Certainly you seem to have an open and clear expression of what you see is needed and how to go about getting the desired results most of our citizens want: a quality education for our students (children) and a quality professional staff that realizes they may not be the best paid right now in our region but that they will be the best supported and encouraged teachers locally.
I look forward to getting to know more about you, your views and how you see our board and city meeting the challenges that today's students need and require to make it in the real world ahead.
I share with you and many others a great frustration for what has been said and done by not only our board but our staff. As a graduate of Portsmouth Public Schools and parent who saw some of the problems when my children came up in the schools during the 80's, I know we need help and now.
For too long we may have sat back and allowed others to take credit when things were not going as well as they could and should, saw boards and administrators take advantage of our staff and our limited funds, especially having two superintendents on the payroll and only one working for us as the other was working for and paid by another entity. This should not have occurred but did.
The time for change is now and while many do not agree with the recent decisions of the board and the action taken by some on it, the past is past, the future is yet to come and what we do today will play a great role in how our region, our citizens, our teachers, and our students view us.
Thank you for stepping to the forefront and may our system and our students gain from your work.
My reply...
Thanks so much for your kind words. Let me a address some of your points.
First, I have no web skills. I�m just using the tools available to all of us. (You, too, can create a workable page at http://www.geocities.com.) Using the tools available is similar to what ought to be happening in our schools, by both faculty and students alike. By using the tools available � whether it be to teach or to learn � they can perform with excellence. I would hope that all of us are using the tools available... (and I have some pretty strong opinions about leadership and management tools... I believe, if we are to perform with excellence, we need to use the Performance Excellence Criteria.)
I believe that all the candidates � the three who have made it to the final round and the other eight � all have something to contribute. I hope that all of us come together to create something of benefit for the schools. As I�ve noted elsewhere on this site, I believe we need to create a broad-based, cross-functional approach to community building. Whether selected for the interim appointment or not, I plan on getting all eleven candidates in a room and using them as the first step to the creation of this community-building program. Those who tossed their name in to help the City and our Schools (vice just having tossed their name in to the ring for some self-grandiose dream) will want to be a part of this. I hope to get additional participation from the central office, from the Courts, from the Police Department, from the Sheriff�s Department, from the Community Service Board, from local religious leaders, from civic league leaders, and from anyone else who can have influence. More on this to follow.
Our Board must take this opportunity to define themselves. Their actions have not been cast in the most favorable light over the last several years. It is time for all the members of the Board to identify their common, guiding values... and then to live by them. Then it is time for the Board to set the �end in mind� and work toward that end. We must have shared values and a shared vision or purpose.
And finally, our Board must, I believe, identify their similarities and differences as individuals... and then work to use those not as a wedge, but as a strength, as something which will make the Board stronger & as something which will allow them to make better and more complete decisions.
I am excited about the possibilities which lie ahead. I will make a difference, whether I am a member of the Board or not. And, I know that the citizens of Portsmouth will also make a difference, seeking excellence in our schools and with everyone associated with our schools.
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