A little ditty about Sam and Diane

This past weekend I boarded a plane and headed to Boston with two other board members, Samantha and Diane. Early on in my blogging I stated that I would not mention any board member by name. However, I have permission from them to share our weekend with you. I have struggled with attending conferences because of the cost to the district. November of 2010 I went to Florida for the Council of Great City Schools. I am glad I did because Indianapolis is hosting this event this fall. I decided to attend the NSBA, National School Board Association. I am so thankful that I did! I really needed the motivation and hope that I received from this experience.

We got in Friday night and rushed over to the Convention Center to pick up pick up our info packets. We made it with about three minutes to spare. After that we headed out for dinner. The next three days were sessions, speakers, and more sessions. We listened to amazing students from all very the country perform beautiful music. We tried to attend different sessions so we could gain and share more information. I noticed a pattern in my session choices, and that was Climate. I spent a lot of my time listening to ideas of building board relations. I also decided to face reality and I went to some sessions on Superintendent Evaluations and Superintendent Searches.

In the evenings Sam, Diane, and I headed out. We tried to do as much sight seeing as possible, a fair share of eating, and lots and lots of talking. We talked about our kids, our spouses, our childhoods. We talked about our sessions and shared what we had learned. Mostly, we talked about the board. We talked about what went wrong and when. We talked about if we can help fix it and how. I will share more details soon regarding the sessions themselves. The three of us want to give a presentation to the other board members, and I want them to hear this info first. I can tell you though that wherever we went, education was on our mind. One night the hostess at our restaurant joined in our conversation, well, she joined our dinner. Turns out, she was a public school teacher and works with children with autism. We talked to other board members from all over the country and heard their stories and shared ours. It was such a great experience. These ladies are great. I am so glad I got the opportunity to spend so much time with them and learn so much about them. And mistakes have been made, but we all really truly have children's best interest at heart. We have a respect for one another, and an unquestionable trust. Diane and Sam did not start off well. In fact, they started off very bad. They have both buried the past, and are only looking to the possibilities. As soon as we present to the other Board Members, I will share the session information here.

Empty chairs at empty tables

It's been a busy week for me. On Monday we were scheduled for our Legislative meeting. Before that meeting began though, we voted an a HR issue. You can read about it here...

http://www.indystar.com/article/20120410/LOCAL18/204100324/IPS-may-ditch-policy-staff-members-transporting-students


That was a good night. A really good night.

On Tuesday we held a Resource meeting. At the end of the meeting we were handed the new IPS plan that Dr. White will present at the Central Library on Monday April 16th. Try and make it if you can, there will be a sign up sheet for questions and comments.


And last night was the highlight of my week. I skipped the Educational Meeting that was scheduled, because I had received an invitation weeks ago to do something else.
If you remember I posted about visiting Manual HS. During that visit Mr. Lloyd (choir director) told me that he takes his students to see a Broadway show every year. They go to a nice dinner beforehand and then off to the show. I was so impressed with his dedication and excitement and I was more than thrilled when he extended the invite to me! This year the show, part of the Broadway Across America, is Les Miserables. I was SO EXCITED. Of all the shows I have seen, I have never seen Les Mis. I know most of the music, just never seen the show.

Finally the show night came. I must say a quick thank you to my family. It turns out my daughter's conference at school was this night as well. The all jumped through some hoops for me so we could get there early and I could make it to the dinner reservation on time.

I met Mr. Lloyd and his students at Canal Bistro in Broad Ripple. I was very excited to see Mr. Lloyd's wife, Stacia, there as well. I have heard about her from Spencer himself and through Matt Tully's book. My sister also knows the Lloyd's which shows once again how small the world really is. There were around 30 students, a few teachers and alumni, then me.

At first I thought, do they really want a Board Member apart of their "family" for the evening? Was this one of those uninvite invitations? Like the wedding invite you sent to your mother's great aunt once removed because you feel you have to, but you don't really want her to show up and you even leave her out of the dinner count? As I was waiting for the big yellow bus to pull up I thought, "What if I am that aunt?" Five minutes later, I was welcomed into this group and that aunt didn't cross my mind again.

One thing I noticed was the behavior of the students. Not once did I see Mr. Lloyd or the other teacher present give a reminder of behavior expectations. They just seemed to know. I was really impressed with the students at dinner. I served for many years, and a table of 30 teenagers would have been my complaint of the night. But these ladies and gentlemen were just that. They were kind, considerate, patient, and appreciative. The dinner itself was delicious.

