State of the School System

Challenges and Opportunities Abound

How is your 2013 shaping up?

I continue to be excited and energized by my work on the Fayette County Board of Education.

But we are at a crucial crossroads when it comes to our school system and the future of our community.

We must continue our work to transform our school system so it prepares our students with the skills and knowledge they need to succeed in today’s multicultural, global, ever-changing economy.

We know that children learn by watching our actions. To raise children with those essential life skills of collaboration, communication, critical thinking, civility, citizenship, creativity, and financial “cents,” we must model that behavior as adults in our community. And as Board Members we must hold ourselves to the highest standard by demonstrating those skills in our governance.

We face unprecedented obstacles in our path. The continued declining support for education from the State coupled with ever decreasing property tax revenues is crippling our ability to provide the quality that our students deserve. We are increasingly asked to do more with less.

The decisions that we face in the coming months are going to make a lot of people angry. They’re going to cause pain to children and employees.

I, too, am angry and upset.

I don’t think we adequately fund education. I think that we overly rely on high-stakes testing without adequately understanding the data. I don’t think we allow enough flexibility in our schools. I don’t think we adequately address the family and poverty issues that impact our students and their classrooms.

I try to speak out about these issues as much as I can.

But my job is to make the best decisions I can within the current rules of the game. I need to make decisions that provide the best education possible for every one of our students given the funding and rules we must operate within.

They are all our children.

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