Spotlight on District 109

Well, there have been some interesting goings on in District 109 lately.  First off, I’d like to commend the District for its attempt to address middle school issues through the recently formed task force.  I know that new Science and STEM labs will be a reality, which is great, but it’s unclear to me what other changes will be made as a result of the other 5 groups that met.  Most will have to jockey for precious class time during the day, and hopefully the Board will figure that all out.

To me, the social emotional committee had the biggest job since I think that is the number one issue facing middle schools today, mostly due to the proliferation of social media.  I’ve seen recommendations for education, but nothing about how administrators and teachers will handle the bullying problem proactively, and not just constantly react to issues as they come up.  By then it’s too late.  Maybe it’s time to take more stringent measures.  How about a no cel phone rule?  How about assigned seating for lunch?  How about more investigation into why children are bullied?  It seems as though the only punishments are for the bullied when they retaliate because, in the absence of proper supervision, that is the only recourse they have.  The inmates are running the asylum and it has to stop.

We extended the contract of the head of the special education department, with a BIG raise and retroactive pay.  This on the heels of a survey which showed that, two years after a special ed fiasco, there are still many unresolved issues.  We also had some shakeups in the principal ranks.  Two principals hired by the previous administration were removed from their positions.  After a fairly brief search, the district announced that after reviewing 160 applications, they have selected two current district assistant principals to fill the positions.  Now I’m all for hiring from within, as long as the internal candidates are the most qualified applicants.  One AP has been with the district for one year, the other for 3 years.  One AP has no classroom experience, the other’s is minimal.

I won’t speculate on what kind of principals these two will make, but we do have some experience in this district with hiring principals from within with limited experience.  I’ll let you draw your own conclusions on how that’s going.  What I will say is that of the highly effective principals I know, and there are several, they seem to fit a certain profile.  Ten years of CLASSROOM teaching experience..MINIMUM.  At least 3 years of assistant principal experience being mentored by a senior principal, someone with at years 10 years on the job.  Doctorates?  They’re nice to have but they are certainly not necessary for an effective building administrator.  They are more of a requirement for someone shooting for a Superintendent gig.

There seems to be a shift as to what districts are looking for in administrators and I’m not sure it’s for the better.  More “management” skills and fewer teaching skills.  More formal education and less on the job education.  More knowledge of things like curricula, state standards, and testing, and less knowledge of how to relate to children.  Again, look at the principals you regard highly and tell me their background.  Are they middle managers or seasoned educators?  Can they relate to and win the trust and confidence of children?  There are plenty of managers out there willing and able to run a school, but very few true gifted educators.  We need to do whatever it takes to find those people and hire them.