The talk was even better. One student shared with me her frustrations about other students not caring. She talked about the test scores, the behavior, and the overall attitude. We discussed the fears with the takeover process, and the hope of it bringing much needed change. We discussed the bureaucracy BS that seems to overpower and stifle so many great ideas in IPS. I heard about their programs, their accomplishments, their trips. I saw the shock when one student heard there were gangs at the school. The adults talked about the children they left at home to attend this evening.

I was reminded how very real and sometimes quite painful young love can be as one of the young ladies struggled with some heated texts. It made me think of my daughters and hoping they won't hurt like that, but knowing they probably will. I wanted to tell that young girl that she has her whole life in front of her and the boy that makes her cry doesn't matter. How can I say that? I loved my husband when I was 15, and I cried over him many times. Maybe I should have told her that this moment won't break her, this moment will make her. It will help define who she will be later in this life.


Dinner was wrapped up and we headed to Clowes Hall. I drove myself to the theater. I had a long walk from my parking space and not much time. By the time I made it to my seat the show was just beginning. The show was awesome. The sets and the effects were some of the best I had seen. The students seems to enjoy it as well. They reacted to the more mature moments in the show. Stage performances seem to be pretty risque and I heard some giggles. One thing I also noticed was the use of cell phones among teenagers. They are so connected to their phones I worry they couldn't be completely connected to the show. In fact, I had a hard time staying connected to the show because of the lights of the phones. One young lady even talked briefly on her phone. This wasn't so much of a problem for me, but I felt sadness for these kids. I am sad that they can never quite be free. As a parent it makes me consider having some rules that I am sure my kids will think are completely unfair. But I don't want them to be accessible to anyone at anytime. I don't want them to be so worried they will miss something when they are actually missing what is happening right in front of them.

I am so thankful to Mr. Lloyd for inviting me. I am thankful to the staff who welcomed me. I enjoyed meeting and getting to talk to Mr. Weber, the band teacher. I appreciate all he has done for his students. I adore Stacia Lloyd, who is everything you would imagine her to be. A kind, sweet soul. Without her strength, guidance, and her willingness to share so much of her husband, he would not be able to be the choir director that he is. I think it's awesome that she is so involved. I am grateful to the students who didn't mind me imposing on this night. I am thankful and surprised that I came home to an awesomely clean kitchen! It was a wonderful night.

Once a Hoosier....

The last few weeks there have been several articles, blogs, tweets, and postings regarding Dr. White and his job search. During that time I kept quiet.
Now, I feel is the appropriate time to share my thoughts.


On February 24th the board held the retreat. The last item on the agenda was, "Superintendents Status". Of course this made me curious. When we got to this item, Dr. White closed the meeting, and did not discuss it. I can only assume this wasn't discussed because Scott Elliott, from the Indianapolis Star, was present.

Time went on and I sent an email asking if this was an item that still needed discussed. It was. And a meeting was scheduled. And the meeting was canceled. I sent another email. In this email I stated that apparently several board members are already aware of what is going on, and all of us should be informed.

Dr. White wanted to tell the Board members individually and in person. Time was against him, and I was at the bottom of the list. What most people don't know, is that he did talk to us about these two positions, and we heard it from him before the media got wind of it. I thank him for that.

I don't think Dr. White was wrong to look into other options. I have no issue with this. In fact, I thought it was his business and that's why I chose to make no comment until decisions have been made. Until I, as a board member, knew what would happen it didn't really concern me. Obviously if he left the district, that would have a huge impact on my job. If he stayed, I would have to wonder what that would mean as well. I am eager to get back to focusing on IPS and what we can do now. Time was definitely lost this month, and we can't afford anymore time.

So, what now? I would like to say the board will get together and have an open conversation. Are there concerns with Dr. White's commitment to IPS? Does he have the passion and drive to lead us where we need to go? Is he willing to accept the ideas and suggestions from others? However, this discussion will never take place.

November will bring the school board election. Four members will have to run a good campaign to keep their seats.

The status quo can not remain the same if change is to happen. And change must happen. If Dr. White is to stay in IPS, then really, truly the board needs to change. There's no nice way to say it. It is simply a must.

Why I voted NO

Below is a brief blog by the Education Reporter Scott Elliot.


Get On The Bus
White in Greenville today; board talks transportation rule
| Written by Scott Elliott |


Eugene White was absent from tonight school board meeting as he spent the day in Greenville, S.C., interviewing for the superintendent job there and meeting with community people. Here is the Greenville News’ story about him from Monday.

The board meeting, itself, was pretty routine, except for one issue — school employees transporting students in their personal vehicles.

The board voted unanimously to fire Northwest High School Vice Principal Michael Allen for transporting a student in his private vehicle. School officials said the district was alerted to the infraction by the student’s mother and that the Indiana Department of Child Services is investigating Allen’s actions with the student.

