Gowanda Super News

I was fortunate not to be the target of bullies when I was in school back in the 50′s and 60′s.  Nor do I recall being a bully to others. But I can vividly remember one day on the playground as a ten-year old when I joined others to taunt one unpopular boy.  We were playing dodge-ball and making fun of the boy’s lack of athleticism.  The thing I remember most was how easy it was to side with the bullies and not defend Phillip from their abuse.  That memory comes back to me periodically, made even more poignant given what we now know about bullying prevention.  I was a bystander.  I allowed the bullying to occur.  In fact, I actively engaged in the bullying even though I knew it was wrong.  I also remember the teacher watching our bad behavior and never intervening.  Somehow, by her inactivity, she seemed to be condoning it.  At the time, and ever since, I have always wondered why she allowed us to tease Phillip on that playground.  The conclusion I arrived at that day was the boy somehow deserved our derision.  Why else did the teacher allow us to continue our taunting for close to 20-minutes in full view?

Almost fifty years later I am one of many educators trying to combat bullying behavior in our schools.  And I am learning what my ten-year old gut told me back in 1962.  Students who witness bullying behavior need to stand-up and intervene.  Telling an adult is a good start.  But that brave step by a youngster will reap no benefit unless the teacher/principal/parent take appropriate measures.  None of us can afford to simply stand-by or turn our heads away from the abuse.

In our three school buildings here in Gowanda we have started to implement the requirements of the “Dignity for All Students Act.”  The first step is to recognize that bullying is a problem in our schools.  We have chosen to experiment with three distinct approaches.  In the Elementary School we have rejuvenated the “Character Counts” program.  This is a developmentally approriate approach that teaches our students the golden rule; treat others as you would like to be treated.  In the High School we are implementing PBIS which stands for “Positive Behavior Intervention Supports.”  PBIS is a school-wide approach that recognizes the level of maturity inherent in young adults.  It stresses tolerance, dignity, respect and acceptance.  The program reinforces the positive in all aspects of High School interaction.

As most of us know from experience, negative peer pressure and bullying become most severe during the middle school years – ages 11 thru 14.  For this reason, in our Middle School we are pursuing a novel approach to anti-bullying called the Olweus program.   It is while participating in the initial staff training exercises that I thought back to that playground incident in 1962.  The cornerstone of the Olweus program is the recognition that one of the keys to prevention is for student bystanders to speak up and intervene.  Olweus also tries to give all staff members the tools to recognize bullying and consistently employ prevention methods. 

Essentially, we need to change the culture in our schools.  Marginalize the bullies.  Make bullying uncool.  Students who are bullied deserve better.  The same could be said for Phillip on that playground in 1962.  I should have spoken up.  It would have been the right thing to do then – and it is the right thing to do now.

The Annual Professional Performance Review, also known as APPR, is on everyone’s mind as we “Rush to the Top.”  Again last Friday I attended a seminar in Buffalo hosted by our school attorneys to discuss the latest interpretation of the newly approved regulations.  The mood in the room of superintendents and central office administrators was glum.  By the end of the two and a half hour session we were all holding our heads in hand.  When one of the lawyers remarked; “Make sure to call us when you are putting together your APPR plan for classroom observations” I was struck by the impact of that statement.  I said something like; “The entire concept of this plan is ridiculous when we have to call our lawyers to determine a teacher’s effectiveness in the classroom.”  I want to think our lawyer friends agreed.  This plan is not supported by research, was overseen by a Commissioner who has since resigned and has been referred to as the “most significant legislation since the Taylor Law” by highly respected lawyers.  I don’t think that last comment was a form of praise.

This is a plan that is criticized by NYSSBA and NYSCOSS.  One of the chief architects of the plan, NYSUT,  has abandoned it in its final form.  Superintendents dislike it because it is too complicated and relinquishes many management rights to teachers.  Who ever heard of a performance evaluation system that gives the employee the right to negotiate the terms of the evaluation criteria and potentially grieve the substance of the evaluation itself?  Superintendents also know the plan is too complicated and few districts have the capacity to do it right.  Principals realize there is no way they can meet the evaluation deadlines and still manage a building.  Teachers worry that it is bad for children.  The plan is too heavily reliant on testing.  Kids are already tested too much which results in less time for teaching, a narrowing of the curriculum and more time spent administering and scoring exams.  Imagine what will happen when Business First gets its hands on the student achievement data attributed to individual teachers across the region.  We can look forward to parents shopping for teachers – “I don’t want my child to have that teacher.  She was poorly ranked in Business First.”

