Today I want to share with you work that the staff has done
over the summer as they have worked to align building goals with the goals of
the School Board. Business gurus such as
Peter Senge and Jim Collins have spent decades studying how effective
organizations operate. One the insights
they have gained is that an organization must all be “heading in the same
direction”. In other words, there must
be a clear vision and path that the entire organization is working toward. At
Penn-Trafford this process started with the School Board developing theirnon-negotiable goals for instruction and achievement. The school district continued the process
this summer with all the teachers from every school meeting to develop their
mission, purpose, and values as they align to the School Board goals. The work has been magnificent. You will be able to view the final product
for each school on their individual web sites in the upcoming weeks.
As the staff worked
on their mission, purpose and values I began to notice a common thread in all
of their work. What is more amazing
about this observation is that every building met separately and many on
different days! Today I want to share
with you the common “core values” of the district as distilled from my
observations. These values are reflected
in the work of all of the buildings and will be the basis for the work that the
school does for our children.
Core Values
- · Instruction empowers students in their own learning
- · Learning is relevant to student’s lives
- · Instruction engages students
- · Education is customized for Learners
- · Critical thinking and problem solving are essential skills in the 21st Century
These simple core values send a powerful message to all members
of our community that the school district is serious about providing the best
educational experiences possible for our children. Penn-Trafford is changing education to
prepare our students to thrive in the 21st Century!
Nice! Good and correct basis to start. These core values can be powerful only if followed by supporting items. So whats next? Next common traditional step in business planning would be to create a vision statement defining how the core values will be structured. Was that done? These two basic statements can then lead to formulating a business plan, stragetic plan, and pro-forma yearly financial statements. These documents can define what personnel and other resources or needed or not, define how items will be funded, what items will not be funded, and provide goals and target funding for items like unions contracts, PSERS funding, cyber plan, buildings, etc. Solicitation of input from the community is recommended, but the administration and school board are the ones we selected to do the job. Do you care to comment on your plans and if these or simmilar traditional steps will be undertaken? If not, core values will likely be a waste of time.
ReplyDeleteWhen it all comes down, what will PT do to become a school district of choice? What will make the district be one where people choose to buy houses in PT because of the school district? Keeping taxes low along with an innovative learning program, cutting edge technology and how to apply that technology and top notch facilities is a great start, which will incorporate the core values that Tom outlined.
ReplyDeleteAgreed. Do you support going through the effort to do the things mentioned above to develop a concensus on details and quantify uncertainties in funding to plan for the future? Or just wing-it? Our pro-forma budgets show some big problems funding top notch anything.
ReplyDeleteThe PT Board and Dr. Butler CHOSE to meet in at least 2 non-public meetings last Spring to discuss Budget matters illegally (violating the Sunshine Act). How anyone can trust the "core values" of those individuals is beyond me. Trying to appear innovative in instruction and transparent in its actions when it has that action on its resume, along with an unwillingness to video record and quickly post board meetings online, is quite hypocritical of the PT Board and Administration.
DeleteDB_to_PT,
DeleteYou have the most recent meetings on tape, perhaps you can hoo up with the "Coalition" and get them posted on FaceBook. I don't know why you feel it is your given right to post videos of the meetings. I'm willing to bet that as many people that regularly attend the meetings would watch them, not many.
Charles,
DeleteI'll take your bet. You're right in that not many attend the live board meetings. That is likely due to combinations of factors like work, family, health, time, and lack of knowing what will or won't be covered in a given meeting because the agendas are not posted online 3 or more days prior to a meeting for the public to review and consider attending.
In a district that is trying to be cutting edge on technology in education, it is ridiculous that they can't use cheap-to-free technology and resources to have the PT video club record the meetings and post for free on youtube for all to see. If that results in 5 people seeing/hearing a meeting instead of 3, that is still a great start. Your television show LOST started out with a small audience and grew as more people told each other to catch an episode -- maybe the same could happen to PT board meetings.
