Kimberly Moritz BlogPosts

I’m currently attending two days of training for the superintendents of the Joint Management Team which encompasses Erie 1, Erie 2, and Catt/Alle BOCES. The session today was focused on Capacity Building, Moodle, and MUVE. Moodle is a very efficient and thorough way to offer course content to students on-line. I’ve seen teachers do such a terrific job with Moodle that their students became completely dependent on finding all of the content and resources in one spot any time they need it. Pretty cool stuff. For MUVE we got to have a look around in Second Life, a virtual world in which we could go to receive professional development opportunities–and a whole lot more is going on there than that but today we focused on the possible educational purpose.

I’ve been interested in Second Life for a while but I doubt I’ve got the patience to mess around in there long enough to see the value. It’s sort of like Twitter was for me, intriguing, but not sure how it enhances my learning or functions as a meaningful tool for my work life. The jury is still out for me on this one.

This is a relatively new group for me and I’m hoping to form relationships with the superintendents from our BOCES and strengthen the relationships I have with colleagues from Erie 1 and 2 BOCES. The amount of expertise and experience in the room is invaluable to a first year superintendent like me. Our hosts, the Western New York Regional Information Center (WNYRIC) particularly the Chief Technology Officer Carol Barber, are hoping that they can build our capacity as leaders to use 21st century tools. As Carol says in her welcome message to us,

A password-secure Superintendent’s Community resource is being provided to you as a 21st Century tool. It is a place to hone your 21st Century skills in a safe, secure environment; collaborate with your peers on topics of relevance across the WNY region; and receive up-to-date technology news and best practices.

I love this endeavor and commend Carol for her efforts. I wonder, will it be any easier to get superintendents to share ideas, ask questions, collaborate and LISTEN to each other than it is to get teachers to do the same?

After all, we’re just as used to going back to our schools and doing it our way as our teachers are used to doing the same in their classrooms. I’m ready for the collaboration, would definitely benefit from the knowledge and input of my colleagues, just questioning if we’ll actually take the necessary time to listen to one another and respond. Can we afford that kind of time? Can we afford NOT to take the time to work together, especially if it makes us all better? Hmmm. Just like what I want from my teachers, sharing ideas, learning from each other, strengthening all of us.

I’ve been reading a ton lately, including articles and books on blogging–one that I read addresses blog names and identity. That’s what got me thinking about the name of this blog and how it had to change from G-Town Talks to Randolph Writes when I accepted a new position in Randolph.  And how does anyone really know who “Randolph” is anyway? To simplify things, (I think), let’s forget the names and just call it like it is, “Kimberly Moritz BlogPosts”–better to make everything clear and direct. The name of the blog should do the same. Leave no doubt who the the source is or who “owns” the opinions and content. To the point, straightforward, easy to identify. Approachable and easy to read. Done.

Okay, so I get that LOTS of people dislike the horizontal steel siding on our new Technology Center. And maybe “albatross around the neck of our school” is a bit strong. Trust me, no-one has spent more time than me looking at that building and the steel siding. Without getting into a lot of detail about how capital projects work and how much latitude I do (or do not) have to make changes at this late stage in the game, suffice it to say any change would have to be relatively minor. All of the design decisions were made back in 2006-2007 and were State Ed approved; the design intent was to have a state of the art, industrial looking tech center.

The architect achieved this goal, right? The problem for most of our community members, and for me, is that it doesn’t compliment the look of our existing building. I’ve always said that this is the most beautiful school ANYWHERE. It truly is and we take great pride in that fact.

Let me just say also that it is a beautiful addition in every other way. The interior spaces for our Agriculture and Technology programs are gorgeous and a HUGE improvement over our current spaces. Despite the confusion in the community, the addition was never meant to be a middle school—the sixth grade was simply going to inhabit the renovated space vacated by the Ag and Tech programs. Since we made the decision to keep sixth grade in the elementary school, now that space will be a high school office, ISS/OSS room, and Adaptive PE/Wrestling Room.

So what do I do about the steel? Do we stick with it, as is? Do we consider painting it? Do we modify or change portions of it? Changing all of it is simply out of the question, it’s too costly and in my mind would just be throwing good money after bad. Painting it seems like a bad idea considering that it’s a maintenance free product now, why paint it and deal with that issue every 7-8 years?

So I’m left contemplating a change to just the steel surrounding the lower half of the addition (the shorter portion). What if we change just the three lower sides to a product called ”drivet”  that looks like stucco to me? Make it match the entrance way to the high school where it says “Randolph Jr. – Sr. High School”?

