Fasten Your Seatbelts...

I guess I’m in a reflective mood this afternoon as I write this newest blog for our district web site. The legislature will adjourn this afternoon and will reconvene for the “veto” session (nice choice of words) at the end of April. We still have little understanding of the impact of the stimulus funding for education either on our state or on our school district. We are also facing an election of board members next Tuesday. Those board members (at least one new one) will continue to grapple with the financial decisions which have been made by those far removed from the education enterprise. As Bette Davis said in one of her great movies, “Fasten your seatbelts; it’s going to be a bumpy ride!” I think we have done as much preparation as we can, given the limited information we have at our disposal. With a transition in the Governor’s office also in the mix, it will be an interesting time for sure. If I could wish one thing, as I reflect today, it would be for an epiphany in leadership at all levels in our state. We need more leaders willing to be courageous, to do the right thing for the citizens of Kansas, and not indulge in the same type of rhetoric which has plagued real progress in our state in the past. Alas, the old adage remains true; “If you continue to do what you’ve always done, you’ll get the same results you have always gotten.” I believe we have to be the model of hope and optimism in this trying time; we have to continue to examine what we do, hone our practice, and make sure we use the needs of students as our litmus test for every decision we make. I remain optimistic about our profession; about other areas…..not so much.

Let me know what you are thinking as we move to the completion of this school year.