Kimberly Moritz BlogPosts

Our Randolph taxpayers recently voted “no” twice on a proposition to purchase property and build a new bus garage, sending a strong message. As loud and clear as the message was, it leaves me wondering about our next step to remedy a problem with our current bus garage.

Our bus mechanics’ bays are not what they should be. They are too small and we need a better lift system within the bays. I have been working with the architect to reevaluate plans from phases two and four of our long term renovations at Randolph which included additions to the current bus garage.

It makes sense to me to add on to our current garage and/or renovate the current bus mechanics’ bays to better service our buses and to give our hard working mechanics the space they need. Buses are quite a bit bigger than they were when this garage was built so the space and a better lift system are definitely needed. The Department of Transportation won’t even inspect our buses here any longer.

Here’s the question for me. While I’m confident that the addition/renovation is the right thing to do, I’m unclear what the public sentiment is on this project. I wasn’t here for the last vote, so I’m not sure why the public opposed the project. I don’t know if it was the land purchase, the idea of building a whole new garage when people think the one we have should suffice, or the idea of more projects in general. With the Technology Center going up now, maybe voters are just thinking “enough already.”

Believe me, as a new superintendent in the midst of a capital project and a number of other big issues to tackle,  the last thing I want to take on is a new building project. However, I can’t in good conscience delay this construction, it’s necessary to maintain our assets and to help our employees work more effectively.

I’d love to hear public opinion, here, on Randolph Writes. In addition, here’s a survey asking our Randolph taxpayers for some feedback/opinion/ideas so that we can consider Randolph viewpoints in our decision making process. Please take the survey and let me know what you’re thinking so that I can consider multiple viewpoints while making decisions in this job of leading our district.

If this works well, I’ll use the survey tool on our website to gain insight into your thinking in the future. Thank you!

I don’t know for sure who develops the Regents exams. I think it’s a team of teachers. And I am sure it’s not easy. But straw bale construction? That’s what the reading section of yesterday’s Comprehensive English Regents exam was about–straw bale construction. Eleventh grade students are interested in a variety of topics, but I doubt this is one of them. Maybe that’s the point. No tangents here for students to wander off on in the response. . . except if they start thinking about those “three little pigs”. Geez.

With a capital project well underway, we have some revisions to our renovations precipitated by our decision to keep our sixth grade team at the elementary school. While the scope of our project remains the same with our technology and agriculture programs moving to our new Technology Center, this leaves me thinking about the current tech/ag space renovations.

As far as the overall project goes, our changes are relatively insignificant. We don’t need the four standard classrooms planned and so have gained approval from the State Education Department to renovate this space in a way that better serves the needs of the district.

We will move the high school main offices into the first of these spaces. This allows us to place the office in a more central location, right inside of the main entry doors and closer to the 7th/8th grade wing and the newly built Technology Center.

Adjoining this space will be a standard classroom that can be used for a variety of purposes, primarily an in-school/out of school suspension/after school detention room. I have always wondered at the ‘wisdom’ of  out of school suspension for 90% of the offenses, considering that it gives the student a vacation of sorts, unless the parents impose consequences at home. With the number of working parents we have today (me included), making our OSS students report to a separate location within the school to continue instruction and supervision just makes more sense to me. To distinguish the difference between ISS and OSS, we can have the OSS students stay for detention too. This seems a better consequence/deterrent to bad choices than three to five days at home.

We can also use this room for meetings, small group testing, after school meetings and possibly BOE meetings, allowing quicker and easier access to the public. Following the High School Main Office and adjoining classroom will be an adaptive physical education room that can also be used as a wrestling room after school. Currently, our wrestling team practices in the multi-purpose room in the elementary school. If we eliminate the need for wrestling in the elementary building, we can more effectively use that space for OT/PT, vacating a space for a classroom. With sixth grade staying put in the elementary school, they can definitely benefit from the additional space.

I’m excited about our revised plan and hopeful that with the quick work of our architect and construction manager to get the new drawings to our contractors, we can stay right on target for an August completion date.

About five years ago, in an effort to focus on our students “in the middle” and with the hope that it would improve our academic achievement, an experimental middle school was developed in Randolph. Teachers in grades 5-8 came together to work as a team with Middle School principal, William Caldwell.

At today’s middle school faculty meeting, Mr. Caldwell announced our transition plan to revert to a K-6/7-12 configuration for the district. The transition plan will take place over the next eighteen months, with the dissolution of the middle school by July of 2010. Out of respect to Mr. Caldwell and his Middle School faculty, we took the time to talk to them in person today and now I would like to provide everyone in the district with further information.

