• Home
• Terry's Priorities
• Strategic Plan
• What is your Board doing? (Monthly Blog: 2011-12 School Year)
• What is your Board doing? (Monthly Blog: 2010-11 School Year)
• What is your Board doing? (Monthly Blog: 2009-10 School Year)
• What is your Board doing? (Monthly Blog: 2008-09 School Year)
• What is your Board doing? (Monthly Blog: 2007-08 School Year)
• What is your Board doing? (Monthly Blog: 2006-07 School Year)
• Williamson County Schools Home Page

Citizens for Terry Leve
Brentwood, TN

E-mail us
Make home page
Add to favorite
Print this page
Share This

© 2012 BUILD111

What is your Board doing? (Monthly Blog: 2008-09 School Year)

 

Link to the School Board website for the most recent Board minutes:

http://www.wcs.edu/school_board/sb_minutes/2008_archive.htm.

  

If you have any questions about what was discussed at these meetings, please feel free to contact me at TerryL2@wsc.edu.  Thank you for your support.    

July 2009

It has been three years since I was elected to serve the 6^th District as a member of the school board. While you can go to www.TerryLeve.com for a month-by-month description of what has taken place, below are some highlights focusing on my stated campaign priorities of Conservative Fiscal Management, Academic Excellence and Open Communication: 

On June 8, I had the opportunity to meet with BMS parents and Dr. Jubal Yennie (Assistant Director of Middle Schools) to discuss what characteristics and priorities the community was looking for in a new principal.  I am appreciative that Dr. Yennie took the time to meet both with us, as well as earlier in the day with BMS staff, to hear our concerns, suggestions and vision.

On June 15, the Board had its regularly scheduled meeting.  The Board approved installing a canopy over the senior patio east of the cafeteria at Ravenwood High School, which was funded by the school.  Additionally, the Board approved a guaranteed maximum price for Phase I renovations and additions at Brentwood High School.  Specifically, a cap for all work, including fees and overhead costs, of $1,857,062, for interior renovations for the library, TV Pro and computer rooms, as well as construction of science classrooms, was approved.  It is anticipated that the renovations will be completed by this August and the additional classrooms by November.

May 2009

On May 6, the Board had its work session. On the agenda that evening was discussion concerning: the District's application for, and a consequent budget approval of, federal stimulus funds; construction issues associated with the proposed Spring Hill elementary school; change order requests on the construction project for Homestead Middle School; District goals; and the District's field trip policy. Raising the average ACT score of our students to a 24 by 2012 remains a primary focus. To help achieve that goal, we discussed necessary steps and interim goals, including aligned standards-based curriculum, rigorous content, recruitment of teachers and principals, leadership performance, teacher retention and operational support. Each of these sub-goals are further broken down, and include such details as graduation rates, foreign language proficiency, physical wellness programs, critical thinking and problem solving curriculum and assessments, etc. The field trip conversation focused on: Will all students learn and grow from this curriculum experience? How will the proposed field trip support quality knowledge work for students and fit our belief statements? Will this particular trip focus on the curriculum better than another possible trip?  

On May 7 and May 8, our finalist superintendent candidates toured the district, met with students, teachers, administrators, parents and community leaders during the day, and interviewed with the Board at night. The first day and night were set aside for the candidate from Virginia. The second day and night were set aside for the candidate from Texas. On May 11, the Board had a special called meeting to discuss the final two candidates. The Board vote was 4-8 as to the candidate from Virginia, and 5-7 as to the candidate from Texas, with regards to continuing forward with the candidates. A minimum of seven votes were needed for an applicant to remain in the mix. Consequently, the Board has requested that its consultants continue with their recruiting efforts. (More details are contained in my May 12 e-news message.)

On May 14, I had the privilege to meet with officers from Brentwood Middle School's PTO and Viking Athletic Club. We discussed the status of the current search for a new Director of Schools, the recent leadership change at BMS, and the critical importance of detailed and timely communication. For example, we discussed the misconception that the Board has spent $75,000 on a search that has not resulted in the hire of a new superintendent. Such is an inaccurate rumor. The Board has not yet paid its consultants, but will owe them only $24,000 if the search is successful. The misunderstanding comes from the fact that the Board initially budged $75,000 for a search, which budgeting occurred prior to negotiating its consultant contract. We also spoke on the specific leadership traits that are being sought in both a superintendent and in the next BMS principal. Finally, we discussed the importance of respecting the privacy rights of the District's employees, the Central Office's communication policy concerning administrative changes in schools, and the concern many community members have with that policy, i.e., silence results in rumors as facts are unknown.

April 2009

On April 13, the Board met to discuss its goals for 2009-10 and beyond. While still in draft form, the Board continues to consider my proposal that higher ACT scores be the centerpiece of our agenda. Presently our draft goals remain that by 2012 students in Williamson County will be well prepared to be successful in a global environment as evidenced by: an average score of 24 on the ACT; and 90% of students scoring proficient on a 21^st Century Skills Assessment. (More details are contained in my March entry.)  Afterwards, the Board had its work session. The first item of discussion included reviewing the failure rate of 9^th grade students by each class, comparing such to the prior year, and discussing the efforts that have been made in the last year to lower those numbers. This continues to be a point of concern, especially in Algebra I and English I. While we have seen marked improvement, the number of students failing at the third nine weeks were 142 and 101 respectively. Credit recovery efforts continue for these students. Another significant discussion centered around adding Algebra I Honors to the 9^th grade course offerings. Presently, students can take Algebra I beginning as early as the 7^th grade, with most students taking it in either 8^th or 9^th grade, however, honors level Algebra I has never been offered. Beginning in the Fall 2009, it will be.

