Feb

26

Bus Garage Addition

February 26, 2009 | Leave a Comment

A group of sixteen residents joined me for a Bus Garage Committee meeting last night, including three BOE members, our head bus mechanic and our director of transportation. What was our purpose? I wanted to know what they think about a possible capital project for an addition of mechanics bays to our bus garage.
We talked about [...]

Feb

9

Safety Trumps Convenience

February 9, 2009 | Leave a Comment

Something that’s sometimes hard to balance is the security of the facilities/safety of our staff and students with our procedures that allow open access to our community.
District residents and students may notice that we’re locking down our second and third floors after six o’clock each day. I realize this may inconvenience some of our students who forget [...]

Feb

6

Is Everyone in the Same Boat?

February 6, 2009 | Leave a Comment

In the past twenty four hours I’ve read articles about Orchard Park, Brocton, Olean, and Allegany-Limestone school districts and their reactions to the Governor’s proposal for education funding in the 2009-2010 school year.
As I’ve written about on this blog, planned for in meetings at the administrative and BOE levels over the past two months, and thought [...]

Jan

25

The Tougher Side of the Job

January 25, 2009 | 3 Comments

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 [...]

Jun

2

Do This or Lose That

June 2, 2008 | Leave a Comment

Read this excellent post by Chris Lehmann that points us to what’s happening in our neighboring school, Cheektowaga Middle, as reported in the New York Times.
I read the article and thought long and hard about it. It’s a complicated issue, particularly at the middle level. I feel strongly about creating a positive climate for students, one [...]

Sep

27

Building to District

September 27, 2007 | 3 Comments

I’m thinking like an assistant superintendent instead of a high school principal. I realize I’ve turned a corner because I’m no longer feeling anxious or guilty when I’m at a meeting or in another building. I always worried when I wasn’t here as the high school principal because I felt the weight of responsibility for the [...]

Aug

1

Summer Update on GHS Changes

August 1, 2007 | Leave a Comment

I know we have a lot of interest in our schedule for this coming year as teachers are home for the summer and students are anxious to receive their class schedules. I can still remember driving by my elementary school as a child with my mom, watching for the class lists that were posted on [...]

Jul

21

Let’s Talk About My New Position

July 21, 2007 | 18 Comments

The position of assistant superintendent that I have recently accepted has created some concern in our community. Two gentlemen came to a BOE meeting to express their displeasure with the quick manner in which the decision was made. A couple of parents came to this week’s meeting, concerned that we may have cut program for [...]

Jul

21

Personalizing the Superintendency

July 21, 2007 | Leave a Comment

Like most people, looking back at the main events in my life, I can see where everything has happened for a reason.  Everything from my childhood growing up in a half-rough family, to marrying my husband, to our kids, to the career path I’ve walked have been perfect for me and none were exactly well [...]

Jul

5

Soft Skills/My First Generation Gap

July 5, 2007 | 8 Comments

I’ve been reading a lot about soft skills lately and must admit this is a relatively new term for me. I’m not sure if I’m just suddenly getting old, but I find myself responding to the idea of “soft skills” with thoughts of “well, in my day. . . or when I went to school. [...]

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