Who does like the APPR plan?  The soon to be ex-Commissioner likes it because it gave him access to almost $700 million in “Race to the Top” federal funds to rebuild the depleted State Education Department.  The Governor likes it so much that he pushed for last minute changes that were adopted by the Board of Regents but then resulted in a repudiation of the plan by NYSUT.  This change of heart by NYSUT cannot bode well for those of us trying to negotiate the plan’s requirements with local bargaining units. 

Renowned conservative educational researcher Diane Ravitch wrote about the high stakes testing movement embodied in NCLB.  “It assumed that reporting test scores to the public would be an effective lever for school reform. It assumed that changes in governance would lead to school improvement. It assumed that shaming schools that were unable to lift test scores every year—and the people who work in them—would lead to higher scores. It assumed that low scores were caused by lazy teachers and lazy principals, who need to be threatened with the loss of their jobs. Perhaps most naively, it assumed that higher test scores on standardized tests of basic skills are synonymous with good education. Its assumptions were wrong. Testing is not a substitute for curriculum and instruction. Good education cannot be achieved by a strategy of testing children, shaming educators, and closing schools.”

Rest assured, the new APPR is an unfunded mandate in the form of additional legal costs, more substitute teachers to relieve those classroom teachers scoring exams and the purchase of new local assessments.  The right thing to do would have been to reform the 3020a hearing process; make it less expensive and time-consuming to terminate an ineffective teacher or principal. 

I simply needed to speak up last friday.  Since then other opportunities to express this opinion have surfaced.  I will continue to express my measured criticism as I work along with teachers and principals in our school district to design and implement a realistic and practical plan.  But I will also voice my opinions that the new law and regulations represent bad public policy.

I would like to take a moment and express my thanks to the voters of the Gowanda Central School District who came to the polls on May 17th.  Regardless of the vote you cast, the fact you took the time to exercise your right as an American deserves recognition.  Thank you for remaining involved in this valuable enterprise called public education.  By now you probably know the results.  The budget passed by a vote of 386 to 177.  The proposition to purchase buses using reserve funds also passed 377 to 163.  The three incumbent Board members, Sheri Wing, Lynn Hammond and Mark Nephew, will return to the Board for new three-year terms.  Congratulations are due to these individuals who I know from experience work hard to protect the interests of students and taxpayers in GCS.  I also want to extend my thanks to the three gentlemen who decided to vie for the Board vacancies.  It was a very close election and Joseph DeCarlo, Joseph Vogtli and Peter Delpriore deserve our sincere thanks for competing for a position that brings with it no compensation but a lot of headaches and many hours of extra work.

Upon reflection, I admit to being very worried about the fiscal trends that will shape upcoming budgets.  On the revenue side of the budget I worry about the depressed local tax base, the Governor’s 2% property tax proposal, the depletion of available reserves, declining year-end surpluses and the language in the new budget bill that caps future state aid based upon NYS income tax receipts.  On the expenditure side I worry about ever-increasing payroll and benefits, health insurance premiums and contributions to the retirement systems. 

On the positive side, we remain able to provide all of our students with a comprehensive public school education that includes an emphasis on basic skills, art, music, physical education and library.  Advanced placement, JCC and 3-1-3 courses are still available in the High School.  Our extra-curricular program is intact and students are able to participate in interscholastic sports, drama, musicals and clubs.  Soon we will embark on the new “Race to the Top” reform effort prescribed by the State of New York and the federal government.  My preliminary work with the new Common Core State Standards indicates the new standards are an improvement over the old.  Our teachers are already involved in workshops that introduce the standards and activities designing new lessons.  Although it will be a struggle to fully implement with dwindling resources and people-power, we have begun the work involved with the new teacher evaluation system known as APPR or Annual Professional Performance Reviews.  Lastly, we are about to begin the work involved in renovating the auditorium and constructing a new science wing on the High School.  Repairs to the Elementary School A-wing begin next month.  We have a lot for which we can be thankful.