On April 22, the Board met in its capacity as a Superintendent Search Committee. Our consultants, Ray & Associates, presented to us those applicants that they felt met the criteria established by the Board, community, teachers and administrators, who they had interviewed and reference checked. Of the 57 applicants, they narrowed the pool to 17 who they interviewed, the top 6 of which they determined were the only ones qualified to present to the Board. The Board read through the application materials, including their resumes and interview responses.  The Board voted to invite three of these applicants to interview with the Board. (More details are contained in my May 2, 2009 e-news message.)

 

On April 29, the Policy Committee met. Policies discussed included 5.1061 (dealing with criminal background checks of applicants) and 4.600 (grading and report cards). Upon the conclusion of the Policy Committee, the Board met to interview the first two of the three invited superintendent applicants. (More details are in my aforementioned e-newsletter.)

March 2009

On March 5, the Board had a Goals Meeting.  We discussed what, as a Board, we would like to see the District accomplish.  I again emphasized the need we have to raise ACT scores, in math and science in particular.  Additionally, our points included looking at all students' learning styles, critical thinking skills, teacher quality and achieving 21st Century skills (as opposed to be driven by minimum No Child Left Behind Standards alone).  At the conclusion of the Goals meeting, the Board began its work session.  We discussed approving, and, in some cases, expanding, Summer Enrichment Programs to take place at Lipscomb, Kenrose, Nolensville and Heritage Elementary Schools.  We also discussed Crockett Elementary School's decision to change from the YMCA's Fun Company program to the District's SACC program.  Finally, we discussed the re-roofing contract bids for Edmondson and Hunters Bend Elementary Schools.  The primary issue centered on safety performance.

On March 16, the Board met in regular session.  At this meeting, the Board approved a budget to send to the County Commission for the 2009-10 school year.  At this meeting I commented that this budget represents a savings of several millions of dollars.  In fact, it represents a savings of nearly $6 million.  The proposed budget is for $212 million, compared to this year's budget of $209 million.   So, how can an increase in $3 million be a $6 million savings?  First, we need to understand that budgets are in large part calculated on a cost per student basis due to the fact that the great majority of the budget is wholly related to personnel expenses.  Inasmuch as there are state imposed minimum teacher-pupil ratio requirements, and the County anticipates growth of about 1,200 new students next year, growth alone would have caused a status quo budget to increase to $217.5 million.  Additionally, we are anticipating a $600,000 increase in utility fees due to new, higher rates.  That would have taken us to about $218 million; but, with nearly $6 million in administrative and other non-classroom cuts, we are proposing a budget of $212 million.  (As an aside, when I challenged our previous administrative leadership for budget cuts late last year, the Board received a letter from the Superintendent's office that it could identify merely $5,000 to $10,000 in cuts, a savings of only 0.03%.  Fortunately, a more creative approach by new leadership found other opportunities for savings.)

On March 26, the Board met again to discuss its goals.  The specific goal we discussed was:

By 2012, students in Williamson County will be well prepared to be successful in a global environment as evidenced by

• WCS students will achieve an average score of 24 on the ACT.

• After collecting pre/baseline data, 90% of a random sample of WCS students will score proficient on a 21st Century Skills Assessment - such as the College Work and Readiness Assessment or the River City Assessment.

To accomplish this overreaching goal, we discussed three focus areas: learning, teaching and operational.  These three focus areas are further divided down into manageable steps, including aligning standards-based curriculum that is rigorous in high level content and accurately addresses 21st Century skills and knowledge, recruiting teachers and administrators that have demonstrated advanced teaching abilities and skills, and aligning the school district budget to be in direct support of achieving measurable goals.  (Currently, our students average a 22 on the ACT, which places them in the 62nd percentile nationally.  A 24 would raise them to the 75th percentile.)

Also on March 26, the Policy Committee met.  Included among the several policies discussed was our continued discussion of report cards for K-2 (Policy 4.600).  (See February 23 entry for more detail.)  We were provided with drafts of what the report cards would look like.  We also received a report back on the input received from administrators and teachers.  When we questioned whether there was any parental input sought, we were told that there was.  However, I indicated that I was not comfortable that enough had been done, and as a Committee we requested that the Central Office make additional efforts to seek such input.

February 2009

On February 5, the Superintendent Search Committee met to discuss the results of the community input gathered by the search firm, Ray & Associates (with the Ray folks participating by video conference).  The community's input and desires were very similar to the Board's.  The Committee finalized an application and flyer (http://www.wcs.edu/WCS_Superintendent.pdf) for the position, which included the following required characteristics:

• Inspires trust, demonstrates self-confidence, and models high standards of integrity and personal performance.
• Has the ability to develop and communicate a vision of quality education for the future to the board, staff and community.
• Is able to lead a large organization dedicated to goals of continuous improvement.
• Is strongly committed to a "student first" philosophy in all decisions.
• Is able to identify and select building and central office administrators who are capable of advancing the district vision.
• Demonstrates effective communication skills which include speaking, listening and writing.
• Can delegate authority appropriately while maintaining accountability.
• Has knowledge of and successful experience in sound fiscal practices and management of district resources.
• Will consider input when making decisions.
• Has demonstrated strong leadership skills in previous positions.

