Robertson County Director of Schools Search: Timeline

The Robertson County School Board has recently released a timeline for the ongoing Director of Schools search.

The board decided at the Nov. 5 school board meeting to bring in candidates to be interviewed the third week in March, following the system’s spring break. Interviews of the five semi-finalists will be conducted in one day, Saturday, March 23, with plans to choose the new director by the following Monday, March 25.

The State of [Robertson County] Schools

I was able to attend this event hosted by The Robertson County Chamber of Commerce and Robertson County Schools(“RCS”). This article was written in advance of the event.

The State of the Schools event organized in conjunction with the Robertson County Chamber of Commerce will be held Thursday, Nov. 15 from 6:30 to 8 p.m. at Springfield High School. Topics include accountability, local school scores and their trends, school building plans for the county and an update on the search for the next schools director. A question-and-answer session is reportedly planned.

I appreciate RCS having a frank discussion with members of the community with regard to the “state” of the school system.

Overall, at times, it was readily apparently that RCS was defensive about the scores. I can certainly understand that posture with the discussions being held in our communities. Just imagine what RCS would be like if we could address the issues we have with the Springfield cluster….

Here is a previous article by the Robertson County Times related to the system-wide scores. Apparently, this article was the source for the angst expressed continuously by RCS.

Robertson County Director of Schools Search: The Search Continues

From Robertson County Schools –

The Robertson County Board of Education is now accepting application for the position of Director of Schools.

Interested individuals should contact Mr. Wayne Qualls by email at; wayneq@mlec.net

I hope to have more information on the search – mainly, a timeline for your calendars in the very near future.

Robertson County Director of Schools: Individual Interview Schedule

I appreciate Robertson County Education Initiative (REdI) Director, Kathy Johnson Gunn, keeping the Community update with information related to the Director of Schools search. The information below comes from her notification as to the interview schedule – I wanted to pass it along here.

The schedule for the five school director candidates’ visits to the Robertson County Chamber and interview with the Board of Education has been set as follows:

Dr. Weeks in Dickson

I found this story particularly interesting.

It appears that Dr. Danny Weeks entered as a candidate for Dickson County Director of Schools some time ago.

Here is coverage on the story from The Dickson Herald.

Robertson County Director of Schools: The Search Continues

This was something that I posted earlier in the week on my Facebook account.

The Robertson County Times has provided some great coverage on the search to fill the Robertson County Director of Schools position (the link is here) – check out the list of candidates in the article. If you would like the sheet passed out by Mr. Qualls at the meeting, please e-mail me to request one as I have electronic copies.

Over the 2^nd, 3^rd, 5^th, 10^th and 12^th of April one-on-one interviews will be scheduled.

On April 16, 2012, there is a special-called meeting of the Board of Education will announce the two finalist for the position.

On April 23, 2012, the Board of Education will vote on their final selection.

The "Batson Property" Purchase

On Monday, March 19, 2012 , at the Regular Meeting the RCC voted to allow the Robertson County School Board to purchase what has come to be called the “Batson Property.”

I wanted to note here that if you would like an electronic copy of the contract and/or the site plan for this endeavor, please e-mail. I will be happy to send them to you, since I am not able to post them here on FTB.

SIDE NOTE: Many folks have been asking me how and where the RC Commission “found the money” to purchase the property. The Robertson County Commission did not purchase this property – Robertson County Schools purchased this property – they will be using funds from their own budget to do so. Frankly, RCS came to the RCC for the purposes of the RCC to purchase the property. It was made known early on that the County is not anywhere near the financial position to undertake that project, but anything could be done to assist would be done since the purchase of this property was so ideal.

The Week of March 5, 2012

MEETINGS SCHEDULED WEEK OF:

March 5-March 9

Date & Committee/Board                 Time                           Location

Monday – March 5

Building & Grounds                         5:00 P.M.                    County Office Building           

Education                                          6:00 P.M                     Central Office

School Board                                    7:00 P.M,                    Central Office

Tuesday – March 6

Budget                                              5:00 P.M.                     County Office Building

Wednesday – March 7

OPEN

Thursday – March 8

OPEN

Friday - March 9

OPEN

Springfield Study Committee: Evaluating a Learning Academy

Here is a follow-up post to the post a couple of weeks ago on the Springfield Study Committee.

