December Column for Roane County News

(This is a column published in Roane County News)

Imagine if your job was to manage the biggest mass transportation system in the county, the biggest food service business in the county, keep maintenance up on eighteen large buildings totaling 1.2 million square feet that are on average 41 years old, manage over 1,000 networked computers, manage the biggest composite library in the county, manage the biggest budget in the county and keep it balanced despite increased operating costs, and lead 850 employees, 550 of them college graduates, and provide the employees with fully managed benefits.

That is the challenge of the Roane County School Board its administration and teaching staff have in front of them.

But, of course all of the above items are secondary to the real job of the school system and that is to educate 7,500 children that reside in the eighteen schools across the county.

If you think keeping the school system infrastructures identified in the opening paragraph is a challenge (which it is), that effort pales in what is necessary to educate our children in 2007.

Our teachers and administrators in Roane county have never done a better job; they are teaching students in more subjects to higher levels than ever before. But a teacher today faces many more hurdles than they did just 10 years ago. Schools now have to administer a myriad of state mandated tests and federal and state regulations have forced numerous non-academic requirements on teachers in the form of student training (e.g. drug awareness, teen pregnancy awareness, etc.).

But the extra demands on our teachers doesn’t stop there. They have to meet strict competency in their subject area and there are more peripheral issues with teaching than ever before. Advances in technology forces our teachers to spend time on learning and using it. They have to be more cognizant as to what they can and can’t say to students and their parents, and how to identify students that may have personal problems. The list is endless.

With all of these many non-academic requirements put on our teachers and administration do you know how many days have been added to our school calendar in the past 50 years? If you guessed zero you are correct. Much less time on task for our teachers than ever before.

But, despite the pessimistic comments above, Roane County schools are in a renaissance. I see nothing but positive things happening to our schools. Almost every measurement of vital signs is positive.

Teacher attendance is up, student attendance is up, graduation rates are up, test results are up in every grade level, virtually every area of curriculum, and every ethnic group. These academic achievements have been written about two different times in the Knoxville News Sentinel – both times Roane County has been listed as the top or near the top county system in East Tennessee. Our system has received citations from the state and some of the programs that have started here have been used as a model by other school systems in the state.

These positive accomplishments have been achieved by a commitment of everyone involved in the school system – from top to bottom.

In future columns I will address issues facing our school system. Re-zoning, new construction, the school consolidation debate, how the budget process works, the role of a school board member, how technology is changing the face of education, the difficulty in obtaining qualified teachers, and we’ll take a nostalgic trip on what Roane County schools were like in 1940 (would you believe we had 31 elementary schools then).

Why I Voted To Extend Directors Contract

At the November, 2007 School Board meeting, the Board voted 7-3 to extend the contract of Director, Dr. Toni McGriff for two more years. This means that she will be the Director of schools here for 3½ more years.

I was one of the seven who voted to extend her contract.

I feel there is a lot of misinformation in the community about the job the Director is doing, so I wanted to provide the public with a list of accomplishments she had achieved in her first 2 ½ years on the job.

I have served on the Board for 10 years now, and during that time I have never voted for anything but what I thought was best for our teachers, children and Roane County. I have done this even at times when my vote was not popular in the community – but I did what I thought was right and in the best interests of education.

I did not vote to extend her contract without giving the issue a lot of thought and research.

My Perspective on Our Schools

I see nothing but positive things happening to our schools since Dr. McGriff has arrived. Almost every measurement of vital signs is positive. In reviewing the accomplishments of the Director over the past two+ years I see an extraordinary body of work, which in my opinion is the reason for the renaissance in our school system.

Teacher attendance us up, student attendance is up, graduation rates are up, test results are up in every grade level, virtually every area of curriculum, and every ethnic group. These academic achievements have been written about two different times in the Knoxville News Sentinel – both times Roane County has been listed as the top county system in East Tennessee. (Note: The article the News Sentinel ran about two of our schools being designated as drop-out factories had a lot of incorrect information. I have been in contact with the authors of the study at Johns Hopkins in tying to get things corrected (see earlier blog entry) . The data they used is quite different from the data I have and I have every reason to believe that my state data is correct. Why do I think my data is correct? It is because I run the numbers that set athletic classification for the schools in Tennessee as part of my job with the TSSAA. I can assure you, that if we have one student wrong in our counts we get calls about it. So when my state data differs greatly from the data Johns Hopkins used, I know which one is right.)

