Most people would give you a blueprint for change. Buffalo needs something to help their children grow and that's why this is a Greenprint for Change. Improving schools is not rocket science although it can be time consuming and test your patience. The following Bright Spot Report details a true story of how the Iroquois School District overcame some challenges.
Voter apathy could be labeled as the nemesis that started the negative slide at Iroquois. Taxpayers are always leary of paying higher taxes. The taxes in the Iroquois District have generally been among the lowest in Erie County and the population base with many senior citzens did not have much to complain about. As a general rule, without a driving issue that touched on people's emotions, voter turnout at Board elections was rather anemic. That's how trouble starts, people think it's okay to sit home and let their neighbor go out and vote. That's wrong my friends, you should always go and vote to protect your children and your community.
Greenprint Tip #1 Always stay involved in your local school districts business. In good times and in bad, in sickness and in health, for richer, for poorer....I think you get the picture.
Several people who had no interest in helping students were elected to the Iroquois School Board and that's when the trouble started. One of the Board members was accused of assaulting a student on school grounds as well as several other instances of breaking the law. This particular individual would march right into the Superintendents office and say "I'm going to find the skeletons in your closet." He was mean and nasty to anyone (including students) who questioned him. His verbal attacks on school personell were relentless and became quite embarassing for anybody connected with Iroquois.
After the election of people who many parents felt did not have their children's best interests at heart, the parents started to become active. They met and formed committees and came up with a list of possible candidates who would put children first. The parents selected team players who would listen to their concerns and work with them to enhance and safeguard their children's education. I was fortunate and blessed to be selected as one of those candidates. When I met the Board member who had been causing all of the trouble, he looked at me and said: "You will never get elected. My people are going to win." My reply? I told him that "If God wanted me on that School Board, He was going to put me there and there isn't a damn thing you can do about it." The parents came out in numbers that surpassed any previous elelection to support their candidates and we won.
Greenprint Tip #2 When selecting candidates to run for the School Board, community members should select people who have children as their primary focus. They should be able to devote the time that is needed to be a team player on a successful School Board. They should have a background as a team player. They should be willing to spend time in the schools. A good plant manager takes the time to walk his plant everyday.
For only the third time in New York State history, a School Board convened a special session to remove one of it's own members. There were 19 charges brought against this individual and most of them were quite serious and damaging to the children at Iroquois. After several days of testimony amidst a flood of media coverage, this Board Member was removed. This was an excruciatingly painful time for many of the people involved. The community was divided because some folks believed that this individual was fighting against higher taxes. His agenda was purely personal and his desire was for publicity at any cost. We were relieved when it was over so we could concentrate on programs for students.
Greenprint tip #3 Do not be afraid to make hard decisions and remove people who are a detriment to the welfare of children. If you are going to serve as a Board Member, you cannot become complacent in the face of an adversarial nemesis who will tear down the foundation of a good school district.
After the trial was over, we hired several new administrative people including the Superintendent. As a unified Board, we conducted lengthy and thoroough interviews. We would sit down and have dinner while asking a lot of interview questions. If a candidate seemed promising, we met with them several times. Every person that we hired was highly qualified, highly recommended, highly respected by their peers and they had a strong desire to put children first. These were people with a strong character and a good work ethic who belived in putting children first. We formed relationships with everyone we hired. (My son and I even went fishing with our Superintendent.)
Greenprint Tip #4 If you want your children to learn good character traits then they should be surrounded with people who exemplify those traits. Form a relationship with people before you hire them. This may seem harder to do in a very large school district but if you start the interview process at the top and keep hiring like minded people, it will eventually be a driving force throughout the District. The Board should spend a lot of time deciding on the character traits that they believe will be in the best interests of their children.
