Happy June...

Happy June, everyone! After a winter that was reluctant to leave and a spring that was cooler and rainier than usual, I am determined to stay positive about the heat, humidity and grass-cutting that typify the summer months.

I know this is my second blog post for the month, but I feel compelled, so that you may examine both sides of this discussion, to respond to the advertisements placed by the CCEA union in the Mountaineer Herald and the Tribune Democrat.  Basically, if you have not seen the ads, the teachers’ union feels it is time to end the “…School Crisis in Central Cambria!  ENOUGH IS ENOUGH!”

The Board and I agree with this sentiment.  We too would like to end the stalemate and move on with the education process.  Unfortunately, this is where our agreement ends.  The ad lists six “facts” from the union’s perspective.  Allow me to present my own “fact check” on the “facts” put forth in the ads.  Please know that most of the fact checks I will be detailing are clearly outlined in the Fact Finders Report that has been available to the public since last summer.  A link for the report is listed on our district website, http://www.cchs.k12.pa.us/documents/FactFinderReport.pdf.

Fact Check #1 – Contrary to what the union may state, the Board has not been playing political games during this process.  The Board is committed to settling the contract and has bargained in good faith since the start of negotiations in 2012, conceding on items like the length of the contract and the salary schedule.

Fact Check #2 – The District’s negotiating team has never refused to schedule meetings.  As I am the point of contact for setting up meetings, it fell to me to set meeting dates/times as requested; this I did without fail.  At the May Board meeting, a union representative stated that the Board was asked for a meeting date and never responded.  Knowing that I hadn’t received such a request, I investigated and found that the request had been emailed to our solicitor and not to me. My sole reason for pointing this out is that it is an example of the minor issues that are being used to cast the district’s negotiators in a negative light. A more appropriate first reaction might have been to redirect the request to the proper recipient.

Fact Check #3 – Neither the Board nor I have ever walked out on a negotiations session.  Some sessions did end abruptly when the union acknowledged that it had brought no proposal or counterproposal beyond that discussed at previous meetings.

Fact Check #4 – Upon casual glance, our district’s reserves look “healthy.” But the total figure ($12 million dollars) does not represent “extra” money.  $6.3 million dollars rest in our assigned fund, which pays for all district retirement expenses, bond payments and future operating expenses.  $6 million dollars in our unassigned fund is used to cover all of the salaries, benefits, special education costs not supported by the State, PSERs increases, and day-to-day operating expenses; to take this money for other purposes is ill advised as these expenditures must be paid. 

Fact Check #5 – Yes, we are hiring a Curriculum Director—a position that is not new but reinstated. This person will keep our district’s curriculum up to date and monitor its effectiveness. Because state funding is tied to our students’ academic performance, this is a job that needs more attention than it had been given in the past. Contrary to statements made in the ads, the district has not eliminated teaching positions; in fact, we created a technology coaching and alternative education position; both of these are teaching positions.  All of the seven teachers who retired/resigned are being replaced.

Fact Check #6 – Budgets for classroom supplies have remained constant and have not been cut, nor are they to be cut for the upcoming school year.

As we continue to meet and work toward resolution of the collective bargaining agreement (we have had 28 formal negotiation sessions), I want to note that, contrary to the statement that teachers have been 1200 days with no contract, the actual number is fewer than 900 days (negotiations began in January of 2012). While this is a seemingly minor detail, please allow me to use it as an example of the need to think about what is said or written before accepting it as truth. As ever, my door is always open and I always respond to phone call and email messages.  Enjoy the warmer weather.  Dr. D.

Class of 2014 gaduation speech

As I have done in the past,  I am posting my graduation speech for your viewing for those of you who were not at our graduation ceremony last evening (June 5).  The ceremony was outstanding, as the gym at St. Francis was packed with relatives and friends.  The weather was exceptional, as were the student speakers.  Kudos to all administrators and staff who helped make this event special.  A special shout out to Mr. "Stush" Klezek, our assistant HS principal, who is retiring at the end of June.  "Stush" has been the driving force organizing and preparing for graduation.  His organization and leadership skills always came through in a thoughtful, calming manner.  His presence will be greatly missed.  Enjoy your summer!  Dr. D.

