THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, August 28, 1994 TAG: 9408260310
SECTION: PORTSMOUTH CURRENTS PAGE: 11 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Cover Story
SOURCE: BY J. THOMAS BENN III, SCHOOL BOARD CHAIRMAN
LENGTH: Long : 157 lines
Why are school boards so interesting to watch? Why is the School Board of Portsmouth, in particular, so very interesting to watch?
Is it because everyone knows the answers to all the questions and problems because everyone understands the education process - clearly understands it because each has had an education? Is it because most of us that have children are more clearly focused on their welfare and education than any other aspect of our lives - and the School Board does things that affect our children and ourselves? Is it because the School Board has dealt with some very interesting and very controversial issues in the past four years?
Can it be that those who have not had the privilege to serve on the School Board do not realize or fail to accept the fact that one's view of an issue from the dais might be different from one's view of the same issue from the gallery?
Whatever the reason, most are interested.
Because of that interest, I will attempt to give a sense of the things that the board thinks important, the things we would like to achieve, and the tools and methods for achieving those things.
Before I start, however, I must brag about the board and its members. In a recent presentation to the Portsmouth City Council, I commended council members on their good judgment in the selection of the School Board members. In my view, the council has assembled a group of people that are dedicated, unbelievably interested in the welfare and education of our children, and who bring many talents from their personal and work experiences to set the tempo for the performance of our school district.
Through much time spent together (too much time, some members say), through frank debate on issues, and by virtue of very strong mutual respect for each other, the board has become a team that is focused on its mission - not individual personal agendas. We have developed the ability to change each other's minds through the use of data and debate. The board is truly searching for the best for this city. It is the finest group of folks with which I have ever had the privilege to work.
With the turmoil behind us of going from five high schools to three (we really didn't need five); with the turmoil of the magnet grant over (it would have been nice to get extra funding from anywhere for any worthwhile project.); with the contract management/privatization issue on hold for the time being (wow, did that issue spark very heated debates); with the decision to proceed with community schools with open enrollment in place (the decision is made, but much work must be done between now and September 1995 when it will be completely implemented); and many other smaller, but no less important issues, behind us, the School Board's current job is to give clear, concise direction to the superintendent, Dr. Richard D. Trumble, and the entire district for the upcoming school year . . . and beyond.
The problems that we face are legion. The state of the economy in general (we can't control that); the fact that we are a relatively poor inner-city school district that has many unique problems that other districts do not face (we believe that we recognize those district problems and that is the first step in solving them); the fact that too many parents have abdicated their inherent responsibilities for helping with the education of their children, especially in the areas of values and morals (I'm not sure the schools can fix this problem, but we seem to be the ``only game in town'' and we must try); the distrust that continues to exist around ``racial issues'' (the board takes this very important factor into consideration on all issues - however, proving oneself trustworthy over time is the only way to build trust - we are trying our best to do this).
These and many other problems notwithstanding, however, we believe that we have a strategy for improving the real performance of our district and for overcoming the perception that we lack qualities that other districts have.
There also are many subtle enemies of improvement in public education. Monopolies (public education is a virtual monopoly) are indifferent to customer needs; the general belief that more money is the solution - ``spend more money and things will be better'' (unless something is done along with the infusion of more dollars, things generally don't improve - they just cost more); the general belief that firing the superintendent will make things better (the average tenure of a superintendent in Virginia is 2.8 years - turnover at the top that often only adds to the chaos); more and more and more quick-fix programs will make it better (programs focus on small issues usually - not enough work is being done on the larger ``system''); the tendency to organize and reorganize ourselves into a structure that promotes competition instead of teamwork (``We train hard - but every time we were beginning to form up into teams, we would be reorganized. I was to learn later in life that we tend to meet any new situation by reorganizing - and a wonderful method it can be for the illusion of progress, while producing inefficiency and demoralization.'' - Petronius, ? - A.D. 66); and a general philosophy that only the leaders have the brains (we tend to listen too infrequently to the people in the lowest ranks - those who, indeed, have the best knowledge of solutions because they are closest to the process); we don't have Profound Knowledge as defined by Dr. W. Edwards Deming (this is too large a subject for a quip - call me at 399-0226). We believe that our strategy will help us understand and defeat these enemies also.
Without explanation of each, we believe that we have many weapons in our arsenal to attack the problems and to fight the enemies:
Superintendent Dr. Trumble
The Effective Schools Model, CAMEL
Climate
Achievement
Monitoring
Expectations
Leadership
A modified form of site-based management as we learn more about the implications of the concept.
``Quality'' training that gives a methodology for School Improvement Teams to conduct their business.
A stable committed School Board that enjoys a good relationship with City Council.
Dedicated employees looking for stability and clear direction from the School Board.
A strategic plan and three-year performance improvement venture with the Virginia Quality and Productivity Center of Virginia Tech.
Our vehicle for achieving our goals will be our Strategic Plan. (Excerpts are on Page 12. Copies of the plan are available at the school administration office now and will be available at the schools after Sept. 12.) This will be the guidance that each school's School Improvement Team will use to develop their plans. In that manner, the strategic plan will be deployed throughout the organization, and everyone will be working on things that will cause the plan to be realized. It is a true example of policy deployment. Policy deployment ensures that everyone in an organization understands the aims of the organization and is working on things that matter and are aligned with the stated goals.
Implementing community schools is an attempt to truly involve the entire community; churches, social services, parents, civic clubs - the entire community - in the successful education of that community's children. We will focus our efforts on ensuring the success of that endeavor.
A performance assessment system has been designed for our principals and teachers, and indeed, all employees to convey the expectations of the School Board and administration. It will be an instrument for feedback, employee development, and continuous improvement.
Finally, the trigger for writing this article was the Action Item List and the ``FULL PLATE'' Issues that come from the School Board's retreat in July (PLEASE SEE PAGE 12).
I was impressed with the list because I believe that it gives a sense of the individual and collective concerns of the board. It also portrays those things that we believe are important and makes the statement that we are going to set aside ``new innovations'' for a while and concentrate on those things that we already have in place.
Contrary to perception, the Portsmouth School District does, indeed, produce many world-class scholars, i.e., full scholarships to first-rate universities based on excellent grade point average and very high S.A.T. scores.
An education second to none can be obtained in our system. Our goal is to make that possible for every child that enters our system.
I will not attempt to explain every action item and ``FULL PLATE'' item. Some are a little cryptic. Please do not hesitate to call me or any board member or the superintendent if you would like an expanded explanation on those items or any other questions. MEMO: Related stories on pages 10 and 12.
ILLUSTRATION: Photo by L. TODD SPENCER
The board has become a team focused on its mission - not individual
personal agendas, says Thomas Benn.
KEYWORDS: PORTSMOUTH SCHOOL BOARD PORTSMOUTH SCHOOLS by CNB