PETER A. STINSON'S PUBLIC STATEMENT TO
THE PORTSMOUTH SCHOOL BOARD
9 JUNE 2003
Good evening. Thank you for the opportunity to speak with you today.
My name is Peter Stinson. My sons, Andrew and Richard, students at Westhaven Elementary School, are here with me tonight, learning a little about the workings of American government. I have to share with you that when I convinced them to join us tonight, I told them they�d see �government in action.� I�m sure they haven�t been disappointed.
You may remember in November I addressed this esteemed body; I spoke about my dream for our schools and our community. Our journey -- the journey of our students, our schools, our community, our city -- is far from over. My dream is still a dream.
Let�s talk, for a moment, about work and leadership teams. Functioning groups and teams have certain traits � you know this; each of you is a student of group dynamics. Decent teams have shared values and a shared purpose� and they use their differences as a group strength; each person brings different approaches and insight to the group and the problem at hand.
Three things are necessary for effective team work:
Shared values. What serves as the foundation of all interaction and work is a shared set of values, values which guide behavior.
Shared purpose. The group or team wants to get to the same place; all work is directed to that end-in-mind. Think of NASA during the 1960�s; the purpose, given to them by a young president, to put Americans on the moon by the end of the decade. That is a shared purpose.
Differences as strength. Our differences � in schooling, families, race, gender, associations, and everything else that makes each and every one of us unique � are the key to success.
Eleven citizens have tossed their name in for consideration of the vacant Board seat. That there are nearly a dozen citizens insane enough to even consider joining the Board either speaks volumes about the mental health of our citizenry... or speaks volumes about what we believe is important to our children and our community.
I stand before you humbled that several of my neighbors asked me to complete an application for the vacant seat on the board. I have no hidden agenda, other than this (which I�m about to shine light on). My objectives are three-fold:
First, to help the board embrace differences and use them as a strength...
Second, to drive an initiative which helps create community in our schools...
Third, to help the board and senior leadership develop systematic methods of leadership and management...
If chosen to serve out Dr. Joyner�s term, I commit myself to being responsive to the needs of our students, schools, and community... to act with honesty and integrity... and to place the well-being of our schools above any selfish concerns on my own part.
Be also assured of this: if this Board and leadership team does not have and live by shared values, if this Board and leadership team does not have and work toward a shared purpose, if this Board and leadership team does not actually value differences and use them as a strength, I don�t want to be a part of this Board, even just for a year.
If you would like to learn more about my thoughts on leadership in education, or to review my past statements to this board, you can find them on the internet at www.geocities.com/pastinson1.
Thank you for the opportunity to speak with you this evening.
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