Still, my heart goes out to those valuable employees who will lose their jobs as a result of declining enrollment and budget cuts.  It is my unfortunate responsibility to meet individually with each person to be laid-off and explain the situation.  Although we try to provide hope for the future it is difficult when one considers the lack of real job opportunities in our southern-tier communities.  Behind each budget cut is a real person with the same needs as you and me.

When I was a teacher in the late ’70′s kids were always asking this question.  “Why do we have to learn this stuff?”  The same is true today.  And the standard answer was always; “Someday you will have a job and need to know how to (fill-in the blank).”  I wish it were so simple today. 

Where are the jobs?  Our rural communities across New York State are suffering for lack of meaningful employment.  Families are falling apart.  Poverty is prevalent along with crime, drug/alcohol abuse, and single parent households.  Children enter kindergarten less ready to learn than any generation since pre-WWII.  Too few 5-year olds know their colors, ABC’s, how to tie a shoe or share with others. 

And what do we tell high schoolers about the prospects for a good job upon graduation?  If you want a good job in Gowanda get a teaching certificate or become a corrections officer.  After that choice is exhausted, then what?  Plan to move out of the area and/or state.  Say goodbye to your family and friends.  Apply to McDonald’s.

A lot has been said and written lately about the failure of public schools to properly educate children.  Some of the criticism is on the mark and we realize we need to do better.  But what about the responsibility of politicians and corporations to create opportunities in our communities.  I realize we are part of a global economy but we also need local jobs for the vast majority of our graduates.  This is especially true in rural and urban areas.

The decline of the New York State economy is not a problem created solely by public school teachers and administrators.  Neither will it be solved merely by raising the graduate rates and showing higher scores on state assessments.  Young people want to start families and work for a decent wage.  They want to establish roots in a community and work to see it grow and prosper.  Good public schools are an important part of that cycle of renewal.  But a good public school education without meaningful employment upon graduation is an empty promise.  Otherwise, why do we need to learn this stuff?

It has been over a year since the public approved a $6.8 million capital improvement project.  The first phase of the project started during the summer of 2010 and finished in November.  I am now able to show you some pictures of the new High School boys and girls locker-rooms.  You may remember the originals were in a bad state of disrepair.  Tiled floors leaked water into the basement, fixtures were in need of replacement, handicapped access was non-existent and in general, students rarely used the facilities.  Students I have talked to love the changes and the showers are getting a lot more use according to the coaches and phys. ed. teachers.

Before - Boys shower area

After – Girls Locker Room

After – Girls Locker Room

After - Boys Shower Area

After - Boys Locker Room

On Sunday, December 12th I traveled to Albany along with our Habiterra architects in order to participate in a face-to-face meeting on Monday with the State Education Department engineers.  These gentlemen require a thorough review of the architectural and engineering plans before they will provide a stamp of approval.  The favorable review focused on the plans for the auditorium renovations,  GES foundation repair and new science wing construction.  You will recall that the auditorium and GES foundation renovations will commence in July of 2011.  The science wing construction will begin in April of 2011.  The scheduled opening of the classrooms is September of 2012.

To my surprise the SED engineers conducted the review in the original NYS Education Building.  Completed in 1911, it is a beautiful building that is reminiscent of the days when New York was truly the “Empire” state.  I took a couple pix with my phone and post them here for your viewing pleasure.

Main Colonnade

Library of the Professions

Tribute to a "Free Public Education"

Tomorrow marks the 28th year that I will welcome public school students to the opening of a new school year.  I spent the last week welcoming back our teachers and support staff, making an attempt to capture in one day the numerous initiatives envisioned by the NYS Regents and its new Chancellor, Merryl Tisch as well as our new Commissioner, Dr.  David Steiner.  It took two-hours of constant dialogue and 100 slides in a Power Point presentation to “set the table” and make our staff aware of all that has gone on these past four months.  We discussed changes to curriculum, instruction, assessment, teacher evaluations and the ways in which students are classified for special education services.  It was a lot of information and I need to thank the staff for remaining attentive during the presentation. 

