additional licenses so that ANY computer on campus is Waterford saving us the headache of positioning computers in the right place.
D2C3A6
I've worked with RTAs (Reading First, Capacity Schools, and Demonstration Sites) as well as PK Mentors to deliver professional development and parent meetings to meet the requirements of the district as well as the grants.
D2C3A5
Twice a year we evaluate our curriculum programs by looking at the usage at the campuses related to performance on both District Benchmarks and program evaluation programs. This data is presented to the School Board in January at their Saturday workshop and in May at the Board meeting.
D2C3A4
I will be sending Campus and District adminstrators to both the National Reading Conference and the PK Splash this summer. We also received an additional $373,200 to send 311 teachers and administrators to Summer Reading Conferences in Houston, Galveston, and Dallas. All of these will be made possible through grants and amendments to current grants.
D2C3A1
I will be attending several conferences as well as presenting at several others. The National Reading Conference in Anaheim and PK Splash in Dallas are two I will be attending this summer. I will also be presenting RtI and the Paradigm Shift of Differentiated Instruction at Reading Conferencees in Galveston and Dallas.
D2C2A1
One thing I like to do for teachers is listen. Everytime we have had a new initiative, especially those that were a "paradigm shift", teachers are off kilter. A lot of times, they just want someone to listen to their issues and who don't demean them for having these concerns. Sometimes I work with them, side-by-side, on implemention. Other times we make adjustments to the plan because there may have been things that had not been considered at the planning stage. Any time teachers feel appreciated and their voice is heard, their willingness to try and their enthusiasm is enhanced.
D2C1A9
During Curriculum Writing, our ELA writers and Fine Arts writers worked together to include Theater Arts TEKS in with ELA. They are so closely related that the correlations are seamless.
D1C4A6
I have worked with principals on legal issues, mainly PEIMS requirements. These instances related mostly with the ages in which kids can be enrolled in PK or "skipping" a grade through advance placement exams. We also discovered a PEIMS law that allowed us to count PK students as full day because we received the PreKindergarten Early Start Grant. This gives us an additonal $ per day, a total of $ per year.
D1C2A1
I am working with the 3rd grade team on a campus whose test scores showed the students were not performing to standard. To demonstrate their support, the campus administration approved the placing of subs in their rooms to give us 3 hours to plan as a team. Several ideas were discussed and the teachers decided on a plan of continuing the regular reading program for the first hour and following with another hour with Acceleration/Remediation. The additional hour is designed to give the teachers the opportunity to work with small groups using SBR strategies on the major skills. I conducted a training on these strategies. The class was divided into thirds. One third was with the teacher who delivered explicit skill instruction, the second third work with an aide on fluency and comprehension, and the final third go to the computer lab to work on Ticket to Read, which is software that hits all the major skills in a SIMS format. At our latest meeting, the teachers have gone from saying, "Our kids can't do that" to "What can I do to help my kids get that?" I am very impressed with the changes I've seen in the teachers and with the Campus Administration. The Curriculum Coordinator has gained confidence in her abilities and has gained the teachers' trust.
D1C1A2
As we collected the ballots for the Reading adoption, I informed each campus how to conduct campus demonstrations by publishers, staff meetings with the campus textbook representative, voting processes, and ballot submissions. Each schools packet was sealed and they were not opened until the committee was together to count. Each group counted the votes for campuses other than their own and reported the tallies to me. I recorded the vote on a spreadsheet, the winner determined by a plurality, which I turned over to the District Textbook person. It goes before the board for approval before the decision is announced.
D1C1A1
I have been working with several new PK teachers that either have severe classroom management issues or are unhappy in their assignment and are only "getting through the days". I formed a team of administrators with PK expertise, with the Asst. Superintendent's approval, to make plans for each of these teachers. More information to follow as we work through the process.
Monday, March 1, 2010
Interview with James Green, Port Neches-Groves ISD Board Member
Mr. Green worked in the Business Department of PNGISD for 17 years. He served from 1974-85 and one term starting in 2002.