After the Search Committee concluded, the Board began its work session.  On the agenda that night for discussion was increasing the fee for summer school (from $142 to $250), replacing the YMCA Fun Company with the WCS SACC Program at Kenrose and Trinity Elementary Schools for the 2009-10 school year, and Policy 4.6051b (see January 26 entry.)  The reason for the increase in summer school costs was: (1) to cover the additional costs associated with salary increases to teachers; and (2) to make the program "break even," which it did not do last summer.  The move to SACC was initiated at the request of the two schools.

On February 16, the Board met in regular session.  The Board approved the aforementioned increase in summer school fees, as well as the change in programs at Kenrose and Trinity Elementary Schools (from YMCA Fun Company to WCS SACC for 2009-10).  Finally, the Board passed an intent to fund resolution for $2,171,700 to purchase 19 general education 84 passenger buses (at an estimated cost of $84,300 each), as well as 6 special education buses (at an estimated cost of $95,000 each), to replace buses that are deemed to old by state law for continued use.

On February 23, the Policy Committee met.  Policies discussed included 4.600 (Grading Systems and Report Cards) and 4.6051b (Credit Requirements for Graduation Beginning with the Graduating Class of 2013).  As to the former, discussions centered on revising K-2 Report Cards to be standards-based.  The goal is to drive classroom learning to completely master their grade appropriate standards, and to build a bridge to the next grade level and beyond.  The learning statements that would be included in the new report cards would be based on the skills that our students should master by the end of the school year.  As to the later policy, updates to the policy were made pursuant to the Tennessee State Board of Education High School Transition Policy, with a note that the weighting of final examinations is currently under State review.

January 2009

On January 5, the Policy Committee met to discuss edits and updates to such policies as 4.6051 (concerning credit requirements for graduation up through the Class of 2012), 4.60511 (graduation with honors) and 6.316 (student expulsion and suspension matters). Afterwards, the Board met as a Superintendant Search Committee to interview three applicant consulting firms who had responded to the Williamson County Schools' Request for Proposal ("RFP"). The three firms were Ray & Associates, BWP & Associates and McPherson & Jacobson. After the interviews were concluded, the Board discussed the presentations, as well as the reference checks that were performed on the three. Other school districts that were interviewed for their experiences in dealing with these applicants included: (1) for Ray & Associates: Knox County, TN; Memphis, TN; Charlotte-Mecklenburg, NC; and Alexandria, VA; (2) for BWP: Dallas, TX; Tulsa, OK; Berkeley County, SC; and Whitefish Bay, WI; and (3) for McP&J: Allentown, PA; Rochester, MN; and Pulaski County, AR. 

On January 8, the Board had a special called meeting for the purpose of further discussing the applicants and voting on a selection. During the discussions, it was noted that the reference checks and interviews revealed that McP&J did not have experience in Tennessee, nor with school districts larger than a few thousand students. Additionally, both Ray and BWP were determined to be extremely well qualified and thought of, with the edge going to Ray due to their specific experience in Tennessee (including having just recently conducted two large in-state searches, as well as being familiar with such matters as Tennessee's Sunshine Law, the challenges/benefits of relying on the County Commission as the School District's funding body, etc.), their targeted and established focus of meeting with potential candidates face-to-face for screening them at professional conferences, and their use of a proprietary matrix designed to help weigh and otherwise evaluate the competing pluses/negatives of various candidates. The Board voted to authorize me to negotiate with both firms to obtain the best pricing, with an "all things being equal" preference to Ray. I am happy to report that I was successful in negotiating an agreement with Ray to serve as the Board's consulting firm for a price of 10% below their original bid, including a cap on expenses, as well as with a three year guarantee (should a new Director of Schools not remain with Williamson County for three years, Ray will conduct another search for our District free of charge). [Note: the industry standard for a guarantee is one year.]

After concluding the specially called meeting, the Board immediately began its work session. The two issues that seemed to take the greatest focus of the evening were related to the proposed school calendar for 2009-10, and Fairview High's request to continue with their trimester arrangement for an additional four years. I argued that, based on the feedback received from more than 70 families in the few days leading up to the meeting, there was an overwhelming preference to change the start date from August 13 to August 17. Other Board members argued to push the start date earlier, to either August 10 or 11. As for Fairview, there was a deep concern that no data was shared with the Board that would permit it to consider the continuation of the trimester program, and that even if such data should be submitted prior to the upcoming Board meeting, four years more for a program with only one year of experience was too aggressive of a request since there was no evidence of the program truly succeeding in accomplishing its goals.

On January 12, the Board, as a Search Committee, met with Ray & Associates to discuss in detail the characteristics the Board considered imperative in a new Director of Schools. Additionally, we established a timeline for conducting the search, with a goal of hiring a new Director by May. Two principals from Ray met individually with each Board member to discuss their thoughts in confidence, as well as with the Board as a whole afterward. Included in our agreed upon timeline were efforts to obtain community input on the characteristics the Board should seek in a new Director. Toward that end, it was established that there will be: two public meetings on Monday, January 26 - 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. at Centennial High, and 7:30 to 8:30 p.m. at Ravenwood High; and three public meetings on Tuesday, January 27 - 10:00 a.m. to Noon at the Central Office's Carolyn Campbell Room, 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. at Independence High and 7:30 to 8:30 p.m. at Fairview High. Board members will not be present so as to both encourage a full and open dialogue, as well as to prevent narrowing our focus prematurely. Additionally, for those who are unable to attend any of the five sessions, a survey has been placed on-line at www.wcs.edu, entitled New - Superintendent Qualities Survey. The on-line survey will be available from January 21 through January 28. After the 28^th, all information from the five sessions and the on-line surveys will be aggregated and shared with the Board, together with the Board's aggregated input. Students, parents, community members without students in the system, community service and business leaders, elected officials, teachers, administrators and staff are all strongly encouraged to share their views.

