October 6, 2010

We are well into the school year and things have gone surprisingly well, particularly given the economic climate. As we go into fall, teaching and learning continue to be the primary focus of our schools. The new grade level configurations appear to be working well. And, we had great crowds at a number of events celebrating the culmination of Railer 125. Thanks to all of you who participated. We also won the Wichita Funds for Schools first competition so have a check for $1000 to start our project fund for the buildings. Each month a different deal will benefit our school district and, if it is of interest to you, please support the school district by purchasing the deal. The weather is gorgeous; fall sports continue and parent conferences are underway. First quarter ends next week. Let me know if there are specific areas you’d like me to respond to in future blogs. I’d much rather these be conversational in tone this year. Thanks!

Everything Old is New Again!

Everything Old is New Again! I’ve always loved that song and it so typifies the beginning of every school year. I had the opportunity to visit all of our schools this morning and the energy and excitement were contagious. There is nothing better than watching a kindergartner coming in the front door of the school for the first day! We are blessed to have our bond projects virtually all completed in time for the start of the year and are anxious to show them off to our community. Our community thank you and schools’ open house will be Saturday, October 2 from 2 to 4 p.m. All buildings will be open for public tours as a means of showing the results of our successful bond vote in November of 2007 and a way of thanking our community for its continuing support of our students and our schools!

The 2010-2011 school year promises to be eventful on a number of fronts but I want you to know that our priority will be providing the best educational opportunities possible for all of the students of USD 373. Please go to the community page of our website if you have questions you would like to have answered, or e-mail me at jmorton@newton.k12.ks.us. Here’s to a year of outstanding teaching and learning as we prepare our students for their roles in the 21st century world.

Summer Update

I decided to do a summer blog so it would at least look like I’m keeping up with our web page. I would have to say that it has been an extremely busy summer so far. There used to be a little down time to pause and reflect on the year, clean out some old files, and get ready for the new one. Now, however, it all seems to keep going.

Anyway, here’s what has been happening in USD 373. We appear to have all staff hired at this point; we have not filled approximately 18 vacancies in the past two years. We are glad, however, that we were able to fill essential positions for next year. Payment from the state continues to lag behind both for special education and general fund payments; at least they do arrive. With the change in contract, there will be one less conference day next year, making our contract 192 days rather than 193. I will convene the calendar committee during the report week and we’ll make a change recommendation which will then go to the board for approval. I doubt that the change will alter the calendar in a significant way.

The board reorganization is tonight which will set things in place for the coming year; new officers, committee assignments, revised district goals go into effect. As usual, it promises to be a challenging year, but the wonderful thing is that our staff continues to meet whatever challenges we have before us.

We will be having our culminating activities for Railer 125 the first weekend in October, including an open house showcasing the completed bond projects. It should be a great weekend centered around homecoming activities. I encourage you to participate. Thanks for your continuing support of USD 373. Please let me know if you have thoughts, comments, etc.

John Morton

Update for May 18, 2010

It really is hard to believe that the 2009-2010 school year is rapidly drawing to a close. We had a wonderful graduation last Saturday evening honoring the class of 2010 and our 125th graduation from Newton High School. It appears to me that the seniors look younger every year only, please don’t tell them that.

This has certainly been a year of ups and downs. Despite the economic and budget turmoil, our staff members have worked their magic with students and teaching and learning of high quality has continued in USD 373. And, while it appears that we will be down nearly three million dollars by the start of the next school year from the onset of the budget reductions, I believe we have been fiscally very responsible and our goal has been not only to maintain employment for all of our staff but to maintain quality education. It is, after all, the primary reason that many of us entered the education profession to begin with; our desire to make a difference in the lives of our students and contribute to the future of our community, state and nation.

So this blog is really a salute to our staff for their fine work this year. Every staff member has been important and every staff member has helped to make a difference for all of our students. We will miss our retirees and those who are leaving us for other opportunities; we will welcome those new to us in August. And, we will look forward to Graduation 2011 in May 2011! What an awesome and humbling experience it is to be an educator in 2010. Thank you for everything.