Before explaining the changes, I would like to thank the teachers in grades 5-8 who came together to work as a team with Middle School principal, William Caldwell. I appreciate the time, effort and passion that you invested in the middle school concept. Thank you.

The middle school concept was not without challenges in a district of our size, including the physical separation of fifth and sixth grade at the elementary school and seventh and eighth grade at the high school. There’s also been the question of whether or not a school district with 1,000 students warrants three principals. A lot went right with our middle school, largely due to excellent teachers and a caring principal who clearly loves working with our students. A “Capturing Kids Hearts” initiative, good student achievement, the implementation of Thoughtful Classroom strategies and a team approach to middle level students are a few of the successes.

As we consider our economic future and prepare to keep our district in strong financial condition, we must consider the gains vs. costs of maintaining a separate middle school in Randolph. In my estimation, we have to take a “big picture” three to five year approach to planning. I don’t want to be like the big three automakers, looking back five years from now and realizing we should have planned differently, been more cautious, adjusted our programs. My goal is to keep this district in the solid financial condition in which I find it today, while maintaining our programs to the best of our ability. Therefore, I will work with the administrative team and the Board of Education to make good decisions about what’s necessary as we look forward three to five years.

We can’t consider cuts to our teaching and support staffs without first looking hard at our administrative team costs. This means that we will spend the next eighteen months transitioning back to a K-6 elementary school and a 7-12 high school. We will not move our sixth graders over to the high school as was once planned. We will continue to offer our sixth graders exposure to special area classes in the high school and will maintain a separate wing for seventh and eighth grade, with developmentally appropriate activities specifically for middle level students.

Over the next several months we will have lots of conversation at the administrative team level and with teachers and support staff to plan for the transition back to an elementary/high school district. I’m confident that we can continue the excellent work that’s currently under way. And I know that our administrative team will work together to fill any gaps left from our loss of a middle school principal position.

If you have any questions or concerns, please let me know via whatever means of communication works best for you: email, on the blog, via telephone or in person. I always want to know what’s on your mind. I will continue to think out loud on this blog, Randolph Writes, and welcome your comments there. This is one effort to make sure everyone in the district has good information about what’s happening and provide one more place for feedback.

I’ve been tagged in an Internet meme by Mark Stock. This Internet meme is entitled “Seven Things You Don’t Need to Know About Me”. This is why this meme business drives me crazy. If you don’t need to know it about me, why should I write it? And I tend to over-think things, so I will end up analyzing the possible things on my list which why do I have to write it in the first place if they are things you don’t need to know about me?

So here I am writing the post anyway for two reasons. One, I try really hard to be a good sport which means you try some things, even if you’re uncomfortable with them, and sometimes you end up better for it. Two, I don’t know Mark Stock of the blogging world, the meme tag caused me to check out his blog, and I remember that’s what it’s all about–reading each other, gaining new ideas, and connecting. So here goes.

Here are the Seven Things You Don’t Need to Know About Me. Stop reading now if you prefer to stay in the dark. I can’t blame you.

1. I analyze, evaluate, research and think about everything. My husband often asks me, “what are you thinking about?” When I reply “nothing”, he always says, “yes you are, you’re always thinking about something.” Which I am.

2. I am relatively impatient. If a meeting is going a little bit long, or especially if it’s extremely detail oriented, I begin tapping my foot, fiddling with my blackberry, wishing for the end. Conversely, when we’re really cooking with problem solving and meaningful discussion, I can stay attentive and patient forever.

3. Red is my favorite color. Inevitable that I would return to Randolph with our Red Randolph Cardinals!

4. I really, really, really have got to start exercising. I swim 50 laps a day all summer and then winter comes and well, forget about it.

5. I absolutely, positively love my job. I would rather work than just about anything (especially exercise).

6. I think the most perfect, peaceful, beautiful place on earth is the Allegany Reservoir aka Kinzua.

7. I can’t wait to see my husband at the end of each day, after 22 years of marriage-he’s still the one.

Everyone I read has been tagged, so let’s let it end with me. Thanks Mark!

Despite the current optimism with the presidential inauguration Tuesday, it seems impossible to turn left or right without reading, hearing or watching something about these tough economic times and the implications that holds for schools.

As Governor Patterson said, we are facing the gravest economic challenge of our lifetime. All of this weighs on my mind as a new superintendent who is a steward of our financial future; as a new superintendent who has spent an administrative career fighting for money for educational programs first and foremost; as a teacher; as a parent; as a taxpayer and as a wage earner.