Or leave it alone? Come on Randolph Readers, I know you’re out there reading, even though you seldom comment. This blog is intended for a two-way conversation and I need some help with this decision. Comment below and tell me what you think!

As a new superintendent, I inherited a big problem. It’s one that’s been percolating for some time and I’ve written about it here and here. To make a long story short, there was a proposition put up twice to the taxpayers of Randolph, once in May 2008 and once in October 2008, that carried a lot of animosity in the community. It was a proposition to purchase property with the possible future project of building a bus garage. It was defeated both times. I get it, the community clearly said “no” to purchasing property to build a new garage and we aren’t permitted to tear down our current garage and build a new one because the location is too close to our school buildings. Plus, our current garage suffices and heck, look at the number of people who don’t have a garage for their personal vehicles.

But we still have a problem with the safety and size of our mechanics bays. It’s a problem that I either have to fix or eliminate. We put forth a project on May 19 during the regular public vote for an addition to the current bus garage which also replaced the roof on the whole garage and made improvements to the lighting throughout. Because we’re a state entity, we were also required to add a handicapped bathroom and adhere to all code requirements. Not as simple as building a garage in your yard. This addition was our best option to solve the problem, be responsible to our taxpayers and continue to service our own fleet of vehicles.

It was Proposition #3 and it was defeated; No 244, Yes 243. One vote, one person I could have influenced would have made the difference. I know, I know closeness only counts in . . .

After berating myself for three days that I didn’t do a good enough job of communicating the seriousness of the problem to enough people in enough ways, I’m still left with a mechanics bay that’s too small with an outdated hydraulic lift that can’t continue forever. People who focused on the previous votes or the fact that we could continue to get our buses inspected at a neighboring school probably voted “no”. The DOT won’t inspect our buses in our mechanics’ bay and some taxpayers thought that was the driving issue. Actually, the inspections are a small part of the problem–it’s the need for an adequate facility to do daily maintenance on our fleet that’s the issue.

Paying our mechanics to maintain and service our buses costs us about 25-50% of what our costs will be if we have to outsource the work to a garage elsewhere. This should have been what I helped everyone to understand–it should have been where the focus was in considering the proposition. I knew it, the Board knew it, the 32 people at the Public Hearing knew it and the 30 people who watched the video on the website knew it. But what more could I have done to make sure everyone else knew it?

A lot. I should have done a lot more to be sure everyone understood the whole issue. I guess I just kept assuming they would know that if we put it up, we really did need it. I mean, what do people think I want this addition for? It’s not like I’m planning to run a chop shop out there at night for extra money! But have I earned that kind of trust in this community in six months? No.

So now what do I do? Here are our options as I see it:

1. Discontinue the use of the lift. Outsource all work that the mechanics can’t do without it.
2. Put the project up for another vote and do a better job of communicating the entire problem to the community.
3. Try to make adaptations to the current lift and the bay to make it more useful.

Option #1–how is spending more out of our community to do the same work a good option in any way? Option #2–what are my odds of passing it at a second vote? Is it worth it to spend the money to run another vote? Option #3– We’re hoping to meet with the company who services the lift next week. As I understand it, we can’t even buy parts any more. And the other problem is that spending on this is extremely limited to equipment codes already budgeted for in the 2009-10 budget and anything significant is subject to SED and voter approval.

Right back where I started from. So again Randolph Readers, I ask you, what do you think? What’s our best option? Or is there another option I haven’t thought of out there?

In most of my years as an administrator, I’ve been required to attend Board of Education meetings. As principal at Randolph, principal and the assistant superintendent at Gowanda, and now as superintendent at Randolph, I spend a lot of time with Board of Education members.

The time commitment, energy and thought required of these volunteers is endless. Sometimes, as is the case with our current BOE president Carol Luce and Gowanda’s outgoing BOE member Linda Wilson, that service lasts for many years. These two ladies saw their respective districts through many changes in leadership, building projects, issues to consider and problems to solve.

In some districts the BOE members are the only constant as administrators come and go. BOE members remember where the district’s been and they help to set the course for the future. Often times the decisions they help to make are difficult and are poorly understood by the community they serve. It doesn’t seem to matter how many times or in how many ways we share information, there always seems to be plenty of misinformed folks out there.  Face it, how many people come to BOE meetings to hear what’s happening or even read the budget newsletter? More than once someone’s asked me about something at school in which I’ve thought, “WHAT? How did anyone draw that conclusion?” I’m grateful when they ask because at least I get to clarify—it’s all the people who don’t ask, who just perpetuate false information, who cause so much confusion. And if you’re reading this blog–THANK YOU–this is one more way I can get good information out there.