IPS made transporting students in private vehicles a fireable offense last year after a student was killed in a car accident while riding with a school employee.

But Allen’s case raised to the board’s attention concerns about whether the policy is too tough. No board members objected specifically to Allen’s firing, but the fact that the board was actually firing employees under the rule caused some board members concern.

What if a school employee transports a relative, neighbor or friend who is an IPS student? School officials acknowledged that employee could be fired under the rule.

So on Tuesday, the board approved a waiver process. Employees who wish to transport students with whom they have a personal relationship can, with the permission of the child’s parent, receive a waiver from the rule.

Some board members still expressed qualms about the the stringent nature of the original rule, worrying that some employees could put themselves in jeopardy without realizing it if they fail to get a waiver. But the waiver process was passed 5-2.


A few months back I voted in favor of the new policy regarding the transporting of students. I should have asked more questions. Apparently now, this includes ANY IPS employee transporting ANY IPS student. This is a big concern for me. I have friends that are teachers. Those teachers have children that are friends with my kids. If they want to take one of my kids to the movie they can be fired. If they bring my daughter home from an overnight and drop her off, they can be fired. This is definitely invading way too much on someone's private life, their life outside of school. Sure, there is a form they can fill out. But will they know they need to? Who is in charge of these forms? I know if I had to fill out a form for every IPS student I have placed in my car I would need dozens of forms. Most of my kids friends attend IPS. This was not discussed when we first approved the policy.

So, why did I vote no on something that seems to give an option to transport? Initially I tried to table the motion until after the next policy meeting. Hopefully we could look more seriously into this policy at that time. However, the motion to postpone did not pass. 3 to 4. So I voted no. I did not want to complicate the situation any further.

If you have any questions, please feel free to ask me. I just thought I would share my thoughts. If you are an IPS employee I highly suggest you protect yourself. Hopefully the board can rethink the policy. But I fear that it is doubtful. When someone is so far removed from having an actual connection to IPS and its students, it is hard for them to see the problems with this policy.

Recruited

As many of you probably have heard, Dr. WHite is a candidate for two other Superintendent positions. I will say two things. (1) I am grateful to Dr. White for informing the board of this, before the media released the info. (2) I have no comment.
I know, pretty unusual for me. However the time will come for me to comment, and I will.

Updates

Here is the link to the new plan for district lines. Apparently IPS wasn't timely enough and DOE came up with their own plan. So, IPS Board decided to support this plan instead, though it wasn't a unanimous vote.


https://www.boarddocs.com/in/indps/Board.nsf/files/8RWKJ64FD6A3/$file/Proposal%20No%202%20Board%20Districts.pdf




We held our board retreat on Friday, Feb. 24th. Overall it was a good, informative meeting. The way a board retreat usually works is Board members are given a chance to send in topics for discussion. This could really be anything at all. These subjects are placed on the agenda, and discussed at the meeting. Because of time issues at this meeting - we were given a lot of information beforehand, that way we had plenty of time for questions and comments. These meetings are open to the public. Usually they are held in the board lounge, however, if several (or more than 3) members of the public or press showed up I assume we would move to the board room. It is a more casual atmosphere at the retreats. We like to eat and snack, and mostly the attire is comfortable.
Several great ideas have come form these longer, more casual meetings. Gambold Preparatory HS is one of them. Also the highlighting of programs in IPS at the Board Meetings is another. We also discussed the IPS Board Open House in a retreat, although it was first shared (ignored) in an email.
I was happy to see Scott Elliot, Education writer for the Indianapolis Star was in attendance. I think it is important for someone to be there who can share information with the public. I try, but I think the Star has more readers than my blog. :) And Scott is much better at posting in a timely manner, but he also receives a paycheck to do so. Right now my 4 year old is in front of the tv so I can accomplish this post.

I attended the City County Council meeting on Tuesday Feb. 28th. The Mind Trust, David Harris, presented the proposal they came up with regarding changes in IPS. There were probably 50 or more people attending this meeting. About 20 signed up to speak. I thought the speakers did a nice job, and the council members asked some good questions as well. I had to sneak out a few minutes early to make it to the Action Session on time. Some great moments at the Action Session included a young man from BRHS playing the cello. He played a piece form Schindler's List, it was FANTASTIC! It really moved me to tears.


I want to write more, however Wallace and Gromit is coming to an end, that means my time is as well. I will try and come back to complete all these thoughts, we have an Education Meeting tonight at 5:30.

IPS Proposed School Board Electoral Districts

What do you think?