On this twenty-ninth day of my superintendency, I’m meeting with administrators and teachers to follow up on my conversations with our Board of Education members about a three to five year plan for conservative fiscal management. We’re considering and planning cuts that will continue to hold our district in a healthy financial position. We’re anticipating these tough times ahead and trying to balance a solid education for our students with our responsibilities to our taxpayers and our community.

We’re cutting back on our Board of Education budget. It’s a  small portion of our overall budget but it’s a start. By cutting back on Board association memberships to save the district money, it starts us thinking about what’s really necessary. It keeps us focused on what’s prudent in a district of our size. These economic times remind us to put students first and to exercise constraint when possible.

We’ll have more tough conversations over the coming months, and we’ll have them with honesty, openness and integrity. I won’t keep these decisions to myself until the last minute, but will instead talk about them with the affected employees first so that people can plan and prepare with as much time as possible. We’ll answer questions and take a careful, thoughtful approach while being mindful that our decisions aren’t easy or arbitrary. With the focus of a long term plan, my hope is that we can better prioritize and be prepared to make good decisions about potential cutbacks, if and when necessary.

Randolph is in a solid position financially due to years of good management by our business official, our previous superintendents and our BOE members. I intend to do what’s best to keep us there. I’m more sure than ever that doing what’s right doesn’t mean doing what’s easy.

We are in the middle of construction of our new technology center and I am thinking a lot about our proposed renovations to the space vacated by our technology and agriculture programs as they move to the new center.

Any proposed changes to the renovations have to be within the scope of the project as originally approved by SED and the voters. I am consulting with our school attorney, our architect and SED regarding the proposed changes and I will be sure to fall within the scope of the original project.

We have met as an administrative team and talked about the changes and I’m confident we have a solid plan that best benefits our district. The changes largely hinge on the decision we made regarding our sixth grade team.

Which is what brings me to this blog. I keep thinking that this blog, used effectively, could be a valuable communication tool, helping me to hear more viewpoints. Of course the trick is making sure people are aware that the tool exists and then hoping that there’s “equal access” and that I don’t end up making decisions based on the limited group who access the blog. If used with the understanding that only a part of our community is reading and responding, I could use it as one vehicle of communication.  It may be more than I’m hearing from now.

I heard loud and clear in my interviews and from those people I’ve talked to in the four+ weeks I’ve been here that the sixth grade team should stay in the elementary school. I’ve not had anyone make a compelling argument to move them. But I can’t help wondering if I’ve heard everyone’s voice.

I want to do a good job of communicating our ideas, goals and plans to our school community. This brings me full circle to the idea that this blog, along with the newsletter, school website, and public attendance at BOE meetings, with informal and formal conversations, will help increase our communication. The use of this blog to communicate, assuming I can generate a real readership from within the Randolph community, can be a much more current and immediate tool than more traditional formats.

What would the topics be? I would post about our building project progress and our proposed changes to the renovations. I would write about my thoughts as we look at an addition to the bus garage to solve the problems with our mechanics’ bay—based on former public votes, I’d really benefit from knowing how the public feels about this solution as I plan for a possible project here on campus. I would think out loud on the blog about our current inclusion of a GED program on campus. I would write about school management, learning and Randolph.

I’m thinking that this transparency– this proposed public openness–can go a long way to building teamwork, collaboration and trust within our school community.

What do you think Randolph Readers?

Being the superintendent of Randolph Central School is possibly the best job of my career. Look at what I’ve gotten to do already this week :

• Meet with the BOE to ratify the support staff contract which is 18 months past it’s time.
• Interview, select and offer our library media specialist job to the successful candidate.
• Problem solve with the admin team and union leadership on a number of interesting issues.
• Collaborate on our building project, listen, discuss and decide about current plans for space and what we hope to do now. Looking at building plans and listening to my colleagues’ dreams and hopes for the space.
• Watch our girls’ basketball teams win, both JV and Varsity.
• Join parents and our 8th graders as they attend a thorough, informative and caring presentation by our middle school counselor about the next four years of high school.
• Examine budgets to understand where we are and where we’re going.

It’s incredibly energizing to enter the district and then get to listen and learn, followed by discussion and decisions about our future in real ways that will have a lasting impact for our faculty, students and staff.

Okay, so full disclosure, could have lived without the decision making part of the job that included delaying school two hours this morning due to ice, failing to operate the computer notification system swiftly, and calling the delay much later than I intended. But even that was rewarding because I now know how to do it and I got lots of positive feedback from staff about the way in which I communicated our future expectations. This is the best job in the world. Thank you Randolph–for selecting me and welcoming me with open arms.

Your superintendent!