Monday, December 21, 2009

No School Tomorrow

I had the opportunity to attend most of the holiday musical programs at our schools over the last few weeks. The Central Elementary Chorus almost always ends its show with this favorite song - “There’s No School Tomorrow”.

Of course, that’s every child’s wish come winter time. They wish that there would be such a snow as to cause school to be canceled. Children of all ages are not shy about lobbying the superintendent when he happens to be in the school and there are flurries in the air.

They like to give me a hard time. “Sure looks bad out their Dr. Curry. Don’t you think we should go home early? Why don’t you cancel school for tomorrow and let us know right now?”

I dish it right back. “No way! Haven’t you heard? I’m from the mountains. This little bit of snow is nothing. Don’t you want to be able to tell your children about how you had to walk 2 miles to school in 3 feet of snow, trudging up hill, both ways?”

Of course the decision is made, I assure you, independent of any lobbying by students or guardians.

Our transportation supervisor, Bill Morris, monitors the weather and the potential for fog on a daily basis. When the weather report calls for it, he’s up at 3 or 4 in the morning. Often he drives the roads and maintains communication with other transportation supervisors. If he thinks we should consider a delay or closure he calls me by 5a.m.

Often, the Kent County school chiefs will have a conference call around 5:15a.m. We try to stick together with our decision. But, sometimes the temperature can be very different between Harrington and Smyrna or from Sandtown to Bowers Beach. That difference in temperature often means the difference between rain on one road and ice/snow on another. That’s why we don’t always make the same call.

So, that’s how it works. Once a decision is made I sit at my kitchen table and record a message to go immediately to all families in Lake Forest. I make a few other calls to staff members who follow a pre-determined routine or direct more specific work rules for certain employee groups.

The thrill of a snow day is not reserved just for students. Most of us like one once in awhile. It’s a great time to catch up on piles of office work. For the teacher it’s a great time to grade papers, plan lessons or collaborate with others. It’s bonus time that is well used.

That storm last week was a real freak and I, for one, am grateful that it fell on a Saturday. Let’s hope we don’t have any of those for a long time.

Enjoy the holidays and we’ll see you next year.

Friday, December 11, 2009

What to do with the $$ ?

If you haven’t been by Lake Forest High School recently, I encourage you to do so. You’ll be surprised at the attractive new additions for fine arts, physical education and athletics that are underway and soon to be complete. You can view photos of the projects at http://www.lf.k12.de.us/lfhs/.

Years ago, when planning for the remodeling and additions presently underway at Lake Forest High School, we were asked to stretch the projects out over 4 years. Given the way costs had been going up, we added to our estimates to allow for inflation. Then the economy took a nose dive and, as a result, construction bidding became very competitive.
The result – projected costs of $16 million will turn out to be more like $13 million.

Since the bonds have been sold and the money is in hand and it is clear that we will do everything promised in the referendum election and still have a surplus of about $3 million. The Lake Forest Board of Education is in the enviable position to consider additional projects.

We’ve generated a list of things that we’d like to do and will be making that decision hopefully in January. We’re sharing this information so that you may provide us with your thoughts. We cannot afford all of these things, so we’ll need to prioritize. When the final part of our current plan goes out to bid, we want to include any additional items so that we may take advantage of the current bidding climate.

The final phase at the high school (to be bid this spring with work done this summer) includes new student lockers, replacing the exterior windows, some specific classroom renovations and replacing some of the old folding classroom wall partitions with masonry walls. Final phase at W.T.Chipman includes interior walls, lockers, parking lots and athletic fields.

Following are just some of the items under consideration for inclusion:
• Brick the LFHS exterior to match the new additions
• New parking lot lighting - LFHS
• Expand and renovate library - LFHS
• Add a third serving line in the cafeteria - LFHS
• Remove walls surrounding interior courtyard and cover with roof - LFHS
• Renovate office areas - LFHS
• Install artificial turf in stadium - LFHS
• Install front entrance awning – WTC
• Air condition gym – WTC

Your thoughts are encouraged and appreciated. There are lots of ways to let us know what you think. You may comment through my blog. You may directly contact me or any members of the board of education. You can send us an e-mail or write a leter.

Friday, December 4, 2009

Consolidation - again.

On October 9 I posted a blog with my view on consolidating school districts in DE. This week, State Auditor Thomas Wagner released a report suggesting that consolidating the 16 regular districts into 3 would save more than $45 million in "administrative costs."

The report suggests that Lake Forest would become part of a Central District that would stretch 45 miles from Milford to Middletown, a district I would estimate at around 35,000 students. The folks who put the numbers together for this report used actual school districts elsewhere in the country for comparison. I understand that Norfolk City Schools and Pittsburgh City Schools were two that were viewed as comparable to the Central School District.