Positive assessments!

Time for some uplifting thoughts. For those not intimately tied to state assessments, there is little knowledge of the amount of time and resources involved in making sure that all of our students have the opportunity to demonstrate what they know on these important tests. Having directly participated in the administration of the reading assessment at the elementary level this year, I am certainly more aware than ever of the tremendous number of staff members and resources which must be focused on making sure our students have every opportunity to succeed. I have been truly amazed at both the dedication and tireless efforts of a number of our staff throughout the district to make sure our students have the best opportunities for success. While I have some philosophical differences with using single data points to describe overall student success, it is what we have to deal with and we deal with it in the best ways possible. So, this blog thanks all of our staff who have helped with state assessments. Your efforts are greatly appreciated and continue to help our students demonstrate just how much they have learned.

Morton Blog for March 25

Apparently, a tax is not a tax when it is levied at the local and not the state level. Currently, in Topeka, an effort is afoot to put making up the budget shortfall and the loss of stimulus funding at the feet of every local community within the state of Kansas. This action smacks of hypocrisy at its worst. At best, it begs the question; at its worst it is disingenuous! What it means for us locally is this; We would need to raise our Local Option Budget by 7.7 mills while losing $627,000 of our general fund and $813,000 out of our LOB, for a total reduction of $1.44 million. Every other district in Harvey County would face a similar scenario. This reduction would come on top of the nearly $2.4 million we have been reduced already.

What is the net result? First, it means that the legislature would essentially divest itself of having to fund education in our state, even though such funding is required by the Kansas constitution. Second, the burden of taxation would be distributed again unequally throughout our state, with those least able to make up deficits by increased mill increases having to bear the largest increases. Finally, such a move compromises the quality of education and the availability of educational opportunities for nearly every student in the state of Kansas.

And, even worse, this only takes care of next year; the worst year, 2011-2012, is yet to come. This narrow, convoluted, short-term thinking must stop! We need a three year plan at minimum to get us on the other side of the current fiscal fiasco. To do anything less borders on the criminal. Please tell our legislators to stop this madness and deal with the fiscal and budget realities in a way that will ultimately benefit our entire state and, most important, our children who are the future of Kansas!

Just the facts, please...

Perhaps you also read the column by Leonard Pitts in the Wichita Eagle this morning. His premise was that facts don’t seem to matter as much anymore in dealing with issues. I am hoping that this is not a sign of the times. Recently, our school district, and all others throughout the state, has been characterized as spending over $13,000 per pupil. This “fact” comes about as the result of totaling all of our funds together and then dividing by our full time pupil equivalent to get a cost per pupil. However, such a figure includes flow through money for special education since we are the sponsoring district, money from bond and interest payments, and KPERS payments which only flow through the district.

To characterize the aid for each student in this way seems both disingenuous and dishonest. The money dedicated to students, their education and support services, is generally found in two operational funds, the general fund and in the supplemental general fund. We can’t seem to have a meaningful dialogue with our legislators or other critics of public schools because we can’t agree on the facts. Maybe in the coming weeks as we attempt to deal more directly with our current financial dilemma, we can agree on the ground rules and find some common ground from which to discuss where we go from here. That will depend on the facts, won’t it?

January 20, 2010

The 2010 legislative session is off and running in Topeka. Like all other districts in the state, we have been involved in a number of budget discussions, trying to prepare for contingencies as we anticipate the next two years. While it will be difficult next year, the real challenge is the major reduction in funding via the loss of the stimulus money in 2011-2012. While the Governor has proposed a very simple, direct plan to deal with the next three years, no such plan has emerged from the legislature.

