Happy New Year

Looking forward to a great 2014!
I can’t believe I’m entering the last year of my appointed term. As I look back over the last two years I remember a lot of progress, some tough decisions, a lot of craziness, some missed opportunities, and the formation of countless relationships. But most of all I see hope for the future.

As a school district we enter 2014 with the leadership in place to move our district forward. We are no longer stuck with the specter of financial disaster. Our county seems ripe for a financial turn around. Our community is engaged in a visioning process that will make it clear that education is a priority in Fayette County.

We move forward into 2014 hopeful of limited state legislative interference as we cope with the changes of recent years in curriculum, testing, teacher evaluation, and school evaluations. While some of these schemes have significant flaws, many are a step for the better.

The new year offers a chance to continue to embrace technology and the world our children live in. We need to spend more resources on professional development, explore video conferencing and alternative methods of instruction, and continue to fully integrate Bring Your own Technology into our classrooms.

While 2014 will be a year of change for me (we’ll see what a federal judge has to say about district lines for a possible election bid, the oldest is off to college, the middle one starts driving, and Elizabeth adds Chair of the OB/Gyn department to her duties) I could not be more hopeful for the students of our county.

In the year ahead,
May peace and love fill our hearts
and beauty fill our world,
May our days be filled full of
contentment and joy,
May we treat our friends with kindness
and our enemies with generosity.

Stay informed and involved.