Most people think of positions like mine that will be eliminated in consolidation. Going from 6 superintendents down to one is obviously a big savings. But after that, the report has some funny numbers. So funny, that it begins to lack credibility.

What they call "administrative costs" includes more than the professional leadership team. It also includes clerks, secretaries, cafeteria supervisors and maintenance staff. He're a few examples:

There are presently 19 clerks employed from Milford to Appoquinimink. The auditor's report suggests we would need no clerks when we consolidate into one.

There are presently 72 secretaries employed from Milford to Appoquinimink. The auditor's office suggests we would need only two.

There are presently 48 financial secretaries (processing purchases and payroll). The auditor's office suggests we would need only two.

OK. So, my understanding of this report suggests we'll close the central offices of Milford, Lake Forest, CR, Capitol, Smyrna and Appoquinimink and open a new one somewhere to support and serve 35,000 students, 2500+ teachers and 1500+ support staff. That central office will have 2 secretaries and 2 financial secretaries.

I don't mind Mr. Wagner suggesting that we could reduce superintendents when combining school districts. It is common to think that there are too many at the upper end of the pay scale. But, I've got to draw the line and call him out when he starts picking on the secretaries. This report makes no sense. There is no way an operation that big functions with 4 secretaries total.

Makes it hard to take the report seriously.

I refer you to the October 9 writing in this blog for more thoughts on consolidation. No doubt, some regional cooperation will help reduce administrative costs, but the auditor's plan is just numbers. And most of the numbers just don't add up.

Friday, November 20, 2009

What are you thankful for?

OK. For the grammarians, I know that it is improper to finish a sentence with a preposition. This should be entitled “For What Are You Thankful?” I’m not always that proper.

I do, however, get very annoyed when I overhear someone say over the phone “Where are you at?” That is like fingernails on a chalkboard to me. But I digress.

It is Thanksgiving, a uniquely American holiday and tradition. Though strongly rooted in Christian values and supported by images of gentle pious pilgrims breaking bread with Native Americans, the idea of thankfulness and gratefulness seems to be a universal value across all cultures and religions and perhaps even across the animal kingdom.

In Spanish it’s gracias. In Mandarin it’s xie xie. The Hawaiians say Mahalo. My chocolate lab, Ruby, can’t talk but says thank you with a full body tail wag whenever I bring her food or offer to throw the tennis ball for her.

Kids. We have to teach them the importance of saying thank you. Most get it from good guidance at home. Some seem to forget their manners at times, but I’m afraid we adults do send them mixed messages. The thank you is supposed to be attached to appreciation. If you don’t genuinely feel appreciation, the thank you doesn’t naturally pop in your head. Often we expect them to say thank you when someone has done something for them, but they weren’t really asking for it.

Say thank you to the dentist for stretching your mouth like a wide mouth frog? I don’t think so. Say thank you to the gym teacher for only making you do 20 push ups? Probably not. Say thank you to the barber for making you look just like your father and getting hair down your shirt? Thanks for nothing.

Still, I find as I visit our schools that children are more apt than not to say thank you at appropriate times, when they know they have been indeed given a gift. A compliment, a few extra minutes on the play ground, a snack, an opportunity to feel special and important – all will bring a quick thank you from even the rudest of kids.

Recently, I asked one of our new principals if he found our students to be different in any way from the students where he last worked. He answered, “Absolutely. The students here are polite. They look you in the eye and say good morning. They hold the door for you. They appear to be comfortable chatting with adults.”

I have much to be thankful for. I have a loving wife and healthy kids. I have a job I love in a community with a great quality of life. But it is hard to beat the grateful feeling of knowing that our kids are turning out OK; that they can treat each other with respect and compassion; that they can carry on a coherent conversation with an adult; that they know and value the idea of community service. And they know how to say “Thank You.”

Friday, November 13, 2009

Flooded Again

The folks at Bowers Beach had to deal with flooding again. Perhaps that is a price you pay when living in paradise. Reports are that everyone is OK, though I’m sure there was plenty of damage and muck to clean up.

I’ve written about this before, so if you’ve already heard this story, I apologize. But, when it rains and brings flooding in November, I am taken back to the image of a school almost washed away in the mountains of West Virginia in 1985. At that time I worked in the Central Office, but just a few years before I had been principal at Marlinton Elementary. The main building was in the flood plain. We knew that and tolerated the occasional heavy rain that pooled in the road and leaked muddy water under the door sills.

In 1978 we built a new elementary school on 3 feet of fill to get it well above the 100 year flood line. What we didn’t know was that in a few years, we would find out what a 500 year flood would be like. That means the kind of high water that may come around once every 500 years.

After moving school buses and district vehicles to higher ground, we all went to bed that night, knowing there was more water in the streets than ever and fearing for the safety of those we knew lived in its direct path. When your whole town is built in the flood plain of a significant river that is fed by high wall mountain streams, flood water can come in like a tidal wave.