These academic and attendance improvements did not come without a number of programs that the Director has put into place:

• Implemented the Student Support Program in 2007. Provides additional support needed by students at risk of not being successful in school.
• Expanded the Literacy Program in 2007. Each elementary school now has a literacy leader. Reading scores improved again in 2007.
• Increased the programming at a number of schools with the addition of Career/Technical programs, and regular academic programs.
• Implemented Credit Recovery at each high school in order to improve the Graduation Rate and help students graduate on time.
• Developed collaboration with Tennessee Technology Center at Harriman to allow high school students to enroll in programs for dual credit.
• Supports and encourages Dual Credit with Roane State and have one class at RHS this year.
• Promoted and led the effort to raise standards for our high school graduates with the policy requiring four maths to graduate and increasing the number of credits to graduate.
• Increased the programming at a number of schools with the addition of Career/Technical programs, and regular academic programs.
• Working on a pilot project with the University of Tennessee in reading.
• Launched the Tennessee Scholars program in 2007. Spearheaded by the Chamber of Commerce – Director serves on the committee.
• Utilized technology in instruction, administration, and to provide hard-to-get classes (i.e. Latin via on-line). This was only achieved by her persistence.

Behind the scenes of the above direct efforts to improve Roane County’s academic standing have been changes to the school infrastructure, which indirectly contributed to these academic improvements:

• Implemented School Wide Positive Behavior program at several schools. All schools now tracking discipline referrals in order to make data-based decisions. Improved behavior in all schools using the system.
• Improvements at the Alternative School with the addition of certified math and English instructors.
• Established seven (7) Pre-K programs. These are in collaboration with Head Start and our model has been recognized at the state level and will be recognized at the national level this fall.
• Reviewed and revised the Student Code of Conduct since its implementation in 2006. Result is uniform consequences across the system.
• Set up new program with the Juvenile Court to address the truancy problem. Working quite well at this point.
  

Of course, new programs and rules do not automatically translate to increased academic gains. Teachers and administrative staff have to buy into the ideas and a strong leader who leads by example has to be the focal point. Dr. McGriff has led by example and has gained much respect throughout our schools. So what has caused staff morale to improve? She has done this by:

• Monthly having a representative from each school to a luncheon where she cooks and visits with staff informally. I have never heard anyone who has attended one of these sessions that did not come away with a feeling that it was worthwhile.
• All Administrators are now evaluated annually. Here our administrators learn their strong points, weak points and what steps they need to take to become a better administrator.
• Classified Employees Handbook implemented – A handbook that describes what is expected from them and how to learn administrative procedures in the school system.
• Classified Employee 90-day evaluation system implemented. Another good evaluation procedure.
• Improved teacher benefits with new insurance. Another reason for teachers to come to Roane County.
• Implemented Direct Deposit for employees. Approximately 75% now using it. A long overdue business item has resulted in extensive use and buy-in by staff.
• Implemented an Aspiring Administrators program in 2006-07. Thirteen graduates with several moving into administrative positions. Next cohort will be in 2008-09. Have provided the model to several other systems. Possibly the most important thing the Director has done. This academy has already produced new principals last year. More importantly, it lays the foundation so that the groundwork is laid to hire our new administrators from within – not having to leave the county.
• Selected highest quality principals for several key positions. The Director has had to appoint nine principals during her two years. As the Aspiring Administrators academy matures, more selections will come from this pool of trainees – further ensuring local appointments in the future.
• Supported the selection of the highest quality teachers available. This has not been an easy task. Over the past two years there have been close to 80 teachers hired. This is 17% of our entire teaching staff of around 550. Virtually all of the retiring teachers were of retirement age and that kind of turnover strains any business. But we have seen academic improvement, even with this loss of hundreds of years of experience. All teachers are highly qualified and all para-professionals are highly qualified. All of this in my opinion is truly remarkable.
• Hired new Central office Supervisors and redistributed the work so that each instructional level has a direct contact in the central office for the first time ever. When the director first came here, all central office staff was located at another facility. The first thing she did after being hired was to bring personnel to the central office so there could be direct interaction with her. Then with the retirement of two coordinators (Jim Lett and Pearl Williams) the Director was forced to replace both of them. When she did so she created a third position so we now have coordinators for elementary, middle and high schools – all three appointed from within the system and all three enthusiastic and have had a significant impact on keeping information flowing between our principals and central office.
• Training of substitute teachers began in 2005 for the first time. An extensive course that benefits the substitutes as well as gives them guidance on issues related to legal and administrative issues.
• Implemented a Principals’ development program with book studies, summer conference and monthly audio lectures.
• Each school has developed a Crises Plan and reviewed with the Emergency Management Director (Howie Rose). Drills are conducted regularly with confirmation kept at each school
• A Wellness Policy is under development and contains all the components of the required federal and state status.
• Every employee has participated in training on handling blood borne pathogens and body fluids. This is designated to protect staff from possible infection from HIV/Aids, Hepatitis, etc.
• School check out procedures for students is conducted for all.
• Profession growth plan is now part of administrator’s evaluations.
• Nationally known speakers were brought to the school system in the summer of 2006 so that teachers had an opportunity to learn new ways to interact with students.
• A Directors newsletter was implemented
• Director meets with RCEA leaders on regular basis to discuss issues
• Hired an attendance supervisor (Jody McLoud) who works diligently to improve attendance rates.