As I prepared for the presentation I was forced to consider the pros and cons associated with high stakes testing and accountability measures.  In the presentation a significant amount of time was spent discussing the position paper entitled; “Problems with the Use of Test Scores to Evaluate Teachers.”  Released on August 29th by the Economic Policy Institute and authored by such notables as Diane Ravitch and Linda Darling-Hammond, the report advises against using test scores as the predominant measure for assessing teacher effectiveness.  No doubt the release was timed in response to the USDOE announcement two-weeks ago listing New York State as a recipient of $700 million of “Race to the Top” grants.  One of the pillars of the NYS reform initiative is to evaluate teachers using up to 40% of student assessment data.

One of the more troubling criticisms of the movement to use test scores to evaluate teachers is the research finding that documents the manner in which such a strategy tends to narrow the curriculum.  In other words, the old adage –  ”what is tested is taught” – is correct.  If we stress through high stakes tests English Language Arts (ELA) and math, then it is ELA and math that will receive the bulk of the attention in the classroom.  We have already been witness to this phenomenon with the ten-year experiment in New York State where we now have ELA and math tests at all levels from grades 3-8.  There is no doubt we teach what is tested.  We must or risk being labeled a failure by the federal and state departments of education, not to mention the onerous rankings in Business Firstmagazine.  What then happens to a balanced curriculum that includes science, social studies, art, music, citizenship, character building, life skills, etc?  Frankly, it is extremely troublesome to be a witness to this compression of the curriculum at a time when our young people need a vigorous, inclusive, dynamic curriclum that extends beyond the three R’s.

So what are we to do, those of us “in the trenches” who are held accountable but still feel there must be a better way?  We will need to first uphold the rules and regulations of the State of New York.  Second, we must find ways to integrate the other disciplines into our reading and writing curriculum.  Eventually finding ways to increase the school day and/or school year may be the only solution.  Third, teachers and administrators must continue to respond to calls for “public comment” whenever a new regulation that undermines the comprehensive curriculum threatens to become law.  In the meantime, we will do our best to prepare our students for a complex and challenging future, hoping for the day when the standards movement and high stakes testing takes its place amongst other quaint, but ineffective, educational panaceas.

I truly do not want to write or talk anymore about the locker boxing case that rocked our school district for two weeks starting on April 29th.  Like me, I think the entire community is exhausted dealing with and taking sides on the issue.  Still, from the beginning, the purpose of this blog was to provide a forum for discussing issues of interest to GCS and I would be remiss if I did not comment on this most unsettling of topics.  Truth be told, rarely does anyone respond to my blog posts anyway.  We will soon see if violence and passion spark a response.

The media has done a good job of covering the controversy so there is little of a non-confidential nature that I can add.  Instead, I would like to expand the perspective by remarking on the ugly underside of popular culture that surfaced as a result of the juvenile violence perpetrated by our lacrosse players.

Viewing the video of the fight four days after the initial event was the first in a series of shocks I would receive in the coming days.  Knowing the video had been posted on (and subsequently removed from) YouTube, I spent hours searching for more damning evidence.  Although I discovered no more GCS videos, I was introduced to the ugly but commonplace culture in which our young people reside.  I saw countless videos, many from the same locker rooms, of brawling athletes.  Makes me wonder about the controversy looming for the school district superintendent whose staff has yet to uncover the existence of the videos.  Does he know?  Does she care?  How soon before someone is seriously hurt and appears on Oprah, wanting to “save at least one life” which will make the crusade worthwhile.  A number of friends with teenage boys have contacted me to say that their kid admitted locker boxing is commonplace in their school as well.  If so, why did the first local case have to focus on our school district?  Why did we have to be one of the first to endure the shame of exposure?

After viewing the video and making the decision to suspend the remainder of the season, I then began reading the e-comments sent in by the public who viewed the WKBW-TV and/or read the Buffalo News coverage.  This is always a dangerous practice and can push a public official over the edge.  It can suck the soul right out of you to read the acerbic opinions of the anonymous and uninformed.  Most disturbing was the blatant and poorly disguised racism that surfaced. Reading the slurs against our students hurt, mostly because they exposed the ever-existent negative stereotypes against Native Americans.  This phenomenon makes me believe that the availability of such anonymous public forums is a detriment to our public discourse and possibly our democracy. Like locker room boxing,  the format is crass, irresponsible and damaging.  Mini Jerry Springer shows sponsored by purportedly responsible media, designed I dare say to sell advertising and hype viewership.  I have nothing against supporting the public forum – just require contributors to identify themselves and be accountable for their opinions.