I was up at daylight and glad to see the high water mark in my neighborhood stopped at the corner, 3 doors down. I was the first on the scene at school. Wearing my fishing waders I didn’t have to wait for the water to totally subside. I found that the water had reached around 8 feet in the old main building and 5 feet in the new school.

It is amazing how the water, with no doors or windows open, managed to reach the same level inside the buildings as outside. Equally amazing was the amount of mud that came with it. When the flood subsided, each classroom looked like the bottom of a peanut butter milk shake. Furniture was churned and scattered with books and other materials and all was covered in 3 - 6 inches of stinky brown muck.

Across the street sat the modest home of my friend Arch, a retired high school teacher and football coach and his wife Trudy, a kindergarten aide. Siding was missing from the house and the back deck was gone. The water line was two feet above the top of the front door. I knocked, assuming that they had left for high ground the night before and was surprised to have them both come to the door. We hooted and hollered and hugged just to see that they were OK.

They told me that as the water entered their house quickly. There was no time to wade out, so they got a step ladder and moved through the small square hatch that gave access to their tiny attic. You couldn’t help but laugh when Arch described how hunger took over good sense in the middle of the night, causing him to strip naked and swim in the icy pool that was their kitchen in order to recover a pot roast that Trudy had protected by stowing it on top of the fridge.

Thank God there were no lives lost in Marlinton that time. We learned through that flood that it’s just stuff. Stuff can be hosed off with a fire hose and re-used or thrown away and replaced. We were cleaned up and back in school in a week. We learned that people will show up from hundreds of miles away to help. We learned to appreciate that a community and its spirit could never be dampened by a little rain.

Friday, November 6, 2009

Teacher of the Year

It is a simple word – teacher. Young children learn it early. If not by entering pre-school they learn the word from an older sibling who loves to play school.

The world has been shaped by so many teachers. Jesus is often called teacher in the scriptures. Many other spiritual leaders of the world’s religions have been called teacher as well. Most made their impact upon their followers by being a great teacher.

World famous teachers have shaped our understanding of science and math, our world the universe and our role in it. Einstein, Aristotle, Confucius, Sir Isaac Newton.

Outside of the immediate family, nobody has more influence over the development of a child than teacher. How many parents, in fact, tire of their little ones who might too frequently begin a sentence with “Teacher says….”.

To be a teacher is to follow a calling. Not everyone is cut out for it. In fact, just recently I was talking to a past Lake Forest graduate, who while substitute teaching, told me he intended to go back to college and get that teaching degree. But after 3 months substitute teaching in one room and all the responsibility that goes with it, he changed his mind and pursued another career.

It is not an easy job. ABC and 123 is not so complicated on the surface, but soon the words and numbers are arranged in all sorts of complicated groups and patterns with other special symbols and add to that the influence of 20 or more students at a time and their present state of mind - nutrition and hygiene and hormones and ADHD and learning disabilities and a lady bug just landed on my desk.

Teachers are not all interchangeable. She who loves 5 year olds may loathe and fear 15 year olds. He who loves history may stumble through biology. It takes a specialized understanding of the subject and an appreciation for the age group. It also takes a willingness to think like a teacher 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

This year’s Lake Forest Teacher of the Year is Karen Williams. She was recently honored at a banquet at Dover Downs along with other district teachers of the year from all over Delaware. She was not selected to be State Teacher of the Year, but she would’ve made a good one. A social studies teacher at Lake Forest High, Mrs. Williams’ strong suit is community service and student activities. For years she has sponsored student government and developed the leadership skills of our students, preparing them to take care of our government and our businesses in our old age.

Blood drive – Lake Forest collects the most blood. Pass the hat among students and Mrs. Williams’ kids have raised thousands and thousands of dollars for local charities. Homecoming – that’s her baby. You will find her in the background of so many of our more well known community events. Her dedication to the school and community are noteworthy and our children are lucky to have her.

Mrs. Williams represents all of our finest teachers. Until next October, her picture with some of her students posed at the Food Bank will grace the billboard on Rt. 13 North just before Paradise Alley. We’re proud of her and the way she represents the district. We’re glad she’s a Spartan

Friday, October 30, 2009

It's the Principal of the Thing

Last Thursday afternoon Governor Markell, as a part of his visit to W.T.Chipman Middle School, signed a proclamation declaring that day to be Principal Recognition Day. The reason for such declarations is to draw attention to the important role of the principal and how hard it is taking care of the critical business of managing adults in such a way to assure that children learn and dream.

But, I feel that I must say from my point of view, being a principal is the best job in the business.

