The Issues
Transparency
Residents of the Susquehanna School District should have access to agendas and minutes from the board meetings. Currently the agenda, and addendum to the agenda are available on the school's website. These are merely a brief, rough outline of what will be covered at the meeting. They do not include any details of motions made or what representatives voted for or against the motion. The agenda remains on the site for one month. There is no access to prior meeting minutes. It is the standard for most school districts to have a dedicated Board of Education page on their website. Our board has four bullet points at the bottom of a page.
What I would strive to do: One of the first things I would do would be to work with the school to create a page on the school districts website, dedicated to the Board of Education (BOE). This would include names, pictures and descriptions of all board members, as well as contact information. I would also propose that the detailed minutes be posted on the website and left there for any future access. In an effort to make the meetings more accessible to people, I would propose streaming the meetings online or even making an audio recording available on the website.
Communication
I believe that it is imperative to keep in communication with parents and the community. Communication should be timely and as informative as possible, with the understanding that there will be situations in which some information needs to be withheld in order to adhere to confidentiality and safety protocols. ALL communication from the school district to the parents of the students, and the community should convey a tone of respect. There is NO acceptable reason that anything other than that should be exhibited.
What I would strive to do: I would work to implement a protocol for communication between administration and parents, to be used especially when it comes to safety. I would recommend contacting parents after safety drills were conducted so parents had the opportunity to discuss these drills at home. We are fortunate to have the technology to connect with parents and the community and I would evaluate the possible use of the SCS Facebook page to issue urgent communications.
Educated Board
The roles and duties of the board members and administration need to be clearly defined and followed in order for both to be effective.
What I would strive to do: As a group the Board needs to review policies that outline the roles, duties, and abilities of the Board and of administration. Clear lines need to be drawn so that neither overstep. There are many educational opportunities for board members offered by the Pennsylvania School Board Administration. These courses and workshops give board members a chance to network with representatives around the state. If elected I would continue to better myself as a board member by attending these conferences.
Teacher Surveys
Teachers are an important resource and I believe we need to work together with them to make our district better. One way I would suggest doing this would be to reach out to them with anonymous survey at the end of every year. Teachers have a unique perspective on the school year. They, as well as support staff, interact with students and parents, as well as administration. I believe this gives them an insight into our schools and we should find a way to use this insight.
What I would strive to do: If elected to the school board I would propose that at the end of every school year teachers (and possibly support staff) were given a survey to complete pertaining to the previous year. Topics would include how teachers felt about the curriculum, the school's approach to discipline, and how the teaching staff felt about their interactions with students, other teachers and administration. As a teacher do you have the resources you need? Do you feel the curriculum is appropriate and effective? What are the pros and cons of the curriculum? How effective is our disciplinary system? Are student behaviors corrected? As a teacher, do you feel supported by your administration? Would you recommend our district to a friend? Questions like these will help our district identify positives, as well as negative areas that need attention, help us evaluate growth, and give our most valuable employees a voice.