Meanwhile, here on the homefront, we continue to provide the best educational opportunities for our students in spite of budgetary constraints. And for that, I am truly grateful.Our conversations with all staffs have gone well and I think our staff has a good general understanding of our current fiscal situation, as well as our desire to make sure that ALL staff members keep their positions for the coming school year. It will be a challenge here as well; I think it is vitally important to protect our staff and keep them employed; not only is it critical to the operation of our district, it is critical to our community. As the second largest employer in our county, we generate a monthly payroll of $2.3 million. Ironically, that is the amount we have been reduced through cuts and funding we should have received but did not.

There are those who say we can eliminate positions of those who do not directly impact our students. However, my contention is that everyone in our district has an impact on our students. We have achieved much due to the efforts of the total staff and I intend to support every effort possible to keep everyone employed.

Please continue to convey thoughts to our legislators, state board members and any others you can think of regarding the importance of education not only to our students, but to the future of our community and to our state.

Morton Blog for January 4, 2010

Here we are at the end of the first decade of the 21st century! It seems like yesterday that we were all worrying that our systems would operate correctly as we moved from one century to another. It appears we have survived! We are facing an array of new challenges in this new year; some more daunting than others. However, one thing we can take pride in is our collective ability to rise to the occasion, no matter what the adversity.

There is no question that we will have difficult and challenging times during this year.

I am confident, however, that as a school district, we can meet them with steadfast determination as we continue to work tirelessly to provide the best education for all of our USD 373 students. The following are some of my resolutions for 2010:

1. Continue to advocate unceasingly for our students, our staff and our community at all levels, local, state and national..

2. More effectively balance listening and speaking in order to better understand others.

3. Maintain a sense of humor, which, I suspect, will be needed more than ever.

4. Continue to read and learn.

5. Be more tolerant of the mistakes and shortcomings of others, knowing that I exhibit them as well.

6. Create a budget scenario which ensures that staff employed by our districts maintain their positions.

Happy 2010 to all of you! I hope you have had an opportunity to rest, relax and reflect and that you are prepared for the new semester. Thanks for being a part of USD 373.

John Morton

Lessons from “A Christmas Carol”

I happened to watch part of the musical version of “A Christmas Carol” this week and was struck by its relevance to both contemporary life in 2009 and to the future of our students in USD 373, in Kansas and in the United States.

The timeless adage is that it is never too late to have one’s eyes opened to generosity and charity toward others; that we never know the whole story of others’ lives, or for that matter, what they may really think of us. To point: Actions really do speak louder than words!

We are in the midst of a bleak mid winter, to quote the seasonal song. We need to, first of all, care about and support one another as never before. Some of our students are dealing with situations we can only imagine. We are their “light” in otherwise dark times. Some of our staff are facing bleak times as well; we need to keep them constantly in our thoughts and again, support them in any way we can.

Finally, we need to continue to try to “open the eyes” of those who appear to think that additional reductions in our already precarious budgets are the only way to get Kansas to fiscal solvency again. The time for their rhetoric is past. We need bold, decisive action by our state leaders, our Governor, and our legislators when they return to Topeka on January 11. We need to turn out in mass next Monday at the school board meeting to hear what our senator and representatives have to say about the future of our state……………our greatest fear should be that, when we are transported by the Ghost of Christmas Future, we find our state in a grave in a cemetery with no one to mourn.

We will continue to provide you with periodic updates and plan to visit every building and department in the ensuing weeks to hear additional budget input and to answer additional questions. In the meantime, let’s open our eyes to the beauty and joy of this amazing season and to the opportunities it affords us to brighten the lives of others, which in turn, will brighten our own lives.

American Education Week

American Education Week will be celebrated from November 15 through November 21 this year. I’ve always thought the time of year significant as we are also pausing to give thanks for many things at this special time of year. However, this year finds me more concerned about the future of education in our district and in our state than ever before in my entire educational career.

Education has been the cornerstone of every community, every state, and our nation since our country’s inception. It has been the means for many of us to realize our dream; to become productive citizens and to contribute in meaningful ways to our society. Education has championed social advancement, has helped us reach new pinnacles of knowledge and innovation. These things have been accomplished through the efforts of educators and staff members to provide the best educational opportunities possible for our students, past, present and future. So, first of all, I pause to express my sincere thanks to the total staff of USD 373 for untiring efforts on behalf of our students.