One day after the appeal before the Board of Education was decided on May 19th, an “expert” got his chance to publicly weigh-in on Channel 7.  Although I agree with him about the debasing cause and effects of locker boxing, he is in no position to judge the character of the Gowanda School Board or to ridicule the basis for their decision to reinstate the season.  Medaille is a good distance from Gowanda in both geography and character.  ”Walk a mile in my shoes” is the old saying, before one questions the actions of another.  Expert he may be in sports psychology but that does not mean he is informed about community norms, redemption, culture and pragmatism.  We prefer to solve our own problems, thank you very much.

In the end, I believe the adults and athletes had an opportunity to learn from this experience.  I cannot speak for the athletes, but I learned school officials need to extend their supervision of youngsters into the virtual world.  Our school district policies and procedures need a major overhaul, creating a mechanism for a more deliberate approach to decision-making when faced with such explosive issues.  Our coaches, parents and athletes need to participate in improved pre-season orientation sessions that stress ethical team behavior, cyber-bullying, and the relationship between actions and consequences.  Finally, we all need to recognize and accept that all children have a right to an education, but to participate in a sport is a privilege.  One that can be taken away in an instant when impulse and loss of control dominate.

I am going to get a little budget “wonky” in this blog, so please excuse me if the topic is too long or boring.

When I began my term as Superintendent of the Gowanda Central School District in July of 2002 we faced a variety of finance-related problems.  Unfortunately, expenditures had been routinely under-estimated while revenues were over-estimated.  As a result, the budget imbalances were pronounced.

Since that time, and while working cooperatively with eight successive Boards of Educations, four bargaining units and two business executives, we have restored the District’s financial balance.  But it is also true that beginning in July of 2002, we began the process of planning for a downturn in the economy such as the one we are currently witnessing.  Sound fiscal planning and favorable decisions at the State and federal level have combined to make the 2010-2011 budget one that is relatively free of program cuts and personnel layoffs.  Furthermore, it will not be necessary to raise the local  tax levy – for the 4th year in a row.

If approved, the 2010 budget will increase 1.9% over the approved 2009-2010 budget from $25,695,150 to $26,182,996.  You may recall that the 2009-2010 budget increased by 0.0% over 2008-2009.

Back in 2002 the Board of Education made a commitment to increase its fund balance for the purpose of stabilizing the spending plans and the corresponding tax rates.  The only way to accomplish this goal is to finish a fiscal year with a surplus.  Here are the facts.

In 2002 the District finished the 2001-2002 school year with $732,908 in the total fund balance (savings) account.  That fund equity represented only 4.0% of the total budget.  That is one of the reasons why we cut close to $1M from the 2003-2004 anticipated expenditure plan, went to a contingency budget and still needed to increase the tax levy by approximately 25%.  It was a horrendous budget season and one I hope never to repeat.  Since then, three things have happened that together, helped to improve the District’s fiscal health.

First, the Board employed school business executives who were, and are, expert in financial management.  The Board now works with more accurate expenditure and revenue estimates at budget time.  We also worked diligently to maximize all sources of revenue, resulting in dramatic increases in Erie County sales tax revenue and all other categories of state aid.  By the summer of 2005, the total fund equity had improved to 15.7% and by 2008 the tax rate on true value had stabilized from a high of $19.24 in 2005 to $16.94/$1,000.

The second positive influence on Gowanda’s fiscal health occurred in July of 2007.  At that time, New York State was forced to revise its funding formulas in response to the celebrated Campaign for Fiscal Equity (CFE) court case.  In addition to boosting state aid for NY City public schools, the CFE case also benefited other high need/low resource school districts.  Gowanda CSD fit the profile and large increases in state aid (16% per year) began to flow to Gowanda beginning in July of 2007.  The large increases continued into 2008-2009 school year.  By statute, the additional funds were to be used to improve the educational program and student achievement.