At our last meeting, we analyzed a “Learning Academy Concept.” Recall that this was a proposal that was discussed which would target underperforming students.

You will recall the format in which I asked last time. As always, I look forward to your feedback. We will be meeting this week.

Pros –

Cons –

Stakeholders –

What input we need from Stakeholders –

Budget Implications –

More information –

Robertson County Reads: A Call to Help

This is “A Call to Help” for the “Robertson County Reads Program.”

What I quote (in part) here is a letter drafted by Education Committee Chairman Steve Haley to a local civic group:

Robertson County Reads is our county’s affiliate of the Dolly Parton Imagination Library, a program which sends high-quality; age-appropriate books each month to children from birth to age five.  Books are mailed to the child at his/her home at no cost to the family.

The program was adopted for Robertson County by the County Commission as part of the Governors Books from Birth Initiative.  The Robertson County Chamber was asked to serve as the “champion” for the program, taking responsibility for fundraising and administration.

Since its inception in 2006, over 3,500 Robertson County children have been served by Robertson County Reads, with over 95,000 books being distributed.  There are currently 1,570 children enrolled, an estimated 43% of those eligible, and 1,763 children have reached age five and “graduated” from the program.

The chamber has raised close to $100,000 over the past five years to cover the cost of the program.  The cost of books and postage is approximately $28 per child, per year.  Of this the Governors Books from Birth Foundation pays half and local fundraising covers the rest.  To date we have spent $95,500 on books and postage. 

The ongoing cost of the program given our current level of enrollment is approximately $1,500 per month or $18,000 per year.  We have been receiving $2,000 annually from the United Way and another $2,000 from the local Kiwanis and Rotary Clubs.  We also have initiated a program to allow folks to sponsor a child for a year at a cost of $15.   We currently have a database of sponsors which covers the costs for about 700 children.  

This program needs to move from the chamber to another entity that can manage and fund raiser for this program.   There is currently a short fall in this program and it is close to have to be shut down.  The measurements of this program are VERY long range and we won’t know who or how we have helped the participating children until years down the road. 

…

…

I quote this in part because Chairman Haley submitted this to a local group for them to consider participating in some form or fashion – “who” here is being asked is not as important as just what is being asked. Read this as an open plea to Robertson County.

As a member of the chamber and as an Education Committee member, finding a group to carry this banner forward is high priority. I think we can all agree of the value that this program - personally, I know that two of my little girls, Aubrey and Zella, look forward to and love each month's new books. This is why I am a proud financial supporter of this program.

What this program needs is a group to carry the fundraising banner forward.

If you would like to help in any form or fashion, please feel free to contact me.

Springfield Study Committee: Evaluating a Magnet School

As a part of the Springfield Schools Study Committee, we are taking a look at a ‘magnet school’ this week as one of the potential solutions – whether a partial or total solution -  for some of the problems and perceptions surrounding the Springfield School System. 
 

We have been charged with evaluating a ‘magnet school’ with the following categories.

I would certainly value your input. Please feel free to comment below and send me an e-mail.

Pros -

Cons -

Stakeholders involved -

What input we need from stakeholders -

Budget implications -

Additional Information needed -

The Week of September 5th

Date & Committee/Board             Time                    Location

Monday - September 5

HOLIDAY - Offices Closed                                                         

Tuesday - September 6

Education                                                            6:00 P.M.                             Central Office

School Board                                                      7:00 P.M.                             Central Office                   

Wednesday - September 7

Foster Care Review Board                            9:00 A.M.                             General Sessions                                                                                                                              

Thursday - September 8

Animal Control                                                  5:30 P.M.                             County Mayor’s Office

Friday - September 9

Open

The Week of August 22nd

MEETINGS SCHEDULED WEEK OF

August 22 - 26, 2011

Date & Committee/Board                 Time                            Location

Monday - August 22

Special Session:

            Board of Education                6:00 P.M.                    Central Office

Tuesday - August 23

Legislative                                          6:15 P.M.                    Juvenile Courtroom

Public Hearing/Budget                 7:00 P.M.                    Juvenile Courtroom

Wednesday - August 24

Open

Thursday - August 25

Highway Commission                        7:00 P.M.                    Highway Offices

Friday - August 26

Open

Robertson County: Notorious?

