Re “Goldberg Wings Away to a Promised Fast Start”
[Editor’s Note: The address the freshly elected President of the School Board gave last night after the unanimous vote.]
Thank you to all of the community members who have joined us tonight.
Congratulations to Laura Chardiet and Nancy Goldberg for their well-deserved election. Our community is lucky to have a Board filled with members who possess such a rich variety of skill sets and who are so energetic and action-oriented.
I want to take a moment to thank those who, over the past two years, have supported me in the work that I have done here as a Board member. While they are too numerous to list, I want to single out the members of my Education Advisory Committee. This group of committed stakeholders has met with me twice a month for the past two years, helping me to dissect the issues of the District while providing valuable perspectives that have helped me to be a more effective Board member.
Thanks to Jon Barton, Nancy Goldberg, Debbie Hamme, Todd Johnson, Liz Kinnon, George Laase, Disa Lindgren, Eric Mitchell, Jim Province and Gary Silbiger.
I am honored, humbled, and excited by the unanimous vote of my colleagues, allowing me to serve as the President of this School Board for the coming year. I don't take this responsibility lightly.
Having watched Board Presidents on and off for 18 years now, I have observed the important skills necessary to be an effective leader, especially over the past two years from my former colleagues Steve Gourley and Scott Zeidman.
The Board President has no more voting power than any other Board member. However, my role is to ensure that we function as efficiently and effectively as possible. I will work during our meetings to make sure that all members of the public and the Board are heard. I will work to help us reach consensus so that the decisions we make represent the best of our collective abilities. I will represent the Board in conversations throughout the community to build open channels of communication and support for our District. And I will work with the Superintendent to strategically plan for our meetings and the year- long projects that we, as a Board, prioritize.
Change of Direction
One of the exciting aspects of our work over the past two years is that we have become a more activist Board. We did not always agree, and I was on the losing side of some of those disagreements. But we found ways to be engaged in the necessary work for our students. We refused to sit back and pass off our policy-setting responsibilities to staff or to future generations of elected officials.
Now as we move forward, we need to take the next step and tackle more and bigger issues.
Considering the economic situation placed on our District by the state and our position as a Program Improvement District Year 1, we need to take bold steps, some that may be scary, all that are going to require leadership.
In January, we will work together to set meaningful goals for the coming year. Ms. Siever has already begun that work, and we thank her for it, but now we need to translate those into the specific policy areas where we want to focus our time. For me, the priorities include:
Fulltime Transparency
1. Creating a budget process that ensures complete transparency, making all decisions in the open after full participation and the analysis of all options. Times are tough. We need to leave no stone unturned as we look for those cuts and new sources of revenue that will allow us to continue to provide a high level of education to our students with fewer and fewer resources.
2. We need to work more collaboratively with our employees. Many Board members brag about the fact that we have been able to cut almost no teachers over the past few years. That is commendable, but only possible because of the diligent work of our Human Resources staff, Ms. Jaffe and Ms. Lockhart, and our employee association leadership, Ms. Hamme, Mr. Mielke, and Ms. Stephens. This year, let's value the participation of all parties so that we can come to an agreement more quickly and without animosity. That starts with the tone that this Board will set.
Making Sense
3. We need to look at the way we structure our schools to make sure that each structure makes sense academically, based on the research and is not done because of outdated traditions. I want to take a close look at K-8 schools, magnet programs, more and better language immersion programs, school start time, healthy school meals, and calendars.
4. And finally, we need to provide the needed oversight on the capital improvement projects so that each is completed quickly and appropriately, with increased amounts of public participation. It is my goal to try to create a more positive process so that we are working together to complete all projects rather than fighting internally.
These may seem like large goals, and they are. But I have faith in our ability to have a very productive year, given those people sitting at the table. This Board has more knowledge about our school system than most that have preceded it, including such a variety of educational experiences from K-12 to community college, to adult school. This Board has a seasoned staff who understand their role in working with the Board in a collaborative, rather than combative, manner. And we have a community that is more tied in with the work that we are doing here than has been the case in at least 10 years. Our meetings are filled with attendees, our parents are engaged, and our public is excited for the work ahead.
My hope is that the excitement that everyone is feeling today extends to the weeks and months ahead, and that when we are working on important issues in January and beyond, we have a crowd as large and as enthusiastic as the one here tonight.
As we install a new Board, I know that we will continue with the same level of energy, but that a new level of organization will allow us to deal with bigger issues more quickly, involve the community at all levels, and find new ways to improve the education provided to the students of this city.
Mr. Silbiger may be contacted at ksilbiger@juno.com