Important skill—The most important skill a board member could have is communication. That means they know how to talk as well as listen. They have to be able to use good judgment and to run the district like a business. They may not be able to make everybody happy, but their most important job is to have a healthy system.
Most difficult experience—The most difficult experiences have been dealing with grievances. People with a grievance have very strong feelings and sometimes the board has to use tough love. I asked if there were any decisions that he wished he could change. He said that every decision he made was well thought out and he wouldn’t change any of them.
Greatest Accomplishment—Changing the Head Football Coach/Athletic Director. Although it was very difficult to do at the time, it was the best thing to do for the district. The football team went 11-1 last year. Coach Faircloth has proved to be a great asset to the district and he supports all programs.
Vision for the future—Mr. Green is very concerned about finances for the district in the future. Since PNGISD is Chapter 41, there may be times that the fund balance has been dipped into for regular operating matters, and this will not be able to continue for long. The fund balance is usually only used for unforeseen expenses like school buses, not regular expenses like salaries. He is also very concerned about the plans to consolidate the elementary schools, one in Port Neches and one in Groves. He supports the plan 100%, but he thinks it will be difficult to get a second bond passed to carry it out unless there is an economic upturn. He wholly supports the last bond and the technology that is going in the schools.
Important skill—The most important skill a board member could have is communication. That means they know how to talk as well as listen. They have to be able to use good judgment and to run the district like a business. They may not be able to make everybody happy, but their most important job is to have a healthy system.
Most difficult experience—The most difficult experiences have been dealing with grievances. People with a grievance have very strong feelings and sometimes the board has to use tough love. I asked if there were any decisions that he wished he could change. He said that every decision he made was well thought out and he wouldn’t change any of them.
Greatest Accomplishment—Changing the Head Football Coach/Athletic Director. Although it was very difficult to do at the time, it was the best thing to do for the district. The football team went 11-1 last year. Coach Faircloth has proved to be a great asset to the district and he supports all programs.
Vision for the future—Mr. Green is very concerned about finances for the district in the future. Since PNGISD is Chapter 41, there may be times that the fund balance has been dipped into for regular operating matters, and this will not be able to continue for long. The fund balance is usually only used for unforeseen expenses like school buses, not regular expenses like salaries. He is also very concerned about the plans to consolidate the elementary schools, one in Port Neches and one in Groves. He supports the plan 100%, but he thinks it will be difficult to get a second bond passed to carry it out unless there is an economic upturn. He wholly supports the last bond and the technology that is going in the schools.
Interview with Billy Curl, Asst. Superintendent Port Neches Groves ISD
Mr. Curl spoke about grievance processes and issues.
One thing to remember is that being legally right doesn’t mean you will prevail in grievances. As elected officials, Board members are charged with making decisions based upon the evidence presented. The analogy of the fire tower ranger comes to mind. The Board members don't put out the fires that they spot, but they alert the District that there is smoke. Some laws and policies use the word "shall" and others use the word "may". It's possible to argue that the law or policy does not require that a specific relief be granted, but the Board may choose to grant relief that although is not required is permitted. He also said that everyone that deals with grievances should read The Godfather. Administrators need to understand two quotes the book, "It's not personal... It's strictly business". If you don't prevail in a grievance, don't take it personally. Review your documentation, review your procedures. Evaluate if there is anything you could-or should- have done differently. In the end, remember that the Board makes its decision on the evidence presented-and it's not personal-it's strictly business. The second quote, "This is the business we've chosen." Remember, you applied for this job. Some of the issues we deal with are unpleasant, but we took the job knowing there would be unpleasant aspects we would have to deal with. Another book to read is The Prince by Machiavelli. The Prince approach to leadership is very much a top-down model of leadership. It crushes opposition. Administrators are sometimes accused of being "Machiavellian". By reading The Prince the administrator can determine the validity of the criticism. Mr. Curl doesn't want to leave the impression that he is recommending the leadership style of Machiavelli, rather-understand the criticism and avoid that type of leadership.