However, my cautionary tale during this American Education Week focuses on the lack of vision, planning and foresight that has public schools in Kansas teetering on the abyss.
There is no question that we are in tough times. Tough times call for vision; for bold, decisive action. I keep waiting for such things to emerge from our elected leaders but no such vision or plan seems to be forthcoming. Continuing to cut budgets is not a plan; it is a reactionary measure that just may spell the end to progress in our state. Because, you see, education is a constitutional responsibility in Kansas. And, it is a responsibility which has been abdicated by many of our legislative leaders who think a combination of further educational budget cuts coupled with the now tired mantra of no additional revenue will somehow miraculously allow us to escape this dire situation.

But this story is about more than education. It is about the quality of life now and in the future for a myriad of Kansans who continue to want better circumstances for themselves, for their children and for their grandchildren. I wrote an op-ed piece earlier this school year asking what the 2020 Vision for Kansas is. Truth be told, there isn’t one. There is not the courageous leadership in place which needs to call the best minds in our state together to craft a new direction for our state and for all of its people. Although I seldom agree with Representative Watkins, he is right in asserting that Kansans don’t necessarily believe in continuing to do things one way, particularly if that one way has not yielded positive results. Yet, I am asserting that he and others are succumbing to the very tactic that they are criticizing…resorting to continuing to reduce state budgets while watching revenue continue to decline with no upswing on the horizon.

Maybe we need to examine our entire revenue structure in Kansas. Maybe there is another way to fund K-12 and higher education in a more progressive way that places less of a burden on the state. I don’t know the answer, but I am willing to explore the possibilities. Would that they were willing to do the same.

Those of you who know me know that I am usually the optimist about the future; it will get done, things will get better, we will be able to accomplish our goals, etc…But in this instance, I am feeling that, unless we do something dramatically different, things will continue in the same vein and will eventually be much worse than they are today.

Our USD 373 staff has done a wonderful job, especially in the face of significant budget reductions last year. But they can’t keep it up forever. We can’t keep taking up the slack so that parents and students see no appreciable differences when their children enter our schools. There will come a point of diminishing returns...it may be closer than we know.

I challenge you to do one thing during American Education Week this year. Contact our Governor, our legislators, any of our county or city elected officials, our board of education members, and offer to become part of the solution. Together, I am confident that we can craft a resolution to our current dilemma which can not only assist now, but in the future. Inaction should not be an option. The time is now. Will you join me?

An opportunity to reinvent ourselves

I’ve been thinking a lot about next year when all of our bond projects will be complete and we will have new grade configurations in nearly all of our buildings.  This fact, coupled with the economic concerns we continue to experience, may be just the impetus we need to think about moving further along the continuum to transform our schools into actual 21st century learning centers.  Let’s face it; we get comfortable with what we do when we have done it for a long period of time.  However, the conversation is already underway at the high school to see if there is a better schedule which can be designed to meet the learning needs of all of our students.  I would also suggest that we have those same opportunities at the middle level as we transition to the 5th/6th center and the 7th/8th middle school.  What a great opportunity, especially at Santa Fe, to create a unique educational structure which effectively meets the needs of all of our students and more fully engages them in the educational process.  In our newly configured K-4 buildings we will also have the capacity to transform, to create elementary schools designed around student learning needs and maximizing space and staff use.  We are fast approaching the end of the first decade of the 21st century; what better time to reinvent ourselves and our schools to better serve our students.  What do you think?

An Invitation to Discussion

I have been amazed at the number of conversations I have had with a variety of people where the topics of lack of civility and polarizing ideas came to the forefront.  It would appear that some have chosen to disregard the axiom that we need to work to “disagree agreeably.” 