On January 20, the Board met in regular session. The Board voted to approve a calendar for 2009-10, to extend Fairview High's trimester plan by two years, to approve entering into a professional services contract for design services related to improvements at Brentwood High, and to open zone Centennial and Page High schools, as well as Brentwood Middle school. As for the calendar, I unsuccessfully made a motion to change the start date from August 13 to August 17. Another Board member unsuccessfully motioned to eliminate Fall Break and replace it with a week off during the Thanksgiving week. What passed was a beginning date for students of Thursday, August 13 and an end date for students of Friday, May 21. Fall Break will be two days for students (Monday and Tuesday, October 19 and 20), but only one day for teachers (October 19, the 20^th being a staff development day). Thanksgiving Break will be Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, November 25 through 27.  The "Winter Holiday" will be from Monday, December 21 through Friday, January 1. Friday, December 18, will only be a half-day, as will Friday, May 21. "Spring Break" will be from Friday, April 2 (Good Friday) through Friday April 9. [Note: due to TCAP being from March 22 through 29, and the need to be in class in the days leading up to the testing, Spring Break will fall late in the semester, as the other alternative would be the first week of March.] Additionally, other scheduled breaks from Monday-Friday instruction include National/State Holidays such as Labor Day and Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, half-day on September 29 for Parent-Teacher Conferences, and staff development days on Monday, February 15 (Presidents' Day) and Monday, March 8.   As for open zoning to Centennial and Page, preference will be given to Ravenwood and Independence students (in an effort to alleviate expected over-crowding), with a limit on movement between Page and Centennial students between these two schools so that there is no impact on the pupil-teacher ratio's presently in place. As for Brentwood Middle, preference will be given to Grassland Middle students, with all students choosing to go to Brentwood Middle being permitted to continue on to Brentwood High. 

On January 26, the Policy Committee met.  We discussed several policies, including 4.6051b and 1.800.  The first policy discussed was regarding undefined changes in state law with respect to the weight given to final examinations when such are Common Comprehensive Assessments for Algebra I, English I, English II, Biology, Physics and U.S. History.  As amended, the law states that the second semester final examination is to be worth 25% of the entire year grade.  This creates several difficulties with respect to first semester grades.  Consequently, we are awaiting clarification from the State Education Department.  Policy 1.800 deals with the school calendar.  The discussion centered around whether policy should adopt a window for the beginning of school, as well as a definite end date, to allow families and educators to know more specific parameters each year's calendar might include prior to adoption.  This would allow families and educators to be able to make certain personal plans earlier than they are presently able to make them.   

Also on January 26, as well as on January 27, community meetings were held to gather input on the characteristics the Board should seek in a new Director of Schools.  (See January 12 entry.)  These meetings, together with the input submitted through the District's website, produced 200+ responses.

December 2008

On December 4, the Board held its work session.  After a brief update on the current budget status, the discussion was a new proposal to unilaterally terminate the superintendent's contract, and a proposal to appoint an interim superintendent.  One board member explained his rationale for bringing the matter up again, and why he now wanted to change his vote from "no" to "yes."  He told the Board that he did not feel he could vote "yes" previously without having an interim in place, and without having a discussion of how the change would be paid for.  During the course of the discussion, the Board's Chair indicated that she, at the request of the Search Committee, had asked the Deputy Director of Schools, Dr. David Heath, if he would be willing to serve as the interim superintendent, and that he had agreed to do so.  Leslie Holman, the Director of Finance for the school system, indicated that she expected that any cost to making the switch, estimated at between $14,000 and $22,000, could be made by making cuts to administrative travel and miscellaneous office supplies.  Consequently, in the end, the switch would not cost tax payers a penny.  The matter will come before the Board for a vote on December 15.

On December 11, at the invitation of Vice Mayor Paul Webb, Pat Anderson, Susan Graham and I spoke and answered questions to the current Leadership Brentwood group.  It was a fantastic opportunity, with excellent questions about Williamson County Schools' vision, technology plans, policies, personnel decisions and funding issues.

On December 15, the Board had its regularly schedule meeting.  The Board thanked Dr. Rebecca Sharber for her years of service to Williamson County Schools, and with deep appreciation for that service, released her from all duties and responsibilities to the school district effective January 1, 2009.  Two questions arise as to this action: why was it taken and what is the cost?  Many members on the Board that supported this decision, including myself, argued about the disruption to the budget process, which would occur from "changing horses midstream."  Dr. Sharber's announcement to leave during the course of our seeking funding for next year was a deep concern.  Many on the Board expressed their view that a consistent position driven by the same leader from beginning to end was important.  Others on the Board disagreed, and felt there was no downside to a mid-process change.  This was a tough call, and one that may only be seen in hindsight with respect to its actual effectiveness.  I believe each member of the Board is truly concerned for the children in our District, and, regardless of our position on this action, hope that we will continue to move in a positive direction.