Principals have great power. The power comes from several directions. First, our American culture knows what a principal is. We all went to school. We all remember the principals of the schools we attended. We may have been frequent flyers to the principal’s office as children or we may have had little contact with them, but we automatically assign them a role of importance in our community. From 9 to 90, when we meet someone who says they are a principal, we automatically classify them as someone worthy of respect.

Principals, in the eyes of the students, are major real estate owners. The kids think they own the school. The little ones even think they live there. To the principal, sometimes it feels like you live there.

But, the real estate extends beyond the school, to the geographical boundaries of the school’s attendance area. So, in a way, Principals are like Governors of all youth development activities of little geo-political territories. They can drive down most any road within their attendance area and look at any house with children as the location of some of their constituents. Or they may consider the families of this territory to be the customers for their business.

If as principal, you live and shop and do business within the district, you must be aware that you are still the principal everywhere you go. Need some pain killer at Happy Harry’s? Be ready to say hello to one of your students. Going to Food Lion for a big load of groceries or just a gallon of milk? Be prepared to lean on your cart and chat with a parent or grandparent of one of your kids.

Being a principal is a 24 hour a day job and it takes a special person to understand that and enjoy it.

But the best part about being a principal is being around children and getting to do the kinds of things that children enjoy – and getting paid for it. At school we read and sing and eat and play and build things and bake things and dance and paint and laugh and sometimes get dirty. I can’t imagine any other work place environment where all of those things can happen on any given day. Can you? Only at school.

As principal, you get to take part in the reading and singing and eating and playing and building and baking and dancing and painting and laughing and getting dirty. It’s your job to be child-like while supervising. You are expected to be there. After all, sometimes you have to try the cup cakes to make sure they’re safe for everyone.

In past weeks I’ve seen principals dressed as story book heroes. I’ve seen principals splash through a slip’n slide just to make the students howl. I’ve seen them dance the Macarena in the morning and pass out hugs in the afternoon.

Yes, being a principal is a hard job. Children don’t always behave and parents are not always happy. But, there is no other job in the world where the pure child-like fun helps to balance out the more difficult days. And nobody, I mean nobody, gets more hugs.

Wednesday, October 21, 2009

The Ambulance in the Valley

I love this old poem by Joseph Malins written in 1895. It still carries valuable lessons for us. I used it in a speech this week. What does it say to you?

'Twas a dangerous cliff, as they freely confessed,
Though to walk near its crest was so pleasant;
But over its terrible edge there had slipped
A duke, and full many a peasant.
The people said something would have to be done,
But their projects did not at all tally.
Some said "Put a fence 'round the edge of the cliff,"
Some, "An ambulance down in the valley."

The lament of the crowd was profound and was loud,
As their tears overflowed with their pity;
But the cry for the ambulance carried the day
As it spread through the neighboring city.
A collection was made, to accumulate aid,
And the dwellers in highway and alley
Gave dollars and cents--not to furnish a fence--
But an ambulance down in the valley.

"For the cliff is all right if you're careful," they said;
"And, if folks ever slip and are dropping,
It isn't the slipping that hurts them so much
As the shock down below--when they're stopping."
So for years (we have heard), as these mishaps occurred
Quick forth would the rescuers sally,
To pick up the victims who fell from the cliff,
With the ambulance down in the valley.

Said one, in a plea, "It's a marvel to me
That you'd give so much greater attention
To repairing results than to curing the cause;
You had much better aim at prevention.
For the mischief, of course, should be stopped at its source;
Come, neighbors and friends, let us rally.
It is far better sense to rely on a fence
Than an ambulance down in the valley."

"He is wrong in his head," the majority said,
"He would end all our earnest endeavor.
He's a man who would shirk this responsible work,
But we will support it forever.
Aren't we picking up all, jut as fast as they fall,
And giving them care liberally?
A superfluous fence is of no consequence
If the ambulance works in the valley."

But a sensible few, who are practical too,
Will not bear with such nonsense much longer;
They believe that prevention is better than cure,
And their party will soon be much stronger.
Encourage them then, with your purse, voice and pen,
And while other philanthropists dally,
They will scorn all pretense and put up a stout fence
On the cliff that hangs over the valley.

Better guide well the young, than reclaim them when old,
For the voice of true wisdom is calling,
"To rescue the fallen is good, but 'tis best
To prevent other people from falling."
Better close up the source of temptation and crime
Than deliver from dungeon or galley
Better put a strong fence 'round the top of the cliff
Than an ambulance down in the valley.

Friday, October 16, 2009

Making School A Moving Experience

In 1975 the rate of obesity among children was 5%. In 2008 the rate of obesity among children had plumped to 16%.

Today 1 in 3 children will develop diabetes without significant lifestyle changes.

Today 37% of Delaware’s children are overweight or obese.

In 1960, 60% of the kids walked to school. Today barely 10% walk.

Since 1991 there has been a 500% increase in the number of prescriptions written for children with attention disorders.

