LEADING THROUGH LISTENING

With the release of the proposed Executive Budget this week from the Governor's office, it feels as if we are experiencing a form of deja vu in 2020. While there are facts that school aid spending overall is at it's highest point in State history, the increases to schools throughout New York State are minimal at best. Most schools in the Mohawk Valley region are projected to receive less than a 2% increase in funding (with several schools expected to get less than 1%). What does this mean and why is school aid formula funding important? It's important because the school aid formula is supposed to equitably fund public schools throughout New York State, but rarely does this occur. Instead, it has become the norm for school districts to expect their tax paying communities to help keep their districts afloat. In Rome specifically, this deja vu experience could be more alarming than year's past as revenues from the State continue to be minimal, reserves are low, and our...

Once upon a time, when we all began our careers or started a new position/school, we had dreams. Dreams of what we wanted to accomplish, dreams of what we wanted to see our students accomplish, dreams of what we wanted to see our school communities achieve. Throughout my travels though, I have seen too many adults tell students they should lower their expectations and downsize their dreams, rather than work to make those dreams a reality. Unfortunately, I would say that the ratio of adults encouraging students and adults discouraging students is close to 1:1 in my career. I ask, would you be where you are today without someone throughout your childhood encouraging you to pursue your dreams? As with many things in our schools, we need to focus on the positives that are happening and capitalize on them. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. had a dream for our country, and while his dream was related to equal rights and oppression, his intended message of having a dream and working tirelessly t...

Do you remember those times when kids want to help themselves believe something that they know isn't right? I always love the laughter of a child that exclaims, "It's opposite day!" The ensuing laughter and joy of having everything be different than it is supposed to be is just fun. I mention this because I often wish I could have an opposite day, or go back in time to a point where the human race did not feel so entitled to everything. It seems to be that you hear people talking about entitlement of others on an increasing basis in society. There was a point in time where people were proud to have a job, to have a responsibility, and they would do anything for those that provided their family a way in life. In today's society though, having a good job or being a part of a good community isn't enough. People frequently defy their responsibilities and ask for extra if they have to do one iota's worth of work outside the normal scope. All too frequently,...

It's hard to believe that we are here in the year 2020 already. Many of us can probably remember all of the hype around New Year's Eve 1999 like it was yesterday. As an adult, it's a fun mind game to reflect and think about just how much can actually happen in a year/decade and how much the world around us changes. Just the other day, as my children were talking about how exciting the year 2020 was to them, I let them know that in 10 more years none of them would be in school anymore. As a parent, you almost want to choke watching your little ones grow up. As a kid, they laugh because to them 10 years is such a long time and they almost feel as if that is a lifetime away. As with any new year, there comes with it a sense of renewed spirit and hope. Most people tend to hit the reset button and look to the future for encouragement and excitement. Many individuals have resolutions to improve in the new year and as the old jokes go, most of those resolutions fall by the way...