2013 – 14 Graduation Speech

        Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the 2014 Graduation Ceremony for Central Cambria High School Graduates.   Even though this evening really is all about you, you’ll have to bear with all of us telling your families how great you are. After that, it will be all about you.

 This group of graduating seniors has garnered some impressive numbers collectively.  Allow me to share some statistics about this group:

·      There are 130 graduating seniors this year – 71 males and 59 females.

·      Extracurricular activities -

o  40% of these seniors, or 52 students, were chorus members

o  8 were in the marching band

o  9 were in the concert band

o  7 were involved in the musical

o  24%, or 31 seniors met the criteria to be in the National Honor society

·      Athletics – 43% or 56 seniors involved in sports

o  41 boys and 15 girls

o  2 females involved in 4 sports

o  7 boys and 1 girls involved in 3 sports

o  14 boys and 6 girls involved in 2 sports

o  20 boys and 6 girls involved in one sport

·      As for post secondary plans:

o  69% of these seniors, or 88 students, are going on to post secondary education.

o  7% will attend a community college.

o  9% a career/technical school

o  4% serving our country in a branch of the military

o  13% in the workforce

o  5% undecided

·      Among this exceptional group, 56 seniors took a total of 170 college courses while CCHS students; they earned 562 college credits through dual enrollment.  That deserves a round of applause!!

·      And finally, this class of 2014 is receiving approximately $600,000 in scholarships. 

During the month of May, I always work with a staff member to sit down with a cross section of seniors, about 30%, to get their perspectives on their years at CCSD.  This year I added three other groups to my interviews: I met with a representative group of 5^th graders from Jackson and Cambria and heard their views on their elementary years. Then a group of 8^th graders from the Middle School gave me their views on their middle school years. Finally, I finished up with the high school groups.  This is an activity I always look forward to, as their perceptions and perspectives are so honest and enlightening—and I’m never quite sure what I will hear.

All of the 5^th graders I talked with loved their elementary years. They liked some teachers better than others, they seem to actually like homework but they’re not crazy about many cafeteria food menu items. All are looking forward to Middle School with nervous anticipation.  They also spoke highly of Mrs. Murin and Mrs. Mesoras.  One thing they wished could be changed was the emphasis on bullying programs.  They felt that bullying is not that big of an issue, and that too much time is spent on bullying awareness programs.

The 8^th graders, the first to have classes in the new Middle School three years ago, also appreciated their time at the Middle School. Some named particular teachers, as being their favorites while others did not have favorites. They felt that the amount of homework was reasonable, and they like Mr. Santini as principal.  They named an interesting element of the school that they’d like to see changed: In their words “The school is too grey, our school needs more color to make the school feel more alive.”

As expected, the seniors had a lot to say, both positive and negative, about their district and about their high school experiences. All those interviewed had plans to prepare for post-secondary education, the military, trade schools or private industry.

Some of their positive comments were:

·      Dual enrollment was a great experience

·      Vo-tech is a great opportunity

·      Lots of extracurricular opportunities

·      Strong sports programs

·      The Language Arts department is awesome

·      The policy of being allowed to bring and use your own technology is a great idea.

·      Homework is average with AP courses requiring more time

·      The majority of students I spoke with felt they were all prepared to leave CCSD and enter the next phase of life.

·      The students had a strong sense of pride and named many noteworthy teachers they felt contributed to their success at CCSD. 

Some of the areas in which seniors recommend improvements are: 

·      Making sure staff members are as accountable for their actions as the students are

·      Consistent consequences

·      Drug issues that still affect our schools

·      Continue to enhance existing technology

·      More respect for students as young adults

·      More French fries  

As in years past, I will be meeting with my admin team over the summer months to use these suggestions and others to work toward an improved curriculum and learning environment; many thanks to those of you who met with me.  (Quite a vocal, good group of seniors this year.)

I have spent many years as an educator and have seen and heard many strange and puzzling situations.  I like to share these stories when I have a captive audience. One of the stories that I still recall and chuckle about happened when I was a principal.  As I was walking through the hallways of my building, I saw a 5^th grade substitute teacher standing outside his classroom with his forehead against a locker.  I heard him mutter, “How did you get yourself into this?” Knowing he was subbing in a challenging class, I tried to offer moral support.  “Are you okay?” I asked.  “Can I help?”  He lifted his head and replied, “I’ll be fine as soon as I get this kid out of his locker.”