Most of the time, it’s the Board members who get to answer those questions, hear the complaints and address concerns with us here at school. They get to do that EVERYWHERE that they go, in the grocery store, at the drug store and when out to dinner with their families.

Board service is crucial to our school communities and it’s too often a thankless and frustrating job. And did I mention that it’s a volunteer position? I try very hard to keep our BOE members well informed, to ensure that they know the thinking behind a decision, to answer every question that they have and to do it all with honesty and integrity. If I expect them to back my decisions, it’s crucial that they understand them and that they can trust me. Frankly, I get paid well to come to school every day, to answer questions, hear complaints, address concerns, solve problems and work hard for our students, faculty/staff, and families.

What do BOE members get? Too little appreciation, in my opinion. Too much grief. Too much blame. Too little focus on every excellent decision made and too much focus on the one or two decisions with which everyone disagrees. And do they ever make a mistake? Just like every one of us, of course they do. But at the time, they make the best decisions they can with the information at hand. Isn’t that what you do?

I PROMISE YOU, after seven years of attending BOE meetings, the BOE members I’ve been fortunate enough to work with are well intended, studious and hard working. They are volunteering their time because they believe in service to the school, they care about what happens and they want to make a difference.

I, for one, thank Carol Luce and Linda Wilson–and every other outgoing and standing BOE member–for your dedicated and caring service, for listening, for the millions of minutes in which you think about our schools when you could be thinking about your own lives. You are important, your work is valued, your service does make a difference. THANK YOU for every day and every way that you changed the lives of our students.

Kimberly Moritz, Superintendent of Schools

Dear Western New Yorkers: Exercise your right to vote today on your school budgets, consider all additional propositions, and elect your Board of Education Members!

–A Superintendent Waiting to Hear What the Community Thinks

Be a Part of That Collective Voice!

Posted on our school website, Randolph residents can view a video excerpt of Proposition #3 from the Public Hearing on May 12, 2009. We’ve had a lot of positive feedback from those community members who attended the hearing regarding the presentation. Many said that being there helped them to better understand the proposition, the rationale for building the Mechanics Bays, and the overall purpose of the project. In the best interest of the district we are posting it for those who were unable to attend.

We taped the public hearing for my own self-assessment NOT with the intent to post it for the community. The video excerpt is sixteen minutes long and the people in the audience who ask questions are somewhat hard to hear. In watching it for my own self assessment, I wish I had been more formal in my delivery for a web-based presentation. Still it is my hope that linking the video on our website will help provide more information on a topic that has been somewhat misunderstood at times.

If interested in a thorough explanation of our Proposition #3, addition of Mechanics Bays to the Bus Garage, you can link to the video version of the presentation on our school website.

Last night was my first public hearing as superintendent followed by Randolph’s first “Meet the Candidates” night in about 15-20 years. By all accounts it was a success. We had 32 people in attendance and it wasn’t quite what I had anticipated. I went through the three part budget, proposition #1, expecting a question or two but no one had any. I studied and worried about my ability to answer every question and not a one? What does that mean?

Because of the previous controversy in the community surrounding the purchase of property and construction of a new bus garage, I anticipated the opportunity to answer lots of questions on proposition #3, the addition of mechanics bays to the bus garage.  I much prefer to have a good conversation which results in everyone better understanding all of the information at hand to rumor and conjecture.  I’ve received lots of feedback this morning that indicates those 32 people in attendance better understand Proposition #3, the addition of a Bus Mechanics Bay to the current bus garage. But it leaves me wondering, what do I do about everyone else?

So I’m taking the show on the road. Tomorrow morning, those good fellows who have breakfast every morning at R&M have graciously invited me to join them for coffee. I’m really looking forward to answering their questions and hearing what they think. I’d be happy to do the same anywhere else in town that our community members gather to talk about what’s happening. If you’d like me to join you for good conversation and a cup of coffee, just say the word (358-7005) and I’ll be there.

We’re also working on posting a clip of the presentation on the school website. And as always, if you’ve got questions, thoughts, ideas–you can post a comment here, call me on the phone, stop me on the street or come on up to the school. I’d love the chance to talk with you!

In the meantime, we’ll continue to communicate in all of the routine formal ways that we always do, through our newsletters, public notices, coverage through the Post Journal, Randolph Register, and Salamanca Press, this blog, our school website, and BOE meetings. But if what everyone needs is a good old fashioned face to face, I’m your girl. Give me a call.

