Great Things Going On
On the occasion of the annual Center Kiwanis Pancake Dinner I spent some time reflecting on how fortunate the community of Center is to have been blessed with such an active Kiwanis club for so many years. Though small in enrollment, the members of the Kiwanis Club of Center continually focus their efforts on community service activities that support our schools and our students directly. In past years the Center Kiwanis Club has provided funding for the construction of our new wrestling room, purchased scoreboards for our athletic programs, sponsored students in attending leadership conferences, and secured desperately needed items such as glasses, hearing aids, and medical services for families and children. On an annual basis our local Kiwanis group also supplies Center High School students with thousands of dollars in scholarship money to attend college, all Haskin 3rd graders with their very own reference dictionary, and local 4 H participants with financial support at the San Luis Valley Fair animal auction. Our Kiwanis men and women truly work to educate the youth of our community and to make Center a better place to live.
This past week Center High School building trades teacher Mark Jones brought a contingent of CHS students to a Skills USA competition that was held at Centauri high School. At this event his students had the opportunity to compete against other San Luis Valley schools in building tasks such as designing and constructing cabinets and framing walls. We know that not every child is destined to attend college, and believe whether they are or are not, events like these that enhance their learning can open doors of opportunity for their future. Thanks Mr. Jones for gearing our kids up to compete, and for providing them with the skills they need to do well at such events.
I don’t often focus on athletics in my weekly writing, as I believe the most important work we do in Center Schools is in our classrooms. However, this winter we are all taking notice of the success our kids have been achieving and the effort our high school teams have been putting forth. In the past few months Scott Poole and his coaching staff have guided our Center High School Lady Viking basketball team to a level of competitiveness we have not seen in many years. Mark Jones and his crew have advanced our Viking men hoopsters to a point where they will compete for a chance to go to state. This past weekend in Del Norte coach Brian Ullery and the Center High School wrestling squad captured first place in our region and qualified 11 wrestlers to go to state, 8 as regional champions. On a final note, have any of you also noticed that we simply have the best cheerleading crew in the Valley? A big thank you goes out to Kimberly Duran and her girls for the support they have offered to all of our teams this past fall and winter. Keep up the great work Vikings!
Big Things We Are Working On
This past Tuesday I met in executive session with the Center Schools Board of Education to conduct my annual evaluation. Though no specific feedback was offered toward my improvement at this juncture, the board and I have agreed to set aside some extensive time this coming summer to establish clear goals by which I can be measured in future years. In the mean time, feedback I received from nearly 80 evaluation survey respondents has led me to personally establish goals around ensuring all instructional staff members have a better understanding how to support our large English Language Learner population, and helping our classified staff members make better sense of and understand what we are doing as a district to support them in meeting the requirements of the Affordable Health Care Act.
Last week superintendents from around Colorado made a bit of a splash at the Capitol by sending a letter to lawmakers urging them to improve upon Governor Hickenlooper’s original budget proposal for increasing 2014-15 school funding by an additional $275 million dollars. With more than one billion dollars in the education fund reserve, and after suffering from multiple years of state budget cuts to education, Colorado’s school district leaders are asking state policy makers to release more of what is currently available to schools. As a result of this large-scale communication I had the pleasure of participating in a meeting with Colorado Speaker of the House Mark Ferrandino last week that indicated to me the legislature is willing to consider our proposal, though not in the exact form we have asked for it to be implemented. As always, I will be working during the remainder of the legislative session on behalf of the students of Center Schools to secure for them the resources we desperately need to help them to receive an equal opportunity at education in comparison to the rest of the state’s children. I’ll continue keep you up to date on these developments as they unfold.
Last week superintendents from around Colorado made a bit of a splash at the Capitol by sending a letter to lawmakers urging them to improve upon Governor Hickenlooper’s original budget proposal for increasing 2014-15 school funding by an additional $275 million dollars. With more than one billion dollars in the education fund reserve, and after suffering from multiple years of state budget cuts to education, Colorado’s school district leaders are asking state policy makers to release more of what is currently available to schools. As a result of this large-scale communication I had the pleasure of participating in a meeting with Colorado Speaker of the House Mark Ferrandino last week that indicated to me the legislature is willing to consider our proposal, though not in the exact form we have asked for it to be implemented. As always, I will be working during the remainder of the legislative session on behalf of the students of Center Schools to secure for them the resources we desperately need to help them to receive an equal opportunity at education in comparison to the rest of the state’s children. I’ll continue keep you up to date on these developments as they unfold.
The Past Week
Last Monday administrators from all over the San Luis Valley were on our campus to learn from each other how to better support improved instruction through more effective classroom walkthrough processes. On Tuesday morning I attended the SLV Superintendents Advisory Council meeting in Alamosa, followed by the Center Schools District Accountability Meeting in the afternoon, and then the regular monthly Center Schools Board of Education meeting that evening. I spent the early part of the day Wednesday in the buildings, but then drove to Denver to fly to Nashville to attend the National Conference on Education where I represented Colorado as its superintendent of the year. I attended the conference Thursday through Saturday then returned home to Center on Sunday.
The Week Ahead
We have no school on Monday February 17th as the district will be celebrating President’s Day and hosting the annual Center Kiwanis pancake Dinner. On Tuesday I will participate in our district’s monthly Early Steps to School Success meeting in the morning, and I will be in the school buildings in the afternoon. On Wednesday I will be conducting a full day of Race to the top of the Valley work, mainly organizing quarterly assessments and submitting financial and reporting paperwork. On Thursday and Friday I will be in Denver for the Colorado Association of Schools Boards legislative conference where I hope to learn more about this year’s school finance act and other legislation that might effect K-12 education.
Extra Points
At Tuesday evening’s board of education meeting many staff and community members were kind enough to attend to offer support for the renewal of my work agreement with the Center Schools Board of Education. Action taken by the board that evening has put me in a position where I feel I can comfortably remain as superintendent of schools in the district for the next two years. That would make my total tenure at the position of superintendent of schools in Center 19 years. I want to take a moment to thank the individuals who spoke on behalf of my staying employed as the superintendent of schools here in Center. As a result of the meeting, and as a result of the board’s actions that evening, I must say I have never felt so valued as the district’s leader. The conversation we held regarding exactly what it takes to be an effective superintendent here in Center, and what an effective superintendent is worth to the district, is one that truly needed to occur. My personal goal is to continue moving forward with the things we have been doing to improve educational experiences and outcomes for our kids while continuing to seek new ways to achieve yet better results.
Thanks for support and thanks for listening once again.
George
Thanks for support and thanks for listening once again.
George