As for the cost, those who merely chose to read the article in the Tennessean will not understand my point.  The abbreviation of the quote makes it less than clear.  Let me explain to those of you who did not have the opportunity to watch the broadcast last night.  The initial additional funding that the Director of Finance thought would be required for this action was $14,000.  That later changed to $23,000, and ended up as just under $27,000.  Contrary to what some would have you believe, this was not being funded with money for student's crayons, or band-aids for nurses.  It was not being funded by eliminating teacher aides, or choosing not to hire teachers.  It was funded by the superintendent's own line item of expenses, such as for her previously planned travel to out of state conferences, and additional postage and paper supplies for her office use. 

I guess some would have you believe we took all stamps and paper away from the superintendent.  We did not do that either.  The cuts that were made were cuts that the interim director and the finance director believed were doable without adverse impact to performing the job.  Thus, my argument that this is "free" was the argument that there were planned expenditures that were transferred from one line item to another. 

Again, not a single penny more is being spent than was going to be spent.  The taxpayers are not being asked to front additional funding.  In fact, for $27,000, we will have the same person to drive through a budget in excess of $200,000,000 from beginning to end.  That means we will have a consistent vision of what savings can be had, for no two people would handle things exactly the same.  I am convinced that we have the ability to save more than $27,000 with this approach.  In short, rather than say this will not cost taxpayers, I believe it is better said that this will save taxpayers money.

The specifics of the line-items being taken from the Director's budget are as follows:

After the Board meeting concluded, we reconvened as a Search Committee to review and discuss the responses we received to the request for proposal (RFP) for a consultant to help in the superintendent search process.  We put together a list of questions to ask other school districts that have used their services, selected which districts we wished to interview, and decided to invite the three responding applicants to an in-person interview. 

November 2008

On November 6, I had the opportunity to attend a staff development seminar entitled the "State of Poverty Welfare Simulation," which was held at the Williamson County Ag Expo Park. It was put on jointly by the University of Tennessee Extension Services and the Williamson County Schools - NCLB Title I Program.  The simulation was designed to help participants begin to understand what it might be like for low-income students and their families whose situation is one where they struggle to survive from month to month.

On November 7, the Board held its work session. The Board received a report from the Central Office entitled the "Service Model for Special Needs Students."  Also discussed were changes to the proposed school calendar and budget priorities, both for 2009-10. In the Service Model report, it was noted that the school outside of Tennessee that Williamson County uses as a benchmark, those districts spent, on average, $8,300 of local money per pupil.  Metro spends about $7,200 per pupil, and Rutherford County spends about $4,300.  Williamson County is spending about $5,500 per pupil.  Additionally, the results of the information gathered from the community forums were shared.  It was noted that nearly 300 community members participated, where they identified inclusion, student attendance at their neighborhood schools, special education staff, and the District's commitment, to be strengths of the current program.  Weaknesses that were noted included the budget and training.  The Central Office has made the full report available to any individual interested in receiving it.  Second, the calendar.  Both originally presented proposals were withdrawn due to, what was explained to the Boards as being a "fatal flaw" contained in both: the number of academic classroom days during the first semester was 15 days (3 weeks) shorter than the second semester.  While the difference in days is a complete non-issue at the elementary school level, such is not the case with the upper grades, specifically one semester high school courses.  Students taking Discrete Math, Statistics, U.S. Government (including AP), Economics, Micro Economics (including AP), Astronomy, Financial Planning, etc. in the Fall would have significantly less time than students taking the same courses in the Spring to master educational objectives, including being prepared to take Advanced Placement examinations.  Consequently, a decision was made to shift five academic days from the second semester to the first semester, thus reducing the difference to only five days, which was felt to be manageable.  Immediately the conversation turned to where will those five days come from.  Certain Board members advocated starting school one week earlier, on August 10, or extending the semester into January by having final exams follow the Winter Break.  I strongly opposed both of those suggestions. I requested that five days, presently identified as being off during the first semester, become academic days.  For example, since there is no election in 2009, there is no reason to have a day off for students so that teachers can have in-service at that time, as opposed to tacking in-service on elsewhere in the calendar when the students are out of school anyway.  Next, rather than expanding Fall Break to three days, keep it at two days.  There was also discussion to push finals back to end on Monday or Tuesday, December 21 or 22, or to begin school on Thursday or Friday, August 14 or 15.  Another option was to eliminate the elementary school teachers' request for a day off for parent-teacherconferences.  The point is, five days can be found in many different ways without starting school on August 10 or having finals in January. Finally, budget priorities. In light of what is expected to be a very tight and lean budget for next year, we were asked if there were any priorities we had for inclusion in the next budget that are not in the present budget. I asked for three things to be researched and considered: (1) paying for a second year of coverage for our students whose social security numbers were exposed; (2) additional math and science offerings to accommodate our goals to ensure our students are prepared for both the ACT and college coursework; and (3) offering a second foreign language (besides Spanish) in all of our middle schools so that students need not wait until high school to begin their studies. Presently, half of our middle schools have this option. I believe all of our students should.

