Sunday, November 18, 2007

Please read the Summary Report from the Rockwood Bond Survey for 2008

I'm going to say some stuff about this survey, and it will make a lot more sense if you read it. Plus, that will let you draw your own conclusions based on what the data said.

Truly, if you haven't already seen it, go read it. This concerns you, your family, and your community. Do yourself a favor and be informed about it.

-- bab

What are these special Board meetings?

A district resident emailed me with some concerns about a special meeting called for the Board on last Saturday. The only description of this meeting was that it was to consider the structure of the district's administration. Given that this was the only description, it was entirely justified to have some curiosity about the purpose and intended outcome of this meeting.

Well, I attended the first of these meetings, and I can tell you that these meetings are a good thing, entirely focused on the future of the district, and a sign of a good administrator looking out for the district.

Dr. Larson requested this meeting as a way of continuing the succession planning for the district as Dr. Peckron retires at the end of this school year. Once she leaves, her position will be open, and he is taking this opportunity to have a discussion about options dealing with how to fill it.

Dr. Larson's Proposal

Dr. Larson proposed splitting the responsibilities for the position of Deputy Superintendent into two different roles. He proposed creating an Associate Superintendent, who would be second in command of the district, and an Executive Director of Curriculum, who would be responsible for the overseeing the current Directors of Elementary, Middle, and High School curriculum.

The Associate Superintendent position would fulfill many of the same administrative responsibilities as Dr. Peckron's current position, but it could be filled by someone with a little less experience. Doing this could keep the cost of filling this position down a bit and would give this person a nice space into which they could grow over time.

The Executive Director of Curriculum position would concentrate the curriculum function in one leg of the org chart, allowing them to focus better on this important job. This would be a new position, but one that is in keeping with the organization of similar districts.

Currently, Dr. Peckron is responsible for both sets of responsibilities, and it is a huge job that she does very well. It may very well be difficult to find someone who can fill both of these roles, and fill them well, so splitting the set of responsibilities makes absolute sense.

This meeting was merely called by Dr. Larson to begin the process of holding discussions around creating this new organization.

The Next Meeting

The next meeting in this process is being held tonight, Sunday, November 18th, at Crestview at 7:00 PM. If you're interested in this, please show up. I'll be there!

-- bab

A Plethora of Posts Promptly

Oh, boy, do I have a lot of stuff to post about. So much, in fact, that I want to tell you what is coming so that you'll know to be looking for it. To be honest, it is to commit myself to writing it as well -- if I've promised it, I have to deliver it, right????

So, this is what is coming over the next week:

  • Summary of the November 8th board meeting
  • Explanation of the series of special Board meetings
  • Summary of each of these special meetings
  • Lots of posts about the upcoming Bond issue, including
    • Financing, costs, and taxes
    • Contents and size of suggested bond
    • Why a bond is needed
    • Summary of Bond Survey

My goal is to discuss most, if not all, of these things during the Thanksgiving week.

The next Board meeting is December 8th, when the Facilities Long Range Planning Committee is to come to the Board with a suggestion for the Bond issue. If you are interested, concerned, or excited about this topic, this would be a great meeting to attend.

Until my next post,

-- bab

Thursday, November 8, 2007

2 Board Meetings to know about

Hi, all,

Just a quick post to remind you about one Board meeting, and tell you about another.

Thursday, November 8th

Tonight's meeting is important, because this is where the Board will first learn of the Bond Survey results. I have no idea what is going to happen tonight, no idea what the results will be, but I do know that I don't want to miss this meeting.

If you are interested at all in the bond issue, its contents, its cost, and whether it should even be put onto the ballot, tonight is the meeting to be at. Check out the agenda, and please show up.

Saturday, November 10th

This is a special meeting of the Board called just this week. Its stated purpose is to discuss the organization of Rockwood administration. Kathy Peckron is retiring at the end of the year, and her retirement is at least one of the topics up for conversation. The agenda is very vague as to what they're going to discuss, but I plan on being there to find out.

The meeting announcement is here.

--bab