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Dr. David Hopson |
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May 24, 2007 I’d like to take the idea of “Vision” one step beyond where we are and look at where we would like to be. As I mentioned last week, the current vision for Gateway, while not fully met, is being fulfilled to a great degree within the current context and resources. But what might the district be if we looked at what we want rather than at what we have, if we dared to look outside of the conventional, if we were willing to take risks and be somewhat unconventional? These may be the questions we have to ask as we move forward in an environment where the state isn’t funding education at an adequate level, where we’d prefer to keep all of our elementary schools open, and where we want to prepare students for a wide range of opportunities. What can we do? What are our options? What are we willing, and able, to change? What do we want to accomplish? How do we balance what we want with what’s required by the state, federal government, professional organizations and contracts, as well as what we can afford? It will be incumbent upon everyone in our communities to participate in answering these questions and not to wait until someone else has spent countless hours researching the answers before questioning the final results. Change must occur—in the way in which education is funded, in the way in which we operate, or in the way in which we meet student needs—or we’ll find that someone else is dictating the answers to questions we might not even have asked. This is not to say that we shouldn’t proceed on multiple fronts, i.e., demanding more financial support from the state at the same time we’re looking at changing the way in which we manage our schools; it’s just that we can’t depend on one particular track being totally successful. Change isn’t necessarily throwing the baby out with the bathwater, but it also isn’t doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result. We have some very successful practices, some excellent staff, a supportive community, and perhaps, the realization from this budget year that we have a need to review what we’ve done and where we’re going. The trick for all of us is not only recognizing this need, but also acting on it in a timely, consistent, and focused fashion. I invite everyone in the community to take an active part in the process and to get others involved as well. What I’ve noticed this year in various meetings throughout our towns is a continued desire to protect our schools as a centerpiece of town life—now we have to determine the best way to do that while ensuring that student needs continue to be met. Can we do this? The answer is an unqualified yes. Do we want to do this? This answer seems to be yes. Will we have the opportunity to do this? I believe the school committee and district staff will provide the opportunities to undertake this task. Will we do this? That answer remains unknown at this time yet is completely in our control, individually and as a collective group. ### |
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