Often, we see individuals discounted as well as their ideas.  What would appear to be obvious is that we may have a number of teachable moments as educators relative to both civility and disagreement.  We don’t always agree with each other in education, or even in our district.  However, for the most part, disagreements have been respectful and not demeaning to the person or persons we are disagreeing with.  The ability to express one’s opinion without fear of retribution or retaliation has been a cornerstone of our country for hundreds of years. 

Let’s consider ways we can provide our students with both appropriate teaching and modeling of civility and discourse so that we won’t have to worry about watching the latest debacle either on the internet or on the national news.  We also have to temper that educational opportunity with the fact that we shouldn’t always accept everything we hear, read, or are told; we need to critically evaluate ideas and determine what makes sense to most of us. 

We had this conversation last Saturday in a graduate class I teach at Friends University and we decided that today the missing commodity is often common sense.  What do you think?  What can we do in USD 373, in Kansas, and in schools and districts across the United States to counter the tidal wave of lack of civility, polarizing issues and opinions, and rude and disrespectful behavior which seems to be rampant.  I’d be interested to hear what you think.

John Morton

Is it Time for Tailored Learning?

The administrators and I just finished reading an article entitled “One Size Does Not Fit All,” centering on the idea that we need to do much more to structure individual student learning experiences at all levels. On the surface, that appears to be a daunting and difficult, if not impossible, task. However, I think we are missing a key element in this process – our students themselves. Having students work collaboratively with us to develop an electronic SILP (Student Individual Learning Plan) might lead to a number of fascinating by-products, including engaging students more fully as partners in the educational process. And, it might free us up as educators to design an infrastructure in which greater flexibility and response to student needs might be priorities.

Given that we are in tenuous financial times, this may provide the impetus for us to begin to explore how we might better create school experiences tailored to what each individual student needs. To me, it is an intriguing and thought-provoking idea. What do you think? As we contemplate a different high school schedule, might this be the cornerstone? I’ll be glad to share your thoughts with the district if you will share them with me. Until next time…..

Education Funding... It's the Law!

I attended a meeting yesterday with several small, rural district superintendents. I was struck by the conversation we had concerning how fearful many district are about additional funding losses during this school year. I, of course, share that concern. I believe it was a board member from Hutchinson who said last week that our Kansas constitution says that it is the state’s responsibility to adequately fund education all the time, not just when times are good. It would appear that a civics lesson is overdue for some of our legislatures. Education funding is not arbitrary – it is the law! And, our legislature is choosing to ignore state law. You might guess the consequences for our School district if I and the board chose to do the same. It is unfortunate that, once again, we see litigation as one of our major options in dealing with the adequate financing of educational opportunities for all of our students in Kansas. In the months ahead, we are going to have to be very vigilant if we are to support education which is a primary investment in the future of our community, our state, and our nation. I’d be interested to hear your thoughts, suggestions, relative to how we might proceed during this upcoming legislative session.

The opportunity to begin anew

We have had a whirlwind two weeks getting ready for today and tomorrow, our first days with our students. I am always buoyed by the attitude of our staff when we all get together at the district convocation. We have a great opportunity to convey that positive energy to all of our students this school year. And, as I’ve said before, we have the greatest opportunity of any profession – the opportunity to begin anew each school year.

“Challenging times make us bitter or better.” I shared that quote with you before the end of last year and it is, of course, still relevant as we begin this year as well. I believe that as a district we continue to choose better and not bitter. We are all better served because of that decision. – to be better for ourselves, our fellow staff members, and most important, our students. I really hope we can find additional ways to positively support each other, our community, and the students we serve during this school year. If you have thoughts about what we might be able to do, please let me know. Have a great school year, USD 373!

John Morton

The possibilities are endless....

Charles Dickens probably said it best: “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times….. As we prepare to open the 2009-2010 school year, we are faced with a number of unprecedented issues which, I am guessing, will be with us for a longer period of time than we might wish. However, even with such concerns, we look forward to a year of great possibilities for the students of USD 373. This year, hopefully, will allow us to also look at how we might work “smarter and not just harder.” Are there ways we might share resources, organize our instruction in more efficient ways, and more directly engage our students in the learning process? We will most certainly be continuing the discussions we began last February at our all district collaboration. Some will be coming to fruition soon….we will be unveiling our district wide recycling program at the district convocation which will serve as a great model for our students and simultaneously as a way for us to save money as a district. Another area might involve ways to involve the greater Newton community in a more relevant way in the education of our students.