There is one thing that is research proven to change all of the above trends – physical activity.

We can all identify many of the contributors to this phenomenon of increasing obesity in America. Computers, video games and cell phones have taken the place of after school bike riding, neighborhood whiffle ball games, hide and seek or flag football.

Concerns for child safety have caused parents to be more protective and less likely to be comfortable with their children getting on their bikes and being gone until dark. Organized sports make it happen for some, but even those kids on a team don’t necessarily stay active when the season is over.

And, of course, the intimate relationship we have with the fast food drive through window hasn’t helped.

That’s why the Lake Forest School District has joined with the Nemours Health and Prevention Services to push for more physical activity time for our students, particularly our younger ones. The facts used to start this commentary come from a presentation prepared by the Nemours folks entitled Make School a Moving Experience.

With assistance from a grant through The Nemours Foundation, all Lake Forest elementary schools will be striving to assure that each child has 150 minutes of moderate physical activity each week. Our grant covers grades K-5, but W.T.Chipman Middle School has asked to be included so we’ll support their efforts, too.

Today’s elementary school children have physical education taught by the Phys Ed teacher just once a week for 30-40 minutes. That’s not nearly enough, but to have “gym class” daily would require the employment of about 10 more PE teachers and the construction of a whole lot of gym space. I assure you, that isn’t going to happen any time soon.

So, how are we going to get more physical activity at school without increasing phys ed classes? We have been experimenting with a number of strategies. Some start every morning with school-wide exercise. They may call that time Jammin Minutes or Smartin Spartan Stretch -- 5-7 minutes of exercise as a part of the morning announcements. They also may randomly call for “Drop Everything and Jam” though out the week. Teachers and students alike, love the interruption and appreciate the opportunity to get off their seat and on their feet for exercise and dance.

All are working to be sure recess time is sacred (should rarely be taken away as punishment) and to be sure all students are active. No book reading during recess – get that heart rate up.

W.T.Chipman has set aside a room and is raising money for fitness equipment. If you have any good quality fitness equipment that you would like to donate, please let us know.

It took years for us to gain this much weight. We’re not going to fix it all in one year. But, we recognize that healthy children will learn better. We recognize that healthy children become healthy citizens.

We hope you’ll support our efforts to Make School A Moving Experience.

Friday, October 9, 2009

Consolidation of Schools

Lake Forest was born out of the state legislature in a bill known as the Education Advancement Act. It was determined, by the powers that be, that Delaware had too many tiny school districts. I suspect advocates for the Act argued that students would have greater opportunities and more diverse courses if larger schools were created. This was especially true for high school students. It was a popular move all over the United States in the late 60s.

Now, some folks in power are pushing for the consolidation of school districts once again in Delaware. They suggest that Delaware is not large enough for 16 districts (19 if you include the vo-techs). Some advocate for a move to just 3 school districts, one for each county. If successful, what was once Lake Forest, would be folded into the newly formed Kent County School District along with Caesar Rodney, Capital and Smyrna.

Prior to arriving in Lake Forest, I served as Superintendent for 8 years of Wood County School District in West Virginia with a student population of 15,000. We had 28 schools which included 3 high schools, 5 junior highs, 20 elementary schools, a vocational school and shared operation of school on the local community college campus.

I have extensive knowledge and experience from running county school systems. And, I have an opinion about further consolidation in Delaware, based upon that experience. My opinion, leave it alone. Let’s explore the issues.

Pro: Advocates for consolidation believe that it will save lots of money in operation costs, particularly because it will reduce the number of high paid administrator positions. I would agree that in theory, the administrative team could be reduced some when consolidation occurs. Sorry, this is the only pro that I can come up with.

Con: Some salary dollars can be saved through reducing administrators, but combining districts would require agreeing to one pay scale. All pay grades would be raised to whichever pays the most. For instance if a teacher with 20 years experience and a masters degree makes $1500 more in Smyrna than in Lake Forest, Capital and Caesar Rodney, the teachers from the lower paying districts will need leveled up. All teachers in the new Kent County District with a masters degree and 20 years should make the same.
I suspect that if one compares the cost of leveling up the salaries of all other employee categories, you find that you spend more than you save in reduced administrator positions. So you would spend more than you save and none of it would go for more teachers or more resources for kids.

Con: Nobody I know who is a fan of consolidation has suggested that it’s good for kids. There is no evidence, no research to suggest that bigger school districts have more successful students. In fact, much research points to smaller units being more effective.

Con: Presently in Lake Forest, the whole community finds the superintendent and the board of education easily accessible when they have problems or issues they want to discuss. We can provide good customer service because we live, shop and worship in the Lake Forest communities. If we were a part of a Kent County District, we might have one elected person from this area on the board of education. The board member would have to be concerned with programs, equity and resources with al Kent County Schools. We can assume that the main office would be in Dover. Your child may attend the same school, but it would be a part of a district with about 25,000 other kids.