On November 11, the Superintendant Search Committee met again. The Committee established a timeline, including that a request for proposal (RFP) would be sent out on November 14 to potential consultants, that the deadline to respond to the RFP would be December 5, that the Committee would reconvene on December 15 to review the RFP responses and potentially narrow the pool of consultant candidates, to reserve January 5 as a date for potential interviews of the consultant candidates, and to hold a special called Board meeting on January 8 for the purposes of selecting a consultant. We further discussed the characteristics and qualities the Board was looking for in a new director of schools, including being visionary, a good communicator, strong leader, all in addition to the qualities identified in Policy 5.802. Finally, the Committee briefly discussed the potential need for an interim person to fill Dr. Sharber's position should she not be in her position through June 30, as well as who internally, could fill that roll. No decisions were made.

On November 17, the Board met in regular session. We named a new middle school in the southern portion of the County, approved the construction of two soccer dugouts at Ravenwood High, and considered a motion brought by Board Member Barry Watkins, which was, "That Dr. Sharber receives the Board's formal thanks for her years of service to Williamson County Schools and with deep appreciation for that service be released from all duties and responsibilities to the school district effective 12/31/08 so that she may be free to pursue the new career opportunities which she is seeking." After much conversation, the Board's vote was 6-6.

October 2008

On October 7, the Board had its work session. Critical matters addressed that evening included, requesting an updates on both the earlier breach of confidential information and current budget status. Also discussed was the selection of an architecture and design services firm for classroom additions at Edmondson and Lipscomb elementary schools, and adoption of goals to improve math and science ACT scores, as well as college preparedness in math and science. Specifically, a few of the Board members, including myself, specifically requested that the Central Office prepare documentation for the Board's review around the status of the confidential information disclosure, what steps have been taken, who (if anyone) has yet to be notified, and information necessary to evaluate extending credit protection for students beyond the initial one year already in place. As concerning the budget, at the request of the County Commission, the Board discussed the wisdom of its present policy concerning school sizes. Given the tremendous expense associated with buying land and building new schools, the Board was asked to consider increasing the size of any yet to be built schools. After a lengthy discussion, the Board advised the Director of Schools to inform the Commission that it had studied and considered such a change, but that it did not favor making schools larger. In fact, independent studies show that, if anything, to improve the quality of education, schools should be made smaller than they presently are. The Board did not favor making schools smaller, due to the cost, but it did not favor making them larger. In addition to adversely impacting the quality of education, these same studies show that larger schools are more impersonal, have higher dropout rates, less extracurricular activity participation, and higher percentages of behavior problems, including violence and vandalism. The Board believes that one of the essential factors that makes Williamson County an attractive place to live is the quality of its schools, and that making schools larger would not only not be good for our students, but it would make our County a less desirable place to live, including ultimately lowering property values. Finally, as for goals concerning ACT scores, information was provided to the Board that allowed it to develop potential goals to be adopted at the next regularly scheduled Board meeting.

On October 13, the Board met in its capacity as a Director Search Committee. Ten of the twelve Board members were present. I was honored to be elected to be the Committee's Chairman, and Janine Moore will serve as Vice-Chair. We discussed Policy 5.801 and the need to ensure allowing a mechanism for the community to suggest selection criteria. We also discussed the scope of the search, during which the Committee recognized that while we may have excellent local candidates, we wanted our search to be national in reach. The Committee determined that regardless of where any candidate for the position presently resides, it is imperative the once selected, the new Director live within Williamson County. Next, we concluded that we wished to consider using a consultant or search firm to assist us in this process. Finally, we queried one another on certain characteristics and qualities that we would like to see in our next Director of Schools.  Our next Committee meeting is scheduled for November 11 at 6:00 p.m. at the Central Office.

On October 20, the Board met in regular session. As part of our goal to become a world class school district, this year we instituted Freshman Academies at each of the high schools. The primary purpose of such was to assist our students in making the transition from middle school to high school. While there is much good that we have done, and continue to do, to help the top echelon of students meet their potential, previously, not as much had been done for some of our struggling students. Initial results of our efforts are very encouraging. Notwithstanding an increase of 128 freshman students (compared to last year), the number of students who are failing one or more courses at the semester's halfway mark dropped by 169.  Of specific note is that the number of students failing courses at Independence was reduced by 58.8%, at Franklin by 55.2% and at Ravenwood by 35.5%.  While the percentage of students failing courses at Brentwood rose 0.03%, the number of students failing at Brentwood was still the lowest in the County. In fact, the number of students failing one or more courses was 30.1% lower than Franklin, and 37.9% lower than Ravenwood.  Next, the Board passed a resolution requesting the County Commission to authorize the Board to use up to $75,000 from its fund balance to cover expenses associated with both the use of a consulting firm to assist in the selection process for a new Director of Schools, as well as to pay related expenses arising out of bringing candidates to the area for interviews. The Board also unanimously adopted its Code of Ethics. Finally, the Board approved two new goals concerning ACT scores. As many of you are already aware, for more than a year now I have been pushing hard for the adoption of ACT goals. Specifically, the two goals that were adopted are: 1. Fifty-two percent (52%) of WCS graduates in 2009 will score a 22 or better on the ACT in mathematics. 2. Thirty-eight percent (38%) of WCS graduates in 2009 will score a 24 or better on the ACT in science. To put these goals in perspective with respect to 2008 graduates, 48% made a 22 or better in math, and 54% made a 21 or better in math. As for science, 36% of those same students made a 24 or better, and 43% made a 23 or better. Inasmuch as a 22 in math and 24 in science are the benchmarks for college success, goals of 52% and 38% are admittedly too low. However, what we learned from researching the data is what one would have expected: multiple years of particular preliminary coursework significantly impacts ACT scores. Consequently, these are percentages that need to be going up each year as we are able to steer our students into taking appropriate coursework to be prepared for their college experience.   I am very pleased that my peers on the Board and the Central Office staff agreed to support these efforts.