In addition to the above issues directly and indirectly related to academics, the Director has done a number of other things that helps make the school system run smoother, reduce costs and makes it more efficient:

• Implemented the Coordinated School Health Program. All schools participating in the physical activity requirements and developing numerous other opportunities for students to be healthy.
• Purchased a substitute finder computer system. This system in it second year is now beginning to be accepted by staff. Overall, the system has already saved thousands of hours of staff time trying to obtain substitutes. It also allows teachers the piece of mind knowing that a substitute is going to be found for them when they are sick or have family emergency. This was a learning curve on the system, but it is now becoming an integral part of school business and has allowed staff to do other education items, rather than dialing the phone looking for a substitute.
• New Safety Plans developed in collaboration with the Emergency Management Agency.
• Hired two Food Service Coordinators and got program through federal review without demerits. New food requirements by the federal government are not easy to implement and of course students are not happy with the new nutrition guidelines. But, we have been able to prevail and meet the new requirements with new accounting software and education of schools and cafeteria staff.
• Every school has a website and every teacher has a web page. While this is still a works in progress, it is a giant step in our staff communicating with the outside world of parents, students and other interested parties. A good example of how everyone benefits form this is what is going on at Roane County High School. Every teacher puts assignments and lesson plans online. Parents and students can log into the system to obtain pertinent information on their child.
• Roane County schools now has a working website with up-to-date information. Visitors can find policies, code of conduct documents, school calendars and school contact information. This also is a works in process, but still becoming a valuable communication tool.

Examples abound in other areas of the impact the Director has had on our school system. Take for example, Special Education, a constant topic that was on everyone’s mind. Now, we hear very little about it. Since the Director has been here we have seen:

• No Due Process cases filed since 2005 (one that was pre-existing). This is very significant as there used to be ongoing litigation in a number of special education areas and dealing with parents of special education children consumed an enormous amount of staff time.
• With no additional cases and the fact that the Director requires all contact with our Attorney to go through her, we have seen a significant drop in legal costs to the school system.
• Continued to improve our Special Education program – receiving a Commendation in 2006.

Roane County schools have a more visible presence in the county since the Director arrived:

• Developed a long range plan for the system with the help of community, parents, and teachers.
• The Director serves on several community and county committees.
• Developed good relationship with Roane County News and is able to get stories published that are good news.
• Had area meetings for two years for community input.