My bias is clear, I’ll admit. As a superintendent of 21 years I have been a leader of K-12 school districts with 1500 students, 4000 students, 5000 students and 15,000 students. But, my bias is based upon some experience. I’d be glad to know what you think.

Thursday, October 1, 2009

The Class of 1970

In the fall of 1969, newly built Lake Forest High School welcomed its first students. Cobbled together from Felton, Frederica and Harrington districts; students who were previously Green Devils and Lions came together to become Spartans. The seniors, the class of 1970, would be the first graduates of Lake Forest School District.

I wasn’t there, but in a way I was with them because I too was of the class of 1970 in another state, 300 miles away. So I’m going to refer to them as “our class”.

These were exciting times. Our class was full of hopes and dreams. We knew that anything was possible. After all, that summer we sat glued to our TVs on a hot July evening and watched Neil Armstrong take that “giant leap” on the moon. We walked on the moon, man!

It was that hopefulness that caused us to believe in Richard Nixon. We all wanted peace. Our songs were about love and peace and harmony. We counted on him to put an end to the war in Viet Nam.

It was a time of muscle cars and short, short skirts. What kids wore to school in those days, looked nicer than anything they would wear to church today. Crisp button down collar shirts for the boys. Plaid jumpers and skirts for the girls. Did I mention how short the skirts were?

In 1970 the number one song was Bridge Over Troubled Water by Simon and Garfunkel and the number one movie was Love Story, though Patton took Best Picture honors.

Lake Forest High School’s 92,650 square feet facility opened at a cost of around $2.5 million. Today’s prices would push a school that size to around $28 million. It was built on 156 acres purchased for $70,150. Now there’s a good deal. The program from the dedication ceremony says it was designed with flexibility for “group instruction of various sizes, economy coupled with durability, beauty without luxury, adaptability for future expansion and possible curriculum changes.”

If you’ve ever wondered what the heck that is that covers the exterior walls, the program describes it as “troweled aggregate (stone chips embedded in plastic) on concrete-coated, heavy-duty dry wall.” I’ll bet in its day, that finish was stylish and modern looking. Now it looks tired. We’ll see if we can’t get some brick to take its place someday.

And, oh yes, with modular heating and cooling up on that flat roof, the design was thought to be superior to having a central boiler. Each zone could be kept at different temperatures. Nobody expected that all those roof units would require hundreds of holes in the roofing, which I’m told, led to some chronic issues in the early years with leaks.

I recently had the opportunity to flip through the 1970 year book which made me smile. The 125 seniors of the class of 1970 was an exceptionally good looking group. They were athletes and musicians and poets and farmers. I’m sure they’ve gone on to make their mark on the world.

They’ll be getting together soon for their 40th Reunion. Welcome home. And on behalf of the Lake Forest Board of Education, thanks for being first. You just might have been the best.

Thursday, September 24, 2009

Chain of Command

Back in 1965, my mom got really mad at my junior high principal. You see, we were supposed to bring in a self-addressed, stamped envelope at the end of the school year in which our report cards would be mailed home. Feeling a little “full of myself” with end of the school year silliness, I addressed my envelope with more detail than necessary. After city and state, I added United States of America, North America, Planet Earth, Universe.

Now my Principal, Mr. Brock, who was not overly endowed with a sense of humor decided that a letter addressed in such a way should not soil the U.S.Mail. So he held my report card. Mom contacted the school looking for my missing grades and was invited in to conference with the Principal. He apparently assumed she would readily agree that such a serious act was just one step away from being a juvenile delinquent. My mother concluded that he was either working too hard or he was just an idiot.

Sometimes folks get mad at me, just like my mother was at Mr. Brock. Sometimes they’re not really mad at me, but they’re mad at something that happened and they express that anger freely too me. Sometimes they get real fired up based solely upon the information provided by their child. Most often, when we add other information to the student’s story, we get a clearer picture of the entire incident and the anger diminishes.

We’re not a real big district so I’m available for trouble shooting. I’m pretty easy to talk to and I try to be respectful to all callers. But, unfortunately, I am most often not the one who can fix the problem or right the wrong because I wasn’t there. You would be surprised at the folks who begin their conversation with a threat that if I don’t take care of this, they are going to call the Governor, or Joe Biden, or the United States Superintendent of Schools.

I generally try to steer parents/guardians back to the source so that the problem might be resolved at the lowest level possible. If it happened on the bus, contact the bus driver and if he/she doesn’t respond, call Bill Morris, Supervisor of Transportation. If the problem happens in the classroom, contact the teacher and if the issue is unresolved, contact the school principal. If, after giving the principal a chance to solve the problem, you are still not satisfied, then contact me.