In fact, Gowanda used the additional funds for three purposes;

1.  Increase spending and enhance the educational program.  In 2007 and 2008, the budgets increased by 9.21% and 7.62% respectively.  For example, we added remedial education teachers, a K-6 literacy coach, a K-4 computer teacher, an assistant superintendent (for one year), restored the Middle School librarian and computer courses, summer and after school programs, High School elective courses, computer hard/software, textbooks, staff development and other classroom resources.

2.  Used a portion of the surplus funds to stabilize the tax levy and tax rate.  As a result, the tax levy has not increased for three consecutive years and is estimated not to increase for a 4th year in a row (’10-11).  Likewise, the tax rate on true value is now less in 2009-2010 ($14.20/$1,000) than it was in 2002-2003 ($16.15/$1,000).

3.  Placed a portion of the surplus funds in the District’s fund balance, both reserved and unreserved, in accordance with NYS laws and regulations.  These “rainy day funds” will be used to finance a portion of the 2010-2011 budget to the tune of $307,187 in reserved and $1,646,712 in unreserved funds.  It is the availability of these funds that will help to make up for the $909,000 in state aid projected to be cut from our general aid category.

The third trend that helped Gowanda weather the current fiscal storm came in the form of the federal stimulus bill that was approved by Congress in February of 2009.  Just when NYS aid was declining, the federal government stepped in with its job creation stimulus package.   And again, Gowanda’s status as a high need/low resource school district worked to our advantage.  The only difference was that in this case, it is definitely illegal to use any of the funds to decrease taxes or flow to fund balance.  All of the funds needed to be spent on saving/creating jobs and enhancing the educational program – which we did.  We hired three long-term subsitute teachers to work each day in each building.  We also added an additional K-6 literacy coach and technology integrator.  The remaing funds were used to enhance the technology available for student use in the classroom.

When we take all of these variables together, we get this picture for 2010-2011:

*  The budget will increase by 1.9%

*  The tax rate will increase 0.0%

*  The District will eliminate 9.5 teaching positions, including the three long-term substitue teachers, two literacy coaches, technology integrator and three full-time and one part-time special education teaching positions.

*  All other programs and services will remain intact.

So as you can hopefully now realize, it has taken us at least 8-years to get to this point.  During those intervening 8-years decisions have been made to mitigate the impact of the current downturn in the state and federal economies.  I believe we are in a relatively good position but not without our problems, especially if the recession continues into 2012-2013.  Finally, it has been our goal to maintain and improve the educational program while not placing an undue burden on the local taxpayer.  Only you can judge for yourself if we have accomplished this goal.

I read the local Pennysaver and daily newspaper on a regular basis.  I am troubled but not surprised by the number of drug busts undertaken by the Gowanda police department and New York State police.  Traffic stops result in the arrests of individuals from all over Western New York caught usually with marijuana in their possession.  It goes bey0nd coincidence.

Now it comes as no surprise that drugs are present in the Gowanda Middle andHigh Schools.  In fact, since 1982 when I was first appointed High School Principal in Holland, NY, I have worked in five public high schools anddrugs were present in every one.  If drugs are in the community they can be found in the public and private schools attended by the children living in that community.  It is a fact of life that every principal and superintendent is aware of and tries his or her best to control and eradicate with the help of a vigilant staff.

But here’s a question to ponder.  When a school official confiscates an illegal drug from a student, what is that school official’s responsibility to inform the community?  Is there an overwhelming “need to know?”  Or does the student’s right to privacy take precedence?  Should the school cooperate with law enforcement and remain silent about elements of the drug bust in order to not compromise the police investigation?  When a school official refuses to share information with the public is he “covering up?”

These are not hypothetical considerations.  In Gowanda we recently caught a student with a significant quantity of a dangerous drug.  My initial response was to use the automated all-call telephone system to inform parents of the case in order to tamp down rumors and keep parents apprised.  However, after consulting with law enforcement and legal counsel, I decided against sharing this information with parents or staff.  Needless to say, in some quarters this was not a popular decision. 