Education, as many of us know, is not an exact science; the biggest reason is the fact that we deal with people in education. People are as unique as their fingerprints.  For this reason, the “people factor” prevents educators from mapping out a clear-cut method of predicting whether students will be successful or not, or even what the definition of success is for each student. The ongoing work of educators is to fine-tune instruction so that success can be guaranteed to all. It hasn’t happened yet, and may never happen. Why? What is missing?

One educator at the University of Pennsylvania has been doing research on the key to student success.  He name is Angela Lee Duckworth.  Perhaps you have heard of her or read about her.  Having taught math in New York public schools to 7^th graders, she quickly realized that IQ was not the primary thing separating successful students from those who struggled. 

I would like to share with you a brief video clip of Dr. Duckworth speaking at last year’s TED conference (Technology, Entertainment and Design), where the world's leading thinkers and doers give the talk of their lives in 18 minutes or less.

Key to success?  Not IQ. Not good looks. Not talent. Not social connections.  Its grit - the perseverance and passion it takes to reach long-term goals.  It’s the willingness to start over again, the determination to keep your eyes on what you really want to accomplish.

The direction your life takes after tonight’s ceremony will depend on how “gritty” you are as you continue your path to adulthood.  What will define you is the perseverance and passion you muster to reach your goals.  As you heard tonight, grit is a significant predictor of success: passion and perseverance for very long-term goals; it’s stamina.

But after all her research, Dr. Duckworth concedes that science knows little about how teachers or parents can build, or instill, grit.  Instead, she makes note of a “growth mindset,” in which the ability to learn is not fixed but can change with effort. In other words, to start over again as needed and using lessons learned. 

She also believes that educators need to get gritty about getting our kids “grittier” about building their own success stories.  Her research has shown that the brain changes and grows in response to a challenge, and that gritty people are much more likely to persevere when they fail because they don’t believe failure is a permanent condition. 

Some examples of people who persevered despite failure and succeeded:

·      Diana Nyad, who at age 64, completed a 100-mile swim from Cuba to Florida after failing 5 previous attempts.  Her advice “Find a way.”

·       J.K. Rawlings, author of the Harry Potter series.  Broke, and recently divorced, her first children’s book was rejected by publishers 10 times.  When it was finally published, the publisher told her to get a day job because there was no money in children’s books.  The first three Harry Potter books earned approximately $480 million in three years, with over 35 million copies in print in 35 languages. That’s my kind of poverty….

·       Dr. Ted Geisel, whose first book was rejected by publishers 27 times. (You’ll recognize him when I tell you that his middle name is Seuss).

·       Michael Jordan who was cut from his HS basketball team

·       Or Walt Disney, who was fired as a news editor because he “lacked imagination.”

All of these successful people could have given up and moved on with their lives, but they didn’t.  Instead they persevered and became successful.

So while you sit here reflecting over the last 12 or 13 years, take time to think about your goals and how you will persevere to achieve them.  Show all of us your grit and stamina in the years to come.  It is my sincere hope that all of you are willing to follow your dreams and be successful. I’ll be excited to hear about your amazing accomplishments.

I wish you all a wonderful and productive career as you begin the next phase of life’s journey.  If you have not done so yet, take time to thank those responsible for this day: your parents, grandparents, siblings, aunts, uncles, friends, teachers, administrators, school board members and any other significant people who had an impact on your educational career. 

As we bring this night to a close, I usually like to leave you with a quote from one of my favorite authors, Ted Geisel, aka Dr. Seuss, but tonight I would like to read you a quote from another famous author, Mr. Frederick McFeely Rogers, aka Mr. Rogers; it is a response to a question written to him.  The question was “Dear Mr. Rogers, what is most worth knowing?”  Mr. Rogers’s reply was the following:

“Dear Neighbor,

What I believe is most worth knowing is that every human being has value.  This is the basis of all healthy relationships; and it’s through relationships that we grow and learn best.

I’ve learned what is most worth knowing through living each day as it is given to me.  It cannot be ‘taught’ but it can be ‘caught’ from those who live their lives right along with us.  What a privilege to be able to look for the good in our neighbor!

Thank you, good luck – and continue to live each day as it is given to you.