And if, after meeting with me, you’re still not happy, you can appeal to the Board of Education. We even have a special form for that.

Good old mom went to the person responsible for that decision back in 1965. She followed the chain of command.

We accept in our business that the occasional decision, made in the best interest of the child, may not be well received by the family. But we have learned that most of the time folks get upset, it’s because they don’t have the full picture. When they get a chance to talk with the employee, things get worked out just fine. And they don’t need me, or the Governor or Joe Biden or the U.S. Superintendent of Schools, whoever that is.

Friday, September 18, 2009

The Flu

I have a cold. It’s not the flu, just a cold that started with a little sinus drainage, moved to sore throat and has now dropped into my chest in about 3 days. I’ll survive.

At least it’s not the flu. My wife had the flu about a month ago (the non-porcine kind) and it was a rough one. This lady generally works 8 days a week and she ended up being home for about 10 days straight. Maybe if I was a better nurse she would’ve recovered more quickly.

This flu thing, swine or other, has us all thinking more cautiously. We’re washing our hands more. Just the other day, after the usual break in our church service where everyone greets one another with a handshake or a hug, I found myself asking my wife if she had any hand sanitizer in her purse. Now I keep it in my car and at my desk.

Here’s a little quiz to test your knowledge of prevention basics. Share them with your family.

Q: If your hands are occupied and you have to sneeze, what’s the best way to catch it?
A: In the crook of your arm, inside your elbow.

Q: How long should you wash your hands?
A: As long as it takes to sing Happy Birthday.

Q: If you’ve been away from school or work with the flu, when is it safe to return?
A: When you’ve had no fever for 24 hours with no assistance from fever reducing meds.

Bottom line is, I tell parents to count on their child getting the flu and make plans for caring for them. We won’t keep children at school when they have a fever. We won’t send them home on the bus either. Child care centers won’t take them. So, be sure to have a family plan. I know it may be a burden on the family income, but failure to act responsibly risks spreading infections further.

We understand that the Department of Public Health is devising a plan to offer swine flu vaccinations to students at school this fall. No details are available at this time, but hopes are they’ll get the details out in October and begin the shots in early November. In the mean time, this website can keep you informed. http://dhss.delaware.gov/dhss/dph/index.html.

If you want to talk to someone in the district about the flu, your child’s school nurse is the most knowledgeable resource we have.

Stay safe and wash your hands.

Friday, September 11, 2009

School Uniform and School Pictures Go Together

We have a uniform dress code, but we don't really have school uniforms. If we had school uniforms there would be one color shirt and one color pants/skirt for every student. Our policy requires a collared shirt and permits families to choose from several colors. Same thing for the bottoms.

This week I've had a few calls from parents questioning why students are being told they must wear the uniform for school pictures. "I spend my money to buy those pictures and they should wear what I want them to wear," they say. In past years some of our schools permitted parents to send their children dressed any way they like on picture day. Others required the uniform.

Because we were not being consistent, this year our principals agreed that they would all do the same thing to reduce confusion at home. They decided that for Fall pictures, all students would be required to be dressed in our daily uniform style. Why?

Our principals reasoned that the Fall photo always goes into the school yearbook. The school yearbook is our official visual record of the school year. Pictures of students in the yearbook should look like they look in school. I agree completely. It's as simple as that. School pictures do generate a little profit for the school, but if requiring the uniform means you don't want to buy any pictures, that's OK with us.

As Paul Harvey would say, "Now you know the rest of the story."

And in the Spring, when the school schedules Spring photos, we'll let the parents dress them up any way they like.

Friday, September 4, 2009

Respect for the Office

Our Governor, Jack Markell, will be visiting some schools this year. He has asked for the opportunity to address students during school and talk to the faculty after school. He'll visit one of our most improved schools, W.T.Chipman this month. We will show him some Spartan hospitality and welcome him with all of the courtesy and respect that is due the office of Governor of the First State.

It will be a great opportunity for a first hand lesson in government and certainly opens the door for some interesting classroom assignments afterword. It doesn't matter if you are a republican or a democrat or if you voted for him or not, he's everyone's Governor right now and he has a very challenging job.

Would we offer the same respect if the President of the United States wanted to visit one of our schools? Sure we would.

As it so happens, President Obama is planning a visit to schools on Tuesday at noon via the Internet and CSPAN. Like George Bush did in 1991 he wants to launch the school year by addressing the nation's school children. And, like the opposing party in 1991, there are those who say the president is using this speech for political gain.

According to the press release, the speech will take no more than 20 minutes and "the president will challenge students to work hard, set educational goals, and take responsibility for their learning". It seems to me that those are goals that all of us can support. If, because the words come from the President, they stick with a few students like never before, that would be a good thing.

