LEADING THROUGH LISTENING

As we enter our final week of school before the holiday recess, I would like to take a moment to wish you and your family a safe, healthy, and happy holiday season. In a community full of diversity and difference, one constant amongst the differences is the need for family and support of each other. Regardless of which holidays you celebrate and how you choose to enjoy the season, this is the season to be thinking of others and helping those that may need a little pick me up. We are fortunate to be in an environment where a community is committed to improving and focused on our children. As we enter this holiday season, on behalf of the Rome City School District team, we wish you and yours a very warm and enjoyable holiday. Thank you for everything that you do to support learning, our schools, and our community. Happy Holidays!! Referendum Reminder As you may be aware, there will be a referendum vote to be held on Wednesday, December 18 for the purposes of completing signi...

During this holiday season, it’s easy for people to get swept up in the hustle and bustle of constant events, running from place to place, in preparation of the holidays. Without blinking, you can feel like you are living in a tornado and the whole season can be over before you know it. This kind of atmosphere can make it difficult to slow down enough to see all of the amazing things that are happening around us. During this season, and every holiday season, we are all fortunate enough to be in a community that cares deeply about helping each other. There are more programs and events that occur in Rome each year to help those that may be in need, than any other place I have witnessed in my career. From our civic groups, to places of worship, to our teacher’s union, and many more, Rome has no shortage of caring organizations and people that do what they can to help others. Yes the decorations, lights, music, and events can help bring some happiness and spirit to the season, ...

Polyanna is a 1960's Disney film that is based on the concept that life's most difficult challenges can be overcome by having a positive attitude and being pragmatic. We all know that life is constantly throwing challenges at us and that nothing seems to be easy, or come easily. However, what's to say that being positive in the face of adversity is not the answer? In our world of education, the mandates that school systems and teachers continue to face are increasing, making the actual job of teaching nearly impossible. If you were to ask a teacher in today's world of education how much of their day that they actually have the control over deciding what to do and how to do it, you would find that the answer is staggeringly low. Teachers have almost zero control anymore about doing what they feel is best for their students. And those that do dare to step out of the box tend to be in violation of some mandate that came from somewhere. We hear it all the time from many ...

Believe it or not, the end of November is but a mere week away. With the Thanksgiving holiday upon us, it is time to reflect and say thank you for everything that we are afforded in life. While it can be argued that the traditional American holiday can stand for the remembrance of oppression or discrimination, what can't be argued is the underlying intent of Thanksgiving: to be thankful. With so much negativity in our world today, and the negativity more readily available to all of us, this time of year is the perfect time of year to focus on the positive. We all have our own stories that involve heartache, sadness, successes, and joy. Personally, the last 8 weeks of the calendar year always foster sad memories as any member of my immediate family who has passed away, has done so during the holiday season. This time of year always brings with it the concern and memory of loss. However, negatives can only consume us if we let them. There is much positive to focus on as well. Fami...

Recently, I have been involved in discussions with several business leaders from around the region discussing the needs of industry and the evolution of society around us. One of the common themes that seems to pop up in these conversations is how similar public education is to the model that existed decades ago. This is not a topic that is unfamiliar to educators, but it is one that most people are tired of hearing and/or don't want to hear. Public education has not had a drastic overhaul in decades, with the exception of the implementation of a new annual teacher performance requirement. This new requirement had the exact opposite effect on schooling that legislative entities thought it would. It took creativity out of classrooms, caused teachers to go on the defensive, and filled our world where everyone became more worried about scores and numbers, than they were about feelings and kids. If you were to ask any elementary school teacher about any of their students, I would be...

This Monday, our nation recognizes Veteran's Day for all of our women and men who have served our country in one way, shape, or form. Having the fortitude, mental stamina, and courage to serve in our nation's military is one of life's paths that not everyone can follow. The women and men of our military forces are constantly in harms way to provide security for the rest of us. They perform their duties courageously knowing that the ultimate sacrifice is always a possibility. One of the most inspiring features that I have grown to admire of the veterans that I know is the humbleness with which they live their lives. Walking down the street every day are thousands of veterans who bring the qualities of dedication, perseverance, grit, pride, and service to the rest of us. All of our veterans deserve much more than one day of recognition as the lessons that they bring to the table are significant, if we are willing to listen. It would be hard to believe that in today's n...

This week, the Rome City School District had several distinguished guests visit our schools. Thanks to the hard work of our educators and staff, Rome is being recognized both nationally and state-wide for the growth that is occurring. In conjunction with the Rome Alliance for Education and Connected Community Schools initiative, the Rome Community Schools model has quickly become a model program for communities throughout the region/country to follow. Due to the efforts of many individuals in several of our schools (and throughout our community), we were fortunate enough to welcome the President of the American Federation of Teachers, Randi Weingarten, to Rome this week. While in Rome, she was able to visit with community leaders, programs, and schools to see first hand the impact that can be made for students and families when we all work together. Due to these efforts, the Community Schools Initiative was awarded $350,000 for continued work to strengthen to the model that is alrea...

As you may know, the Board of Education this week approved a resolution for a December ballot referendum that is aimed to provide significant repairs to Rome Free Academy, the track and field, and includes a phase II energy performance contract (EPC). While there will be many upcoming informational opportunities, including opportunity for dialogue, this blog entry provides the 30,000 foot view of the proposed project. For reminders, an EPC does not require a vote to be approved. However, a successfully voted EPC provides a district it's full aid reimbursement from the State Education Department. In our case, the difference in aid between a voted EPC and non-voted EPC is 17%. Given that number, it's obvious that a vote would be most beneficial to the taxpayers. The purpose of doing a December referendum is two fold in that there are significant needs at the high school currently which can be addressed through an energy performance contract in the spring. Part of the failing H...