The possibilities are endless…..I look forward to hearing from and having conversations with you during this school year.

Teacher Appreciation Week

As we celebrate National Teacher Appreciation Week, it again seems appropriate to dedicate this column to the efforts of our teachers who continue to work so tirelessly to positively affect the lives of our students in the Newton community.

When I first entered my classroom as a novice high school English teacher, teaching did not appear to be nearly as complicated and complex as it is today. There were not the many federal and state mandates in place; the quest for school accountability embodied by the Quality Performance Accreditation process was not even looming on the horizon; No Child Left Behind referred to making sure all students were accounted for in the auditorium or on the field trip bus, not to raising the bar for many facets of the educational process. Technology consisted of constantly ruining ties and white shirts by running ditto and mimeograph machines. How things have changed!

And yet, in many other ways, things have not changed very much at all. Our teachers continue to do the most important work that takes place in our community on any given day – they impact the lives of our students, preparing them to become productive citizens in the 21st century world. Of greater significance is the fact that the world requires more of our students in many ways than did the world of past generations. And, students coming to us in 2009 are more dramatically impacted by that world than perhaps we were when we were in school.

In addition, educational institutions are faced with more complex challenges than ever before, not unlike those challenges facing our community, our state and our country. The current financial dilemma is just an example of the ambiguities and uncertainties which seem to permeate our profession and our lives.

The glory of it all is that we continue to rise to ever-increasing challenges. Because of our teachers, students are being exposed to greater learning opportunities than at any time in our history. Perhaps Albert Einstein said it best: “In the middle of difficulty lies opportunity.” We could dwell on the present difficulties, but prefer instead to consider the possibilities and opportunities which we have in educating our students. Every day in our classrooms presents new opportunities for teaching, for learning, and for educational success.

Teachers have become true “miracle workers,” demonstrating that it is possible to perform daily education miracles with limited resources and significantly increased demands. A great testament to that statement is the fact that all of our schools have continued to make significant student achievement gains even with higher targets to reach.

I hope you will join me this week in saluting our teachers who continue to provide the educational expertise, dedication and perseverance that has served our students and community so well for the past 136 years! Remember in your own educational experiences a teacher who “made a difference” in your life, being thankful for that teacher’s involvement and personal interest in you. We have the greatest jobs in Newton – we create the future through the work we do with our students every day. Let’s pause to thank our teachers during Teacher Appreciation Week (and perhaps every day for that matter) for the fine work they perform in USD 373.

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.

Opportunity for Self-reflection

“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us, -- in short, the period was --- like the present period .”

-- Charles Dickens, A Tale of Two Cities

I was struck by this quote as I watched the Ronald Colman version of “A Tale of Two Cities” the other night. In addition to being one of my favorite movies, it is also one of the best novels ever written in my opinion. It also reminds me of another quote that says,
“Those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it.” Dickens lays it all out for us in his brilliant novel; the lack of attention to the plight of the common people; the dangers of mob rule; the ultimate triumph of good over evil.

Well, I’m not sure I want to go that far, but it does remind me that people survive the most dire situations and ultimately life does get better. We appear to be in such a dilemma today. We are facing difficult times; but, I believe we will not only persevere, we will survive and thrive. It is going to take all of us working together to make good things continue to happen for the students in our district. However, with the all district collaboration, we saw the power of idea generation by over 600 employees for the betterment of our district. As I said at the general meeting, these times give us the opportunity for self-reflection and for putting forth ideas which, ultimately, will improve our district and when we improve our district, we improve the educational opportunities for our students.

Thanks to all of you for your willingness to work with us for the betterment of USD 373.

John Morton