Boards can do one of three things when ruling on a grievance:
1. Uphold administration,
2. Grant relief sought by the grievant,
3. Do something else (grant partial relief, compromise, take no action)
Policy requires the grievant must submit all documentation by the Level 1 conference unless they were unaware of the information. Level 1 complaints are not usually recorded. Make sure you document the day you receive the grievance and make a working copy for yourself. The original will be part of the record. Strictly adhere to the timeline. If there is an exception to the timelines in the policy, it must be mutually agreed to. Be sure to document the agreement.
At Level 2, Mr. Curl discovered quickly to set a time limit to hear complaints, 30 minutes is ideal. Level 2 is recorded on occasion, depending on the issues involved. He generally uses a template to record the details when listening to the complaint. A grievance decision is not dependent on "Is this what I would have done?", but more often "Is this permissible under the Board Policy and the Law?"
By policy, decisions at both Levels 1 and 2 must be written. When writing the decision, one must be aware that the audience for the decision is potentially much broader than the greivant alone. Because the decisions are maintained as a part of the record and subject to appeal, the decisions may also be read by the Board of Trustees, the Commissioner of Education, a District Court Judge, and at times, on the front page of the newspaper.
When the Level 2 decisions are appealed to the Board of Trustees for a Level 3 grievance, the grievant gets copies of the Level 1 and 2 decisions. The Level 2 decision contains a summary of the complaint, the investigation, the findings of fact, the policy, the response to the relief requested, and the procedures for further action.
Level 3 grievances are not a pleasant part of a Board member's duties because people are not happy and if it is an employee, it frequently involves pay or work conditions. Some years there are more parent/student complaints and some years there are more employee complaints. If a grievant is not satisfied with the Level 2 written response, that decision may be appealed to the Board of Trustees. Before hearing a Level 3 grievance, each board member must determine if he/she can hear the appeal or if a conflict of interest exists. If there is a conflict of interest, the Board Member recuses himself/herself. The Level 3 procedure begins with the Board reviewing the written documentation of the grievance in closed session. Neither the administration nor the grievant is present at this review. The Board can determine that the grievance does not merit a hearing. [Note the in the Legal policies of FNG and DGBA and GF, the Board is not required to negotiate or respond to a grievance.] Legally, the board is required to "stop, look, and listen". The Board can also determine to formally hear the grievance. The decision is made in open session of the Board meeting. If the Board chooses to hear the grievance, they will inform the grievant and administration of the meeting time when the grievance will be heard at Level 3. If the grievance is heard at Level 3, the Board may only consider the evidence in the written record considered in closed session. Typically at a Level 3 conference each side (grievant and administration) are allowed 15 minutes (including rebuttal) to present their respective sides of the issue. Board members may then ask additional questoins. The Board deliberates and then makes its decision in open session. If the grievant is dissatisfied with the decision of the Board, alternatives may include an appeal before the Comissioner of Education or litigation.
The district looks at changing policy when the state legislature changes law or when the District desires to change a local policy. PNGISD subscribes to TASB. They have access to their own representative who advises them on the language and points out potential problem areas. They also get stakeholders input when changing policy especially as it relates to the employees, ie dress code. There is a first read, then a second read in about a month on the regular agenda.