This will likely be an unpopular post.

With that being said, I must address this story. For, as you can see here, it becomes that much more notorious (see the right-hand sidebar – this is a daily publication sent to members of the Tennessee Bar Association).

I have said it before, and will maintain that we must address the issues facing our schools. We must, because internally or externally, they will be solved by others. And, it is not just a federal investigation. We can continue to be concerned with how each of our schools performs with regard to state and federal standard.

Again, I will continue to state that there is not a silver bullet solution, so we must continue to leave all options on the table as we move forward.

It is my hope that the formation of the “Study Committee for Review and Recommendation of Educational Initiatives in the Springfield School Cluster” will go a long way to address these issues.

What this growing concerns illustrates to me is that the finger-pointing must cease and the sectionalism throughout the communities must cease.

Like it or not, this is a Robertson County issue.

Internally or Externally, something must be done, and that thing will affect the entirety of Robertson County.

August 'Commission Packet'

Please do not forget that Robertson County Clerk Susan Atchley posts the “Commission Packets” in the weeks leading up to the monthly “Regular Meeting” of the Robertson County Commission.

You can find the packets at the Robertson County website. Here is a direct link.

Also, here is a list of the resolutions and those commissioners who will be presenting them at the August Regular Meeting:

Waiving/Waving to NCLB

Here is an interesting post by Tennessee County Commission Association (TCCA) Executive Director David Connor.

I know that those in education will likely be optimistic the news that Tennessee is apparently an “example” of a state deserving a waiver from No Child Left Behind (NCLB).

U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan today cited Tennessee as an example of a state that has "done a great job" in setting education standards and deserving of a waiver from No Child Left Behind.

Every Option on the Table: Curiosity Regarding Blount County’s HOPE Academy

Here is a story regarding a proposed charter school in Blount County.

Let me just acknowledge something at the outset of this post, I am well aware that charter schools raise ire and confusion. Frankly, you hear a wide array of positions with regard to charter schools in/out of Tennessee.

Follow-Up: School Zone Meeting

In a follow-up piece from the ‘School Zone Meeting’ where I referenced Robertson County Schools creating a “task-force” for analyzing and proposing solutions to the issues that Springfield City schools and Robertson County Schools face.
 

I have been selected to this task-force, and I will look forward to our first meeting later this month.

Here are the other members on the “Study Committee for Review and Recommendation of Educational Initiatives in the Springfield School Cluster:”  

A Look at the Franklin Special School District

It looks as though Robertson County is not the only County facing recognizable challenges in education – socioeconomic, ethnic and community-based schools:

It was back in October when Franklin Special School District leaders started to work on a plan to bring socioeconomic and ethnic balance to its seven schools and 3,800 students. More than nine months later, it’s still unclear what direction the district will take.

It looks as though Williamson County – yes, that Williamson County faces some of those same challenges we do here.

It will be interesting to watch much like it will be interesting to watch just what we do here in Robertson County.

All [Education] Politics is Local

An interesting report regarding Tennessee:
 

Officials in Georgia, New York and several other states have said they may ask for waivers, but Tennessee appears to be the first to do so. A yes would exempt the state from applying No Child Left Behind sanctions — which include offering students tutoring or transfers to other schools and firing principals and teachers — and allow it to use its own standards to hold failing schools and districts accountable. (emphasis added)

What I may humbly add on this topic: One thing that I have learned is that each of you have an opinion on education, a strong opinion; and, usually those are plural – opinions. With that being said, I think each of us could agree that a waiver from NCLB would be a positive for our teachers.