The next burning issue we faced after hiring a whole new Administration Team was contract negotiations with several different bargaining units. Nobody was happy and the teachers standard apparel was black shirts. They would picket Board meetings and I found it painful walking through a picket line maintained by people who I knew deserved better. They had been promised raises by previous administrators who were now gone. The economic picture had changed due to some fairly large Tax Certiori Claims against the District. The Teachers didn't trust the new Administration based on their experience with the previous Administration and I didn't blame them. It took a few years to work through that mess but perseverance paid off. The Superintendent we hired was a very trustworthy and honest man who instilled respect in those he worked with. After a long road of many years, all bargaining units at Iroquois had contracts that were extended beyond there expiration. The black shirts were long gone. The Superintendent, Mike Glover, was a leader who put children first.
Greenprint Tip #5 Be honest with the people you are bargaining with. Do not promise something that you are not 100% positive that you can deliver. If you know that you will not be around in the future, don't jeopardize the future of the District by giving away a promise that somebody else can't keep. Take your time and hold your head up and persevere in truth. People may point accusing fingers for a season but a rock solid character will be a solid foundation for perseverance.
There is a lot more that goes into creating a powerful Greenprint for Putting Children First, but for now:
Voter apathy could be labeled as the nemesis that started the negative slide at Iroquois. Taxpayers are always leary of paying higher taxes. The taxes in the Iroquois District have generally been among the lowest in Erie County and the population base with many senior citzens did not have much to complain about. As a general rule, without a driving issue that touched on people's emotions, voter turnout at Board elections was rather anemic. That's how trouble starts, people think it's okay to sit home and let their neighbor go out and vote. That's wrong my friends, you should always go and vote to protect your children and your community.
Greenprint Tip #1 Always stay involved in your local school districts business. In good times and in bad, in sickness and in health, for richer, for poorer....I think you get the picture.
Several people who had no interest in helping students were elected to the Iroquois School Board and that's when the trouble started. One of the Board members was accused of assaulting a student on school grounds as well as several other instances of breaking the law. This particular individual would march right into the Superintendents office and say "I'm going to find the skeletons in your closet." He was mean and nasty to anyone (including students) who questioned him. His verbal attacks on school personell were relentless and became quite embarassing for anybody connected with Iroquois.
After the election of people who many parents felt did not have their children's best interests at heart, the parents started to become active. They met and formed committees and came up with a list of possible candidates who would put children first. The parents selected team players who would listen to their concerns and work with them to enhance and safeguard their children's education. I was fortunate and blessed to be selected as one of those candidates. When I met the Board member who had been causing all of the trouble, he looked at me and said: "You will never get elected. My people are going to win." My reply? I told him that "If God wanted me on that School Board, He was going to put me there and there isn't a damn thing you can do about it." The parents came out in numbers that surpassed any previous elelection to support their candidates and we won.
Greenprint Tip #2 When selecting candidates to run for the School Board, community members should select people who have children as their primary focus. They should be able to devote the time that is needed to be a team player on a successful School Board. They should have a background as a team player. They should be willing to spend time in the schools. A good plant manager takes the time to walk his plant everyday.
For only the third time in New York State history, a School Board convened a special session to remove one of it's own members. There were 19 charges brought against this individual and most of them were quite serious and damaging to the children at Iroquois. After several days of testimony amidst a flood of media coverage, this Board Member was removed. This was an excruciatingly painful time for many of the people involved. The community was divided because some folks believed that this individual was fighting against higher taxes. His agenda was purely personal and his desire was for publicity at any cost. We were relieved when it was over so we could concentrate on programs for students.
Greenprint tip #3 Do not be afraid to make hard decisions and remove people who are a detriment to the welfare of children. If you are going to serve as a Board Member, you cannot become complacent in the face of an adversarial nemesis who will tear down the foundation of a good school district.
After the trial was over, we hired several new administrative people including the Superintendent. As a unified Board, we conducted lengthy and thoroough interviews. We would sit down and have dinner while asking a lot of interview questions. If a candidate seemed promising, we met with them several times. Every person that we