On October 27, the Policy Committee met. I was asked to serve as Vice Chairman of the Committee. Janice Mills has replaced Pat Anderson as the Committee's Chair. The Committee reviewed and considered updates to several policies in accordance with recent changes to the law, including policies for graduation requirements beginning with the Class of 2012. Additionally, changes were recommended to Policy 6.600 to remove references authorizing the collection of student social security numbers.

September 2008

On September 2, I attended a joint Budget and Education Committee meeting of the Williamson County Commission. The primary purpose of the meeting was to discuss the proposed capital expenditure plan for schools, and the resulting tax increase to County residents should such plan be adopted. (For more details on the plan and any potential tax increase, see the link at the end of my August 2008 entry below.) Both Committees recommended to the entire Commission that it approve $13 million of the proposed $125 million plan, and that the entire Commission discuss the balance of the plan. Specifically, what the Committees recommended approving was a new middle school for the Spring Hill area, foundation repairs at both Grassland and Page middle schools, and classroom additions at Bethesda (4), Lipscomb (4) and Edmondson (2) elementary schools, as well as at Fairview middle school (4). The Commission will be meeting on September 8, 2008 to discuss the proposed capital expenditures.

On September 4, the Board had its work session. We discussed recent state legislation requiring that school districts have acceptable internet use agreements in place, as required by the Children's Internet Protection Act. It is anticipated that the Board will approve such an agreement at its September Board meeting. Additionally, the Board began a discussion concerning the District's goals, which will be continued at its scheduled retreat on September 12 and 13. Finally, the Board discussed the policies I referenced in my August entry below.

On September 6, I had the privilege of attending the Williamson County Marching Band Exhibition and watching the performances of Brentwood, Franklin, Centennial, Ravenwood, Independence, Fairview and Page High Schools (the order in which they preformed), as well as a combined county-wide middle school band.  These kids were absolutely fantastic and are to be commended for their hard work and dedication.

On September 9, I attended the Williamson County Commission meeting.  On their agenda was the $125.84 million capital expenditure intent to fund request sent to them by the School Board.  The Commission approved $17.15 million, and requested an additional 30 days to review and discuss the balance.  In particular, many commissioners wanted to discuss specific funding mechanisms and timing.  While there were a few who questioned the actual funding request (for example, the size of the schools, i.e., should they be larger and fewer), the majority of those that spoke up were supportive.  Given that the balance of the projects could be delayed for more than 30 days without detriment, members of the Commission also reached out and indicated that they wished to have a meeting together with the Board.  All very positive signs.

Now, what specifically was approved?  A new middle school for Spring Hill, four new classrooms at Bethesda Elementary, four new classrooms at Fairview Middle, four new classrooms at Lipscomb Elementary, two new classrooms at Edmondson Elementary, foundation repairs at Grassland Middle and Page Middle, and repairs, additions and improvements at Brentwood High.  To be more specific as to BHS: two new classrooms; remodeling the library, media and TV broadcast rooms; remodeling the science laboratories (including casework, fume hoods and lab tables); remodeling the gymnasium (including painting, lights and bleachers); and redoing the Campbell Center seats and sloped floor. 

While many of us remain concerned about the ultimate price tag, to put last night's approvals in perspective, the tax increase necessary to fund them is about $40 per year per house.

On September 12 and 13, I attended the Board's Annual Retreat, which was held just south of Franklin.  On our agenda were the following subjects: the Board's roles in supporting continuity and direction; how to continue to make "Adequate Yearly Progress" under the "No Child Left Behind" laws; low math and science subject matter ACT scores; the Superintendent search process; and School Board evaluations.  The ACT discussion was one included at my request.  While we pride ourselves on excellent schools, that does not mean we are perfect.  One area that is of particular concern to me is our low math and science scores on the ACT.  Specifically, ACT has found that the average student will need to score a minimum of 22 on the math portion and 24 on the science portion of the exam to show college readiness.  They define readiness as a 50% chance of getting a B or higher or about 75% chance of obtaining a C or higher in a College Algebra or Biology course.  Williamson County students who have completed Algebra I, Geometry, Algebra II and Trigonometry (usually taught as part of the Pre-Calculus course) have an average score of 21.3.  Moreover, students who have completed General Science (taught here as Physical Science), Biology and Chemistry have an average score of 21.8.  In fact, only 49% of our students scored 22 or higher in math, and only 33% of our students scored 24 or higher in science.  I believe we need to emphasize these areas if we expect improvement.  Consequently, I will propose that two specific goals be added to the District's Master Plan of goals and objectives to address these important academic needs.

On September 15, the Board met in regular session.  The Board voted to make Pat Anderson its Chair (previously she had been Vice Chair) and Gary Anderson to be Vice Chair (previously he had been Chair).  The Board then approved on first reading several edits to policies, including those to change graduation requirements starting with the Class of 2013 (in accordance with new state laws).  I also raised my concern regarding our students' low ACT scores in math and science, and sought that specific goals be put in place regarding the same.  Although I have been trumpeting this cause for a year, Dr. Sharber (our Superintendent) opposed my motion on the grounds that she did not know whether the goal was obtainable because her staff had not looked into the issue.  Consequently, the Board did not support the goal at this time, expressing its concern that it lacked information.  I have specifically requested that our new Chair, Ms. Anderson, put this matter on next month's agenda and that Dr. Sharber's staff come prepared with such information.

