Things to do to improve Bend schools. By Joanne Mina
- Siempre Mina
- 27 mar 2024
- 3 Min. de lectura
Jun 24, 2015
Echoing the calls for quality educators from Bob Markland, president of the Bend Education Association, I urge the re-elected school board members to make quality staff a priority. As Markland said, “Great schools are usually filled with great educators,” and that is true for some schools in the district but not for all. To narrow the gap between schools, different results are needed from the same school board members, so here are a few ideas (besides the positive suggestion of Markland) that can further support teachers and students.
Ron Gallinat, being a vice chair and chair of the board as well as a business owner, you must know the value of quality administrative staff, yet throughout the district the quality of school administrations isn’t consistent. Re-evaluation of not just principals and vice principals but office staff as well is needed to make sure teachers and parents get the preparation, leadership, organization and vision to run a “world-class school.” As long as great teachers are getting evaluations done by a mediocre administration, we will not see advancement. Gallinat, in this new term I hope you make it your goal to support our schools by making sure all of them have an outstanding administration.
Peggy Kinkade, you probably know well-administrated schools have thriving parent-teacher organization. High Lakes and Miller are examples of quality staff that empowers and educates parents to channel their resources and support to the enrichment and benefit of the school. As a volunteer you know this can only happen if teachers open the space for us to participate, but in some schools teachers can still get away with holding grudges over bad volunteer experiences and as a result enrichment gets limited. Well-paid quality teachers for all students may not happen overnight, but until then I hope you make it your goal to educated PTOs on how to organize to gather funds and how to deploy them through arts, sciences, field trips and volunteers because many hands do make for light work. Tapping into the experience of Steven Hill (former High Lakes principal and Miller principal until June) would be a good step toward creating a support system for parent-teacher organizations in the district to further straighten their participation in our schools.
Great schools in the district are becoming out of reach for many because of the rising housing prices we currently face, yet the ones making the most out of it are builders and developers cashing in on the boom. Andy High, you seem like the right candidate to garner the collaboration of the Central Oregon Builders Association to make sure all students in the district have the same quality of life while they are at school regardless of whether they are going to a new school or one that was build in the ’70s. We are in desperate need of retrofitting obsolete structures that inadequately hold the learning needs of students now, much less the educational needs of the future. High, please think of Bear Creek, Juniper and all students of the district as your children and act as a loving and fair father would, striving to give all of them the same quality experience. Spaces to accommodate indoor recess and community gathering apart from PE and the cafeteria are just as important as well-paid quality staff and teachers because after all even a great teacher can get worn out being cooped up eight hours in classrooms and small halls.
Being re-elected is not a pass to do business as usual; it’s a renewed trust on your ability to lead; giving “executive bonuses” to public employees making $158,000 is not fiscal responsibility. Honor the community you serve by renewing your sense of commitment setting goals that tangibly improve education in the district.
— Joanne Mina lives in Bend.
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