Winter in Iowa

As the warm summer days have turned cooler, it is with dread that I anticipate the snow and cold that typifies an Iowa Winter.  This is never my favorite time of year.  The motorcycle essentially stays in the garage (I try to brave the cold/snow/ice one day a month for some inexplicable reason), the driveway will be in need of clearing as will the walkways, the yard becomes unusable, and I simply don't like being cold.  Some people love it and always will.  This is not my category. 
This year, however, I am able to add yet another piece to the "anti-winter" stance that I maintain.  As Superintendent of Schools, it is my responsibility to determine whether the roads and weather are in such condition that delaying or cancelling school is necessary.  Typically I like to have the responsibility placed on me and accept the blame when it goes wrong.  However, I'm not really a weather-watching guy on my own, and this whole prospect is a little unnerving.  This may be the one factor I now dislike the most about winter. 
There is good news in two parts.  One, it is no longer the "Lone Ranger" approach of driving a few back roads (hopefully with success) to determine passability.  Access to information abounds, and most superintendents across the state communicate with others in the area to discuss pros and cons of such actions.  The second piece is that it isn't really something new to me.  I have made the call several times in the past when our Superintendent was not available, so there is some comfort in having that experience (a bonus is that each decision was essentially good or at least I'd make the same call again in hindsight-that won't always be the case). 
Now that it is my responsibility, however, I find that my nights are a little less restful when the wind blows or the report indicates ice is on the way.  The irony is that there isn't even any snow on the ground right now, but I worry about what I may have missed.  I'm an early riser most of the time, but I'm sure that one time that I sleep in to 6 AM or something will turn out to be the morning that we get 8 inches of snow and high winds with a temperature of about 28.  Those are the days that really require some conscious thought and communication, and I hope that there are enough safeguards in place that will alert me to that situation so I don't sleep through the opportunity.

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Job Description

After spending the last 14 years in administration at the building level, this year moves me into a district view.  I have loved the opportunities that I have had in a HS, and I believe that the job I did was a good one that benefitted students.  In short, I'm proud of what I have done, what my educators have done, and what my students have accomplished.

In my fifteenth year, my focus has changed.  Although the opportunity to lead is still there and the challenges of that opportunity are still invigorating, the vantage point has changed a bit.  What I use to do well and had a comfort with has now become new, unsure, clouded, and unfamiliar.  Normally that is exceptionally refreshing for me.  This is, to a degree, similarly refreshing.  The part I was not expecting was that the challenges are so different from what I have done that it has been hard to keep up.  The support here has been outstanding, and I am so very proud to be working with and for this community.  My desire to be as good as I can be, however, causes me to be concerned when I fall short of my own expectations. 

There are days that I long to return to the principalship and feel a comforting level of security in my capabilities.  Then there are other days that I am thrilled with the challenge and believe that I'm doing an acceptable job so far.  My expectations include my personal improvement and continued learning and experience to be able to provide leadership for this district and the students and community that we serve.

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Let the Beatings Stop

Although I originally loved the creativity and fun of the title of this blog "Beating the Dead Horse" as it was an attempt to drag conversations into the depths of challenging our own beliefs.  I still look for those opportunities and cherish those moments and hours where that has been achieved. 

Following a move to a school system where the Bronco is the mascot, the reference takes a new twist.  What once was fun and playful is now potentially offensive and derogatory to a degree.  Although not intentional, it is appropriate to move the site.  So feel free to join me at Bronco Bits, the new option.  URL is http://broncobits.blogspot.com/ if you are interested...

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It's All About the Benjamins (Repost)

Back in April of 2010, I posted the below on another site.  That was as a High School Principal.  Now as a Superintendent, it seems to be consistently relevant.

I'm sure that many people out there would agree that we really work hard in education to provide the best possible education for our students. I have believed this for a long time and still do. With the current status of economy across the nation, however, it is my observation that what I have long believed to be a staple belief is being eroded by another key belief...survival.

Survival is one of the initial instincts that we all have. It spans across the personal barriers of eating, reproduction, learning, loyalty, interdependence, and so many other concepts. As institutions or businesses, survival is key to being able to do anything positive for society. Look at mission statements and visions that promote the "grander thinking" of humanity in terms of what a company or organization can provide. Think about it...no survival, no anything. It suddenly becomes "all about the Benjamins" in order to finance our efforts.

So when the economy takes a dive, schools and educational supports are hard hit - not without an understanding of the long-term effects this will produce, but in a survival mode. Our government needs to survive too...keep that in mind...and without the government's survival, where do we all land? So education takes a 10% rap on the proverbial head, which is handed out at the district level. Seeing about 75-85% of all current funds for each district are tied to salaries, what is the natural response? Survive! Cut staff! Trim the fat! In order to "make it" the belt will again be tightened around the concept of doing more with less.

Now that we take a huge whack (again) at the individuals responsible for learning, what happens? Some leave the field, some become unemployed, some move to another position. Whatever they do, the hard part about reductions is that it is unlikely that the only individuals removed from their current positions will be those that are less effective with students. Due to contract language, we WILL be losing some of the most excellent educators across the nation. At the same time, there will be individuals that maintain their positions with less than stellar performances. That's the system, and there is a contract involved. For those that have the option to retain the correct people in the correct places, my hope is that they have the intestinal fortitude to make the calls on behalf of students. That can be a lonely place when it may involve a lot of battles, but it is necessary to place the students first if that is truly the cause in which we believe.

Now that we have eliminated a large part of our expenses and reduced the number of people working for the schools to do so, we face the next step of the spiral. With less local individuals making a salary, the tax base shrinks. Do the math, and yep, less money again. Less tax means less government ability to support anything, and I'm sure we'll look for another cut in the future. More spiraling.
There isn't an easy answer, but as a nation, we need to look at our most valuable resource - our kids - and think about them in our quest to survive financially. When we talk about the Benjamins, my hope is that our decisions reflect that it truly is "all about the Benjamins." But I hope that these Benjamins have a face and a last name and that they represent every child we touch, even those not named Benjamin.

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