Our intention is to create a culture in which learners feel comfortable taking risks, failing, and learning in support of their growth and development. In classrooms, we’ll continue to adhere to educational standards for which we’re accountable like any other public school district, however we’ll work with students to create contexts where those standards can be learned and applied in really new and different ways. While an “innovation” might be something completely new or different, it can also mean something modified or adapted or even possibly something applied to a new context.

Outside the classroom, innovation looks like trying new and different things to improve our functioning and operations. It’s exploring questions such as: How might we improve the student experience at lunch? How might we generate additional revenue for the district in a way that doesn’t burden our taxpayers?

My role will be to model this type of learning and to ensure the systemic support of this culture.

As a district we continue to evolve and grow in ways that are intentional, but we must remain agile and flexible to remain relevant. Three examples of foreseeable changes or changes already in motion are:

Continue to move toward making learning even more relevant, meaningful, and challenging for students. That’s not a new idea in our district, but if we’re to serve our students well, it’s essential to keep pace with the world and changes in education. One way to do this is to increase levels of student autonomy in all aspects of their learning.
Broaden and deepen our use of social media and mobile technologies in support of improved communication. This will not only improve how we function as a school system, but will also improve our connections and relationships with those we serve.

Yes, the WGSD will continue to participate in the VICC student transfer program.

Some essential priorities would include establishing and/or nurturing relationships with members of our district community, continuing to hire high-quality staff as we move toward and through 16-17, and systemically moving toward our vision as a learning community.

In terms of the "big rocks," I would say that having practices, structures, people, and systems that support our needs (some above) and our continued growth and evolution.

The three biggest challenges would be:
maintaining low class sizes and a high-quality ed for all students
maximizing our funds to benefit all students
ensuring that community stakeholders feel connected to the district

The "School for Today" was the result of a study which explored what school would be like if created today for the first time. You're right that much of what is written isn't new to education. Having said that, there are some elements that are very uncommon in public education. We still have the same educational outcomes as any other public school, our methods at reaching those are just more student-driven than most districts. The intent is for children to learn in a way that best fits them. If it's books, it's books.

I don't feel comfortable stating an anticipated date at this point in time, but I know that the board of education, with support of committees such as the finance committee, will be exploring this exact question in the relatively near future. We will continue to closely monitor our financial status.

There's much research on the topic of technology and it's link to health, but the research isn't consistent. While I do believe technology allows our children to access information, experts, etc. in ways I never could as a child, I do believe there is a value in non-technology based activities. We will continue to be responsive to our children's needs, both academic and health related.

Currently they are planning to reconfigure several rooms and spaces to increase the number of instructional spaces. This will remedy the situation at least in the short term. There are no other plans at least in the short term. We will continue to monitor enrollment and consider options.

The WGSD is a great place to work so we have the opportunity to hire some really outstanding people. With any new hire, especially when the person has never been in the role before (ie: assistant superintendent), there is a steep learning curve. Every new hire will join an excellent team, whether a department within our central office or a school full of outstanding teachers and staff. Our new hires will be fully supported and I'm thankful to have them!

We learning quite a bit from the defeat of the Propositions including:
we asked for too much money
the public no longer supports a five year cycle
our communication about finances needs to be improved and made more accessible
while we had much community input into the props, there's more we could have done to engage the public prior to the campaign

I don’t know how long the district can go without going back to our community for support, but we will continue to closely monitor and look to improve our financial situation. As a resident, I understand the burden placed on taxpayers and I’ll work with the board, our district finance and building advisory committees, and all stakeholders to postpone asking for more funds for as long as it is financially possible.

We will continue listening to our community and be responsive to their needs and the needs of district children.

We care very deeply for our children, staff, and all people who enter any district facility.

To my understanding, each of our bond issues have addressed ADA along with other district priorities. ADA is a priority. Due to the age of our buildings, we do have some spaces within them that are not ADA compliant but are code compliant based on their age. This means that the district meets the requirement of the law. The district is moving toward accessibility in all of our settings and will be doing work this summer to help meet those needs. ADA compliance is a moving target, with regulations that change frequently.

Thank you very much! I care very much for our school district community and look forward to continued dialogue as together we move forward!