Check out http://southmoreland.schoolwires.com/site/default.aspx?PageID=1 to see how neighboring, smaller budget Southmoreland shares board meetings with its taxpayers/residents. I was told by their Technology Coordinator that their Superintendent is actually the person who uploads the videos for them - now that's dedication to transparency! It was all I could do to get the district to start posting meeting minutes for prior years and for both monthly meetings instead of just the second; this does not yet appear to be a Board and Administration dedicated to transparency with the public.
Hopkasig, C Whitmore, DB to PT: Thanks for caring. We are basically on the same page. Suggest we support each other goals. If we say anything off base, we are willing to revise our approach if needed to rsolve any of your concerns. Stength in numbers of educated citizens is more important. Perhaps some confidential cooridation off this blog might make sence. pttaxpayercoalition@comcast.net
DeleteCharles - Thanks for the interest in our facebook site. From site reports we know people are visiting, but "likes" are harder to get. Got any ideas on content, be glad to hear it. We lost some resources temporarially, four or our core supporters had to take a few weeks off to get business contracts in place.
Regarding process concerns, the PT Taxpayer coalition has major concerns on the budget process and lack of community engagement on planning. With these concerns, we made an appeal to the 2012-2013 budget process in June. To be sure to follow the correct process, the board’s procedures on their website were thoroughly reviewed to be consistent desired processes. The board's policy includes a Section 621 Local Taxpayer Bill of Rights. In this section are means to file and resolve appeal request. To resolve an appeal, a process is defined where a local tax appeals board would need to be established. The appeal process does not allow resolution by an individual such as the superintendent. An appeal was filed in an email to Dr. Butler on the basis the budget process was flawing in timing, procedures, community engagement, and inadequate board meeting processes. Dr. Butler replied in an email stating the district’s solicitor (lawyer) had confirmed that the process followed the sunshine act and all applicable state laws. Our appeal did not question that aspect. In any event, Dr. Butler’s reply is not a method to resolve an appeal per the board own procedures. Therefore we feel the appeal is still outstanding at this time. After Dr. Butler’s response, the PT Taxpayer Coalition contacted the state department of education and was told any budget submitted by the district by the June 30 deadline should contain a statement regarding the outstanding appeal. Concerns to the budget process can be documented by sending an email to Dr. Butler. The budget process is naturally flawed for reasons beyond the administrations control, and decisions are made that are shown later to be illogical if information were available in a timely manner. For example, after the budget and tax increase were established, the state provided $726K of funding beyond expectations when the board approved the $470K tax increase. Therefore the unexpected state funding increase negates the logic used for a tax increase. However, it appears the administration and school board are showing no interest in any appeal, and do not want to follow their procedures. This is likely because the community digging any further in the budget process, or dealing with any flaws in the budget process or logic, would be a time consuming activity. In our opinion the real issues are vision statements, business/strategic plans, and estimating future funding sources and expenses to fund the any programs for the district. Otherwise, complaints on process are easy since there is no consensus or basis on where we want to be and now to get there. With PSERS pension funding exploding in the next years, any funding of improvement program like buildings or cyber programs will be very difficult. To go in that direction without a plan to fund it is not the right thing to do. The administration is silent, but our pro-forma budgets show double digit tax increases, beyond ACT 1 limits and requiring tax referendums, will be required to fund PSERS alone. What business plan exists to fund these mandatory pensions and also attain other objectives? If none, we will start in a direction wasting money on projects that will die and waste any money spent to get started.
ReplyDeleteNote there is nothing in the core values anything close to community involvement, sharing budget processes, or the like. So what are we to expect in terms of communication on budgets, reasons for tax increases, or whatever else the comminity might want or need to know if PT citizens accept core values that don't include any such committments? As such these core values are not comminity core values, but administration core values. Perhaps that was the intent, but the core values need to be revised if they are to represent core values of the comminity. Core values above are a good attempt to get some teamwork, but not a vision/mission statement unless they provide actionable information for the future investments.