August 2008     

Another a new school year!  This will be a great year.  We started the school year off with a Special Board Meeting and a work session on August 11, 2008.  The purpose of the special called meeting was to discuss potential changes to the Superintendent Evaluation Instrument.  After last year's evaluation, I, as well as other Board members, had asked if we could review the form to see if it still fit our needs.  Dr. Sharber, after initially indicating that she would propose changes for a discussion in late 2007, did not do so.  Consequently, when a year later a different form was presented to the Board, it came as quite a surprise.  The Board voted 7-5 to keep the original form, but agreed to meet and discuss changes this coming year. There was a concern expressed by several that the last minute change, made without any Board input, was improper, and that changes to the evaluation form should not be hurried through the week of the actual evaluation.  Immediately thereafter, the Board began its work session. 

First on the work session agenda was to receive a report on the security breach.  Dr. Sharber presented an eight page document that she characterized as a "full report."  It was not.  In addition to lacking information, it contained many obvious inaccuracies and/or inconsistencies.  Other items discussed were parameters for the school calendar for 2009-10, and the five-year capital spending plan.  As for the calendar, I advocated for start dates that were pushed back, without extending the back end.  To accomplish such could require less days off during the year.  The specific parameters that were discussed were for a calendar similar to this year's but starting later in August, and a calendar that begins after Labor Day, ends before Memorial Day and has very few breaks.  As for the capital plan, there was a great deal of discussion for funding several new schools, which would, if funded by the County Commission, require a bond of $125,000,000.  Also discussed, was improvements to the Brentwood High library and middle school performance facilities.  After my pushing for two years, we now have a projected completion date for our middle schools' performance facilities of August 2012.

On August 18, I was a facilitator at Brentwood Middle School's Challenge Day.  It was an absolutely incredible experience for both the children and the adults.  My wife, Holly, then was a facilitator for Challenge Day at Woodland Middle two days later.  We are both very grateful for the support of the administrations of these schools and their PTOs for making this happen.  I truly hope that Brentwood and Ravenwood High will follow shortly.

Later on August 18, the Board met in its regular session.  Dr. Sharber announced that she is not seeking either an extension or new contract with Williamson County Schools; rather, she will be looking for new employment and will be leaving the earlier of finding such employment and the end of the school year.  After a rather divisive period of time, I am hopeful that this will provide an opportunity for healing and unity.  Also, the Board approved the list of Trustees to the Educators Sick Leave Bank Committee, of which I am now one of the trustees.  The same primary three issues referenced above from the work session were discussed, and in the case of the calendar parameters and capital plan, passed by resolution.  The Board will now await drafts of actual calendars.  I will, once we receive these next month, circulate such in the community, and ask for your feedback.  The final point discussed was the Director's evaluation.  The evaluation was noteworthy in that the Board gave the Director of Schools a failing grade in 14 of 21 core competencies, including:

• She did not demonstrate personal integrity (50%).
• She did not conduct business professionally (50%).
• She did not require professional conduct from all staff members (41%).
• She did not follow and enforce policy (66%).
• She did not establish positive relationships with other governmental entities (66%).
• She did not demonstrate sound budget management (58%).
• She did not actively support a safe and positive environment (66%).
• She did not present factual, reliable and timely information to the Board (50%).
• She did not implement systems and structure for effective communication (58%).
• She did not reflect vision in improvement plans (50%).
• She did not implement program and personnel goals to move the District toward its vision (50%).
• She did not hold administrators accountable (36%).
• She did not use assessment data in accordance with the District's goals (66%).
• She did not ensure that new schools are planned and built in a timely manner (58%).

On the positive side, the Director received a passing evaluation in the following core competencies:

• She was supportive of the District's mission, vision and goals (100%).
• She insured that the curriculum was designed to provide students with needed skills and knowledge (75%).
• She insisted on research based instructional practices (83%).
• She insured the District operated in accordance with the law (75%).
• She worked collaboratively with the Board on an annual budget (100%).
• She timely provided information about upcoming initiatives (83%).
• She recommended to the Board short-term and long-range capital plans (91%).

The Director was also provided with 14 pages of specific examples backing up the Board's evaluation of her performance. 

On August 25, I attended our Board's Policy Committee.  Two of the policies that were discussed, and needed updating, were 5.801 (Director of Schools Recruitment and Selection) and 5.802 (Director of Schools - Qualifications & Duties).  The Policy Committee intends to recommend to the entire Board that Policy 5.801 be amended to state that the Board may invite the community to suggest selection criteria, and to be able to attend Board interviews with candidates.  It was specifically noted that one of the requisite qualifications was that a director shall have unquestionable integrity. Another policy that received considerable attention was what will be known as 4.6051b, which is intended to address credit requirements for graduation for students graduating in the year 2013 and beyond.  These revisions are being put in place in an effort to address state mandated changes that will go into effect at that time.  Specifically, changes included four years of high school math, an additional semester of physical education, a semester of personal finance, and a requirement for three years of lab science.

On August 28, I sent an e-mail to Brentwood families concerning certain requested capital expenditures (including monies for both new schools, and improvements/repairs at older schools), and the resulting tax increase that would follow, should such be approved by the Williamson County Commission. The following link will take you to this message: files/141/File/taxes.doc.