I understand my critics point of view on this topic.  Few things are as important as protecting our students against drugs and alcohol use in the school setting.  The first step in this process is admitting there is a problem and shedding light of truth on the issue. I get it and this opinion has merit.

But in this particular case, there were two overriding forces that advised against sharing the specifics of the drug bust with the public.  The first is the constitutional right of the student to privacy.  I know, this statement upsets people who would prefer criminal behavior to be exempt from such notions of privacy.  But a superintendent is not at liberty to ignore the privacy rights of his students.  To do so is to expose the school district to a lawsuit and the student to possible threats andretaliation.  The second issue that influenced my decision was the request of law enforcement to not compromise an ongoing investigation.  The school district’s legal counsel also advised that I could be accused by law enforcement of “obstructing justice.”  After weighing the public’s “need to know” against the advice of counsel and law enforcement, I decided not to divulge the facts of the case.

To the credit of the Gowanda Board of Education, I was required to give a full accounting of the case in the privacy of executive session.  Since then, we have discussed the need to thoroughly review our drug/alcohol prevention and intervention practices withthe intent of making changes in both approaches.  The first step will be to discuss the constitutional questions raised by such measures as more aggressive student searches, use of “drug dogs,” installation of surveillance cameras and drug testing of students at a Board workshop at 6:00 PM on April 27th.

While we engage in this review process allow me to make an obvious declaration.  Drugs are present in our Middle and High Schools.  We knew this before the most recent event and were not forced by this incident to admit the existence of drugs.  But I can also assure parents, students and staff that we will  not be going “over the deep edge” to combat this problem.  We must find a balance between an individual student’s right to privacy once apprehended and all of the students’ right to a safe learning environment free of the undue presence of drugs and alcohol on campus.  I also believe the intervention efforts must match the extent of the problem, making certain all students’ rights to privacy are not subjected to undue searches and lack of tolerance.

We will do this with the assistance of professionals working in the field, law enforcement, parents, students and staff.  What we will  not do is respond to the shrill cries of those who criticize without knowing the extent of the problem or the complexity of the solutions. 

I remain interested in your opinions.  What do you think?

I work for a low-performing school district.  How do I know?  Albany and the US Department of Education like to tell me so.  Community members from neighboring school districts prefer to keep me informed of the fact.  And if anyone fails to notice, regional business magazines relish the thought of comparing our school district to the premier school districts that enjoy higher incomes and property values.  And I might add, commensurately higher scores on standardized achievement exams.

I also work for a school district whose only hospital was devastated in an August ’09 flood but remains shuttered and empty to this day.  Neither politicians nor corporate interests have helped to replace the vital community service or the jobs that were lost.  I work for a school district that borders an Indian reservation where a competitive advantage selling cigarettes resulted in employment opportunities previously unknown to this area.  This advantage ruffles feathers in Albany where pols resent the lost tax revenue and promise to change regulations that would “level the playing field.”  I have yet to hear of the plan that would replace the employment opportunities lost when “smoke shops” are abandoned.  I work in a school district where the state supreme court ruled the funding of high need/low resource schools is unfair and ordered a remedy.  That remedy was in effect for two-years and has now taken a back seat to Wall Street bailouts and economic decline.  I work in a school district where winning big rarely happens and most of us become accustomed to second-best.

I also work in a school district with some of the most amazing and resilient young people imaginable.  Kids who can make you cry if you knew their personal stories.  Kids who struggle to look “cool” when hand-me-downs are the rule rather than the exception.  But kids who regardless, come to schol every day, listen to their teachers and try their hardest to make a positive difference.  One of those kids is senior Aaron Kroll and this is his moment.

On Sunday, February 28th Aaron and his coaches returned to a proud Gowanda community as a champion.  He wrestled his heart out and beat all comers to become the first Gowanda wrestling champ ever.  He literally went to Albany to fight for his school district and community.  I was fortunate to be able to catch his homecoming on film and I present it here for your viewing pleasure.  At least for a day, one young man erased the winter gloom and made us all proud to know him and call ourselves Panthers.  Thanks Aaron.  Thanks Jake, Mark, Rick, Ray and Shawn.  You guys are the best.          Aarons’ Gowanda reception.