Lots of Issues to be Determined

The other day I stopped to reflect upon all the issues that we need to resolve as a District over the next couple of years.  (See below as I listed as many as I could think of).  I started listing these issues in my head and thought about all the time and effort that we are going to put into these decisions.  It made me think about a story that I heard recently in a seminar.

The story was about a plane flight in Southern Florida several years ago.  Apparently, in this particular plane there were three pilots (two co-pilots and a Captain). As they were approaching Miami International airport and were preparing to land, one of the pilots noticed that one of the four red landing gear lights was not on or was not working.  As the plane was about 15 minutes from landing, the pilots decided they had better figure out what was going on.  Was the light malfunctioning? or Was the landing gear not functioning correctly?  They could not land if the landing gear was not functioning correctly.  That would risk the lives of the 159 passengers on board.

So, the pilots radioed the air traffic controller to ask for a flight pattern that would allow them to circle the airport to give them time to figure out what was happening.  The air traffic controller responded by giving them a path around the airport where they were to maintain 2, 000 feet.  Over the next fifteen minutes the "black box" recorded various sounds of movement and some conversations about how to determine if the light was malfunctioning and everything was OK or if there were serious problems with the landing gear.  The listener could hear various movements, including wires being tugged, instruments being bumped, etc... 

During this time, the pilots did not realize that one of them accidentally hit the flight controller and the plane's elevation dropped to a dangerous 200 feet and continued to descend.  Right before the plane crashed in the Everglades, the air traffic controller was heard asking if everyone on the flight was OK. 

The point of this story is to highlight that even though we have a host of issues, we need to keep our eyes on helping students grow.  We can not get caught paying so much attention to all the issues that plague education that we forget about our students.  It is my hope that this does not occur in any District.

Issues that I have been thinking about as of 10/02/12

1.  Fiscal crises -- How can we continue to deficit spend more than $1, 000, 000 a year which will deplete all our reserves in a few years?  Is this proper stewardship of public funds?
2.  How far should we "cut" programs?  Should we consider "cutting":  business, art, technology, music, athletics, activities, academically talented, etc...?
3.  Should the BOE attempt to pass a referendum?  Should the BOE attempt to sell Working Cash Bonds?
4.  If the BOE, does try to pass a referendum, who will begin the process of organizing a Referendum Committee?
5.  What should we name our buildings next year?  Should we all schools have the same mascot and colors?
6.  We need to have School Improvement Plans for all our buildings and a District Improvement Plan done by the end of this year.
7.  How are we going to implement the Common Core Standards in our District?
8.  Who are we going to hire for our HS Principal and Special Services Director position and can we ensure the new individuals are given enough assistance for a smooth transition?
9.  How will the new Board Members transition to being a Board member?
10. Who will the BOE appoint to fill the vacant BOE seat?
11.  Are we making sure we are doing everything that we can to provide a smooth transition to grade centers for next year?
12.  When do we notify teachers where they will be teaching next year?  Remembering, that some teachers are likely going to be reduced as well.
13.   How can we make the transition to the new teacher evaluation tool smooth(er)?
14.  How can we notify the public about the current fiscal situation?  How do we garner support?
15.  What is going to happen in regards to the pension payments, transportation reimbursement, CPPRT funding, General State Aid and local property values?
16.  When and will the economy rebound?
17.  Who is going to be elected as the next President of the US?
18.  How will ObamaCare affect our School District?
19.  How can we incorporate a Wellness policy into our current healthcare?
20.  How do we continue to improve technology with limited resources?
21.  How do we maintain the new Athletic facility with limited resources?
22.  Can the Illini football team win another game this year?
23.  Will the Illini basketball team be any good this year?
24.  Will the Bears make the play-offs?
25.  What am I going to eat for dinner?