There’s something unexpected that’s been happening to me as the superintendent. I’m wondering if it happens to all superintendents or if it’s an ingrained part of the culture here at RCS. I’m wondering if it’s something I’m doing or not doing that’s perpetuating the problem.

I think  I’m clear, honest, straightforward and forth coming with faculty, staff, students and parents. Nope–I don’t just think that, I make a conscious decision to be clear, honest, straightforward and forth coming. I notice in this position that sometimes I have a conversation with someone, they walk away from the conversation and then come back wondering things like ”did you mean to say?” or “were you subtly trying to tell me . . .?” or “are you trying to end this program?” (I know I have friends right now reading this who are thinking “subtlety–Kim?”)

How does this speculation happen? “Say what you mean and mean what you say”–that’s it for me, words to live by. No subterfuge, no hidden agenda, no secret plans, no ulterior motives. It’s always worked for me through a zillion interactions, friendships and jobs. Why now do I get this sort of “assumed” intent? If you want to know something, ask. I’ll give the best answer I know and I’ll tell you if I don’t know. Doesn’t that seem like a simple, straightforward approach that works?

What would happen in our school system if every time we interact with someone: a student, a colleague, a parent, an administrator and/or a community member, we make the conscious decision to give that person the benefit of the doubt, take him at his word, and think the best of her? Base our decisions about a topic or an issue or a person on what we’re witnessing face to face instead of on what we hear through second or third parties? And if we wonder about a person’s motive or answer or action, we could actually ask that person for clarification instead of making assumptions or asking someone else. That’s how we’ll build trust and a solid RCS team.

We have an incredible school community with wonderful, hard working people who come here every day to do the best that we can do for our kids. I give my word that I will ask questions, consider lots of possibilities, analyze and research before making the best decisions that I can, with you. I also give my word that you’ll know what I’m thinking–just ask, don’t wonder or worse, worry.  I’ll own my decisions, I won’t blame them on someone else, even though I do consider what others think in making them. I’ll listen to you and if you present a different point of view, I’ll gladly consider it. I may not do what you want me to do, but I’ll truly hear you. I’ll work hard to think the best of you, to give you the benefit of the doubt. And if I wonder if you’re bringing your best, I’ll ask you. No hidden agenda, no subterfuge, no working in isolation, no subtleties that I hope you catch. Direct, honest, straight forward.

Give me the benefit of the doubt and I’ll do the same for you. Think about that expression–when in doubt, we’re consciously deciding to give the other person the benefit. Sounds like a plan to me. What do you think?

I need to clarify a couple of things about our upcoming “Meet the Candidates” night and this blog seems like one good place to start. I have had some questions about why the questions have to be submitted in advance and why they can’t be turned in during the event. There will be an opportunity for audience members to write questions and submit them during the event. Jerry Mottern, our elementary principal, will circulate through those in attendance and accept questions in writing during the evening and then giving them to the PTA moderators.

Just in the interest of time, the PTA moderators have to make some decisions about which questions to ask. We want to ensure that each candidate has a fair and equal opportunity to answer each question, thus the timed responses of 2 minutes per question. If you think about it, that’s a minimum of 8 minutes per question. How long can people possibly be there? In an hour, if we figure an additional two minutes to pose the question, that’s ten minutes per question and only six questions per hour. I’ve already had twenty two questions submitted!

I also want to be clear that this is not my event and I’m not controlling the questions. Every question that has been submitted has been forwarded to our PTA moderators and they will choose which to ask with an eye toward asking as many diverse questions as possible. This is the community’s election, not mine. As the superintendent, I will work diligently with whomever this community elects–I have no hidden agenda and have worked hard to be open and honest and as transparent as possible.

We aren’t allowing random questions from the floor for three reasons. One, we want all candidates to have the chance to answer all of the same questions. Two, we won’t allow personal attacks. These are our community members who are volunteering their service to the district–no one deserves to be publicly attacked for that service. A public forum where we invite candidates to share their ideas on the issues should be respectful and fair. Three, just in the interest of time and to allow the PTA moderators to ask as many questions as possible, we have to have some control of the question and answer time frame.

We are not having a BOE meeting to follow the “Meet the Candidates” night so that we can allow as much time as possible for BOE candidate questions. Please join us, please submit your questions in advance, at the beginning of the event, or during the event and allow the moderators to ask as many diverse questions as possible. It should be an interesting evening and a chance for you to learn more about what our BOE candidates think. I hope to see you there!

May 12, 2009 “Meet the Candidates” Night to follow the Public Hearing which begins at 6:30 in the High School Auditorium