ReplyDeleteThese core values are a good start. I do hope that they are not a finished product. It disturbs me that there is nothing there that involves the family of the student. This has been one of my biggest concerns for the last several years. As a parent, I feel that I get limited information from my children's teachers. It would be nice to feel as though PT valued the parents. The core values, as listed, are good in theory. I am curious to see how they are implemented. Reflecting back on the last several years, they do not adequately represent our experiences with the district. Since all the teachers had input, I do hope to see evidence of these core values in each classroom this year.
ReplyDeleteMaybe there is a way to get answers to some questions at the next school board meeting. Who wants to collect questions posted on Core Values and State Budget positngs and send the questions to the school board to address during the August 6, 2012 school board meeting? The school board's email address is ptschoolboard@aol.com.
ReplyDeleteI think everyone has to give Dr. Butler some credit for what he has accomplished already and a little time to get his game going. You have to keep in mind this district is under a new regime, the old one was in place for years. Bruno, Marasti, Kolonay were all cut from the same cloth and Kolonay was groomed by Marasti. Not that they were bad but all in sync with one another. It will take some time for Dr.B to undo some of the ritual ways of doing things in this district. His first year he made some great changes, I think this second year will be even more impressive now that he has settled in. Don't let up on him but give him a little breathing room.
ReplyDeleteIronically (or not really so), these issues with the district and the displeasure of many residents were not present during Bruno and Marasti's time. Since Kolonay there has been COUNTLESS problems, discrepancies, and all together misuse of powers.
DeleteMr. Whidmore - From your background and friendships in the district, your opinions are valued by us. Please help keep us headed in the right direction.
ReplyDelete"Dr. B's" arrogance didn't allow him to make necessary changes regarding discipline late last school year, though he knew they needed to be made and would be made in the 2012-13 school year. All will see the new leniency for the new year soon, right Doc? That kind of disingenuousness and dishonesty are why people are leary.
ReplyDeleteCan you expand/explain this comment?
DeleteThe only discipline issue I can think of was a couple students which were caught doing some prohibited acts while on a school related trip. Thosestudents should have been expelled and not given a diploma, as well as having to deal with the law authorities (and putting it on their record) IMO. We are PT and we expect a higher set of morals and values.
DeleteThe only ones that are leary is the one that accepted an agreement and then lobbied to change that agreement after the fact.
ReplyDeleteAgreements accepted with the equivalent of a gun to the head within a few days of events are interesting... It is surprisingly difficult to get all the facts about administration improprieties and cover ups in that time. It is also interesting to see Dr. B or a school board member comment on Dr. B blog as "anonymous".
ReplyDeleteThose that do not want to abide by the agreement should be the ones that shouldn't have done the deed in the first place. Stupid actions have reprecussions. Better to learn it now than later in life....
DeleteI can assure you that when I do respond to a comment on this blog, I use my name.
ReplyDeleteNeither Dr Butler or a board member. I know you don't believe it but there are those of us that do not think the district has some hidden agenda to screw over the citizens of PT. We believe that we live in an excellent school district and have faith in the people that got us where we are. Mistakes are made, no one is perfect and I will not crucify someone for making the tough decisions that I surely would not want to make.
ReplyDeleteDear Neither - you seem like a nice person, but obviously you do not have all the facts on the topic of which you type. Even the information you do have seems to have come from the administration and/or board; if so, they are breaking confidentiality requirements to be discussing such matters, which is another problem.
ReplyDeleteI am glad you will not crucify and understand mistakes are made. However, Dr. B and his administration, to use your analogy, DID crucify students for mistakes. He has never even admitted to making a mistake on that topic, and he also had plenty of opportunities to mitigate any mistakes he did make. He chose not to mitigate and let students and families suffer and twist in the wind. But he is now helping to lead the way for the future generations with more leniency. Others were just collateral damage, and oh well. Sorry, but it is hard to accept a mistake not admitted to.