In the facilities and budget area, the Director has shown to be insightful, creative and frugal with school funds. This has not been easy with increased maintenance for dated buildings, increase in transportation costs due to fuel, implementation of No Child Left Behind and food services requirements:

• The Director has continued to maintain the facilities in good condition. Despite the age of several of the schools, they are clean, bright, well ventilated and healthy.
• Opened old entrance to Midtown Elementary to enhance safety of traffic movement at the school. Very successful. Several parents personally thanked the Director.
• Hired new Technology Coordinator and implemented checks/balances procedure for technology purchases. (This was an important procedure to implement)
• The schools have continued to be fiscally responsible and have lived within our budget.
• Provided a balanced budget each of the two years – again a very difficult thing to do with escalating costs and federal and state demands.
• We have established a sound financial reserve.
• For the first time has SMART R up and working. Maps can be printed with a variety of information on it. This enables us for the first time to see where students in our schools live and will be a vital piece of information for any potential re-zoning or building programs.
• The Director put together the summary document for the $47 million building plan the Board proposed and over the past two years has met with county commission to keep the informed as to what needs the school system has.

Finally, The Director has been able to do basic tasks that many times are not easy to do. For example, seeing that Board Policy is implemented fairly has been difficult. Board policy on fund raising and use of facilities have both been viewed as negative in the community and misunderstood by many in the general public. In many cases the Director gets blamed for this, when in effect she is only enforcing policy that the Board has implemented.

The Director regularly reviews school data to make decisions.

It is for all of these reasons, I supported the Director. She has brought our school system a long way in a short time. Through her efforts, Roane County is making significant strides in education and I felt that we should give her an additional two years in order to continue to make our school system one of the best in the state, and most certainly in East Tennessee.

Is there room for improvement? Of course. Everyone can improve on what they do. Also, one cannot make this many advances by pleasing everyone. No doubt, some people are not happy that the Director has had to say “No” to them – but the overall gains to the school system, I feel have far outweighed the negatives and personal disagreements.

Smart Board

One of the most innovative pieces of technology ever for the classroom is the SmartBoard. Roane schools have a number of these in our classrooms. They make teachers more effective and students like them. One of the many benefits of the SmartBoard is that a teachers entire lesson can be captured and stored as a .pdf file, which in turn can be uploaded to a website. Thus, students who miss a day of school can log in from a remote computer and view the days lesson. Here is a video about how a SmartBoard works. It is about 5 minutes long.

Board Meeting - December 13, 2007

We had a very short and routine Board meeting last night. This is usually the case in December.

There was one person who spoke from the audience about the school calendar and made some good points. Setting the calendar is never an easy thing to do. Everyone has a different view of what it should be. Teachers, parents, administration, and Board members all have their own thoughts -- and everyone generally makes valid points on why they want the calendar a certain way. It is not an easy thing to do and basically the final calendar is a result of compromises from each party.

We learned from the Directors report that our student attendance is up from 91% two years ago to 95% now. This is the result of constant attention to the attendance issue by our staff and new programs that have been put in by the Director. This is good news.

The Board was introduced to the new technology director - Jerry Yarbrough.

On business items - there were 12 policies approved on second reading (to pass a policy it takes two meetings), 9 were revisions of old policies and three were new ones. All Board policies can be found on the Roane schools website.

(Note: New policies and revised policies may not be posted on roaneschools.com until after the first of the year)

The three new policies were Scheduling and Routing (3.17A), Security (1.34) and Tax-Sheltered Annuities - Classified Employees (5.42). Policy 3.17A addresses bus routes, policy 1.34 addresses security issues at schools, and policy 5.42 addresses classified employees that meet Federal Internal Revenue Code 403(b).

The revised policies were generally wording changes and additions on policies Student Suspensions/Expulsions/Zero Tolerance (3.25) (Lines 33-38, 104-106, & 110); Student Disciplinary Hearing Authority (3.26) (Lines 25-27); Bids and Quotations (4.22) (Lines 17-18); Vendor Relations (4.25) (Lines 27-28); Goals and Objectives (1.03) (Approved to delete current language and insert new goals); School Board Meetings/Meeting Notification (1.11) (Approved language addition on line 6 and reference #1); School Day (1.27) (Approved language addition on lines 3,4, & 6); Interrogations and Searches (3.11) (Approved revisions on lines 5-8, 75-76, 81-82, and 84-103); Bus Conduct (3.17) (Approved revisions on lines 30-35 and 59-61).