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.