If a superintendent is doing a good job, I have no problem with a contract extension for the superintendent – even if budgets are tight. There are two reasons for this. First, contract extensions of the two year variety are the norm in the industry. It can embarrass a sitting […]
Category: Organizational Structure
Protecting Bad Administrators: A Chronic Problem Which Deserves a Solution
I am going to circle back to a common theme in this blog. Why are many public school systems protecting bad administrators when they 100% KNOW that the administrator has behaved in an unprofessional, ineffective, and/or inappropriate manner? I mean the stories I hear are shocking. They are bad enough […]
Kingsport City Schools Bans Parents From School Cafeterias
It just keeps getting weirder by the minute, folks. Recently, there have been a litany of questionable decisions by the leaders of Kingsport’s school system. KCS painted over the Indian in J Fred. “Indians” has been removed from the new basketball court. We have been rebranded “The Tribe” without so […]
Retaining Our Best Educators and The Cost of Inaction
We have this one life. It is an overused but incredibly powerful statement. I was telling one of my kids not to worry about what other people think of them. I said, “Just follow Jesus and live your life boldly. You can’t worry about what others think about you. Some […]
KCS Inclement Weather Decisions: The More Things Change, The More Things Stay The same…
I barely even know what to say when I see decisions like today. Five years ago, I watched Kingsport City Schools lock their students out of buildings for a year and a half during the pandemic. Where was the KCS collective conscience then? Kids in poverty weren’t getting fed regularly. […]
What are school vouchers? A primer…
I believe that school choice should be a basic freedom. The basic premise of school vouchers(aka individual student vouchers) is that some of your tax dollars are returned to your family. Then, you take that money and choose which school that you want your child to attend. Here is the […]
Kingsport BOE at Odds with Republican Governor Lee and President-elect Donald Trump
The Kingsport BOE voted 4-0 last night to stand in the way of Republican and conservative public education policy. In short, they voted as a block of Democrats. Terribly unwise. Those are about the only words I have for what the Kingsport BOE passed last night. I couldn’t disagree more […]
7 NE TN Mayors Endorse School Vouchers…
WJHL is reporting that 7 NE TN mayors have endorsed Governor Bill Lee’s voucher process. Will it pass? I don’t know. lt didn’t last year. I certainly support the voucher process as discussed in two previous posts from earlier this week(listed at the bottom of this page). Mayors from Carter, […]
When Your Chickens Come Home to Roost
It ain’t pretty when your chickens come home to roost. In education, we are often guilty(far too guilty) of not policing our own. Examples of that would be ineffective teachers left to damage student learning year after year. Unprofessional behavior left unchecked. Superintendents that love the Baldridge Award more than […]
Valuing Uniqueness: What Albert Einstein, Walt Disney, and Steve Jobs Can Teach Us About Creative Learning Environments
We had a superintendent several years ago who wanted cookie cutter students, cookie cutter teachers, and cookie cutter buildings. Everything from instructional delivery to minimalist classrooms to pacing…the same. Our school system was treated as a business. Our people were treated as human capital. The classrooms which once fostered creativity […]