One thing to remember is that being legally right doesn’t mean you will prevail in grievances. As elected officials, Board members are charged with making decisions based upon the evidence presented. The analogy of the fire tower ranger comes to mind. The Board members don't put out the fires that they spot, but they alert the District that there is smoke. Some laws and policies use the word "shall" and others use the word "may". It's possible to argue that the law or policy does not require that a specific relief be granted, but the Board may choose to grant relief that although is not required is permitted. He also said that everyone that deals with grievances should read The Godfather. Administrators need to understand two quotes the book, "It's not personal... It's strictly business". If you don't prevail in a grievance, don't take it personally. Review your documentation, review your procedures. Evaluate if there is anything you could-or should- have done differently. In the end, remember that the Board makes its decision on the evidence presented-and it's not personal-it's strictly business. The second quote, "This is the business we've chosen." Remember, you applied for this job. Some of the issues we deal with are unpleasant, but we took the job knowing there would be unpleasant aspects we would have to deal with. Another book to read is The Prince by Machiavelli. The Prince approach to leadership is very much a top-down model of leadership. It crushes opposition. Administrators are sometimes accused of being "Machiavellian". By reading The Prince the administrator can determine the validity of the criticism. Mr. Curl doesn't want to leave the impression that he is recommending the leadership style of Machiavelli, rather-understand the criticism and avoid that type of leadership.
Boards can do one of three things when ruling on a grievance:
1. Uphold administration,
2. Grant relief sought by the grievant,
3. Do something else (grant partial relief, compromise, take no action)
Policy requires the grievant must submit all documentation by the Level 1 conference unless they were unaware of the information. Level 1 complaints are not usually recorded. Make sure you document the day you receive the grievance and make a working copy for yourself. The original will be part of the record. Strictly adhere to the timeline. If there is an exception to the timelines in the policy, it must be mutually agreed to. Be sure to document the agreement.
At Level 2, Mr. Curl discovered quickly to set a time limit to hear complaints, 30 minutes is ideal. Level 2 is recorded on occasion, depending on the issues involved. He generally uses a template to record the details when listening to the complaint. A grievance decision is not dependent on "Is this what I would have done?", but more often "Is this permissible under the Board Policy and the Law?"
By policy, decisions at both Levels 1 and 2 must be written. When writing the decision, one must be aware that the audience for the decision is potentially much broader than the greivant alone. Because the decisions are maintained as a part of the record and subject to appeal, the decisions may also be read by the Board of Trustees, the Commissioner of Education, a District Court Judge, and at times, on the front page of the newspaper.
When the Level 2 decisions are appealed to the Board of Trustees for a Level 3 grievance, the grievant gets copies of the Level 1 and 2 decisions. The Level 2 decision contains a summary of the complaint, the investigation, the findings of fact, the policy, the response to the relief requested, and the procedures for further action.
Level 3 grievances are not a pleasant part of a Board member's duties because people are not happy and if it is an employee, it frequently involves pay or work conditions. Some years there are more parent/student complaints and some years there are more employee complaints. If a grievant is not satisfied with the Level 2 written response, that decision may be appealed to the Board of Trustees. Before hearing a Level 3 grievance, each board member must determine if he/she can hear the appeal or if a conflict of interest exists. If there is a conflict of interest, the Board Member recuses himself/herself. The Level 3 procedure begins with the Board reviewing the written documentation of the grievance in closed session. Neither the administration nor the grievant is present at this review. The Board can determine that the grievance does not merit a hearing. [Note the in the Legal policies of FNG and DGBA and GF, the Board is not required to negotiate or respond to a grievance.] Legally, the board is required to "stop, look, and listen". The Board can also determine to formally hear the grievance. The decision is made in open session of the Board meeting. If the Board chooses to hear the grievance, they will inform the grievant and administration of the meeting time when the grievance will be heard at Level 3. If the grievance is heard at Level 3, the Board may only consider the evidence in the written record considered in closed session. Typically at a Level 3 conference each side (grievant and administration) are allowed 15 minutes (including rebuttal) to present their respective sides of the issue. Board members may then ask additional questoins. The Board deliberates and then makes its decision in open session. If the grievant is dissatisfied with the decision of the Board, alternatives may include an appeal before the Comissioner of Education or litigation.
The district looks at changing policy when the state legislature changes law or when the District desires to change a local policy. PNGISD subscribes to TASB. They have access to their own representative who advises them on the language and points out potential problem areas. They also get stakeholders input when changing policy especially as it relates to the employees, ie dress code. There is a first read, then a second read in about a month on the regular agenda.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)