Confidence in our Schools
As a leader of a public school system, a town or a police department, or any other agency that serves the public, it is essential to earn public trust. Parents entrust their children to us and it is important for them to feel that their children are safe and that the adults with whom they spend their day have their best interest in mind. And so we try to communicate what we are doing to ensure quality teaching and learning and an effective learning environment. We celebrate our successes and the successes of our students.
There are also many times when it is essential to communicate uncertainty, provisional plans, and disappointing data in an effort to be transparent and honest. The pandemic has increased the necessity to put in motion plans that we cannot guarantee will continue to be in place in weeks to come. We hope that our efforts to continually reflect on our outcomes and adjust accordingly will instill confidence that we are working with the best interests of our students in mind, even when so many uncertainties exist.
We are moving into budget season, which necessitates additional discussions about our needs, sometimes coming into conflict with our goal to instill confidence in our schools. How do we articulate the need for new curriculum materials while concurrently telling parents that our schools offer the best instructional program? How do we articulate the need for technology infrastructure while also assuring parents that their children are being educated to be ready for the 21st century workforce? How do we engage the community in discussions about the need for renovations to the Boyle Athletic Complex while promoting our high school as a competitive choice for secondary education? The answer is simple; the best institutions are continually refining their practices and addressing their needs. To do otherwise would result in stagnation. We can’t continue to deliver on our promise that all children will be ready for continued education, career, and life without addressing emerging needs. As we begin the budget process, we will work hard to identify cost savings and efficiencies so that we can continue to evolve while being considerate of the needs of the entire community.
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