So, it has been a little surprising that we've had some parents contact us even before we knew of the speech and threaten to keep their children home. We have also had some parents ask if we are going to view it, can they come and view it with their children.

Here's how we'll handle what has become a somewhat controversial issue. At Central Elementary and W.T.Chipman, students who return a permission form will have the opportunity to view the speech live. At Lake Forest High School, they plan to download and save the speech to be used in individual Social Studies classes. One of the reasons they chose that option is that they're trying to reduce the number of school wide-interuptions to the day and they already have a pep-rally scheduled for next week. Sorry, Mr. President, football season is about to start.

We're not sure if students in our elementary K-3 schools will understand what the President has to say, so teachers in those schools will wait to review the message before determining if there is a usable lesson that is applicable to our social studies curriculum.

So that's the plan. We'll use discretion and we'll allow parents to choose whether their child should view the speech live. And we'll allow teachers to determine after it is delivered, if the material is appropriate for a social studies lesson.

Harry Truman said, "When you get to be President, there are all those things, the honors, the twenty-one gun salutes, all those things. You have to remember it isn't for you. It's for the Presidency."

I'd like to think that if the President called, President Obama or any future president, and wanted to speak at one of our schools, we would show him the same courtesy and respect we do for our Governor. It's not so much the person, but the Office that would deserve it.

Friday, August 28, 2009

School Starts - this is soooo exciting!

It's here - the first day of school.

Your new school supplies are on the table. Your new school clothes have been laid out and tried on more than once. You're going for that certain look to impress on the first day of school. You toss in your sleep, wondering if you'll make new friends. Wondering if the kids will like you. Will your teachers like you? You'll worry that you might forget something or that you'll spill something on your shirt in the cafeteria and everyone will laugh. You fear you'll oversleep and be late.

This is how it begins for the school principal. I guess the teachers and students have similar butterflies.

It's an unusual year in Lake Forest. After several years of no changes we now have new leadership teams in 4 of our 6 schools. Retirement took some fine people from us. We'll miss their experience and expertise. But these new principals are something special. I think you're going to like them. More importantly, I think they're going to help lead Lake Forest Schools to a whole new level of student success.

Mr. Cave moved up from the middle school to Lake Forest High School. Mr. Brown, from Seaford, is now principal at W.T. Chipman. Mr. Martin came to us from Appoquinimink to be principal at Central Elementary. Dr. Amory is at Lake Forest South after successful years in Milford.

Mrs. Clark at East and Mrs. Wynder at North now represent the old experienced leaders. I'm teasing, they're both very young.

Today we had some "meet and greet" time at the primary schools and orientation day for 4th, 6th and 9th graders. I made it to all 6 schools and everyone seemed to be having a great day. On Monday, everyone will be here, then we're off to another successfull school year.

I'll probably not sleep a wink on Sunday night.

Monday, August 24, 2009

Blogging in Lake Forest

OK. We're going to try this business of blogging. Over the summer I've read some articles about school district superintendents using blogs as another means of communication. I've always been open to new ideas and I'm comfortable with technology, so I think we'll give it a try.

What you'll find here are occasional musings on educational issues. I may respond to a question from staff, students or community members. I may respond to comments left on the blog by a reader. I may write about a hot button issue in the community. Or, I may simply tell a story from my experiences.

For instance, as Director of Instruction, communications was one of my many responsibilities in rural Pocahontas County, West Virginia in the mid-80s. This was challenging. The County had a total of 9000 residents in 1000 square miles. There was one tiny weekly newspaper. TV news came over the mountain from Roanoke, Virginia. We had no local radio until a group of enterprising folks got together and wrote some grants to fund a "public radio".

They built the radio station on land next to our high school. There was one paid staff member and the rest of the work was done by volunteers. A friend of mine, the County Agriculture Extension Agent, did a couple of hours on Wednesday morning as a volunteer DJ. With his assistance, I did a weekly call-in live radio show on education issues. I'd start a topic, he'd ask a few questions, then we'd open up the phone lines which could be quite risky.

One day I mentioned that the athletic boosters were looking for donations to help with the development of a new baseball field. One lady called and requested the DJ play a special song. She is live - on the air. He advised her that he'd play her song if she'd pledge some money to the new ball field. She responded that the chickens had been laying really good of late and she had extra eggs to sell, so sure, she'd give the extra money to the baseball team.

Pioneering live call-in radio in the 80s has now been replaced with blogs.

On a blog, people can read what's been posted any hour of the day or night. On a blog, they can comment at any time as well. On a blog, they can say what they want and remain anonymous.

It is for that reason that I'm going to reserve the right to review comments before I allow them to be seen by all. I assure you that I won't be editing the critics. I'll just be watching for inappropriate language and personal attacks on employees. Those won't see the light of day.

Otherwise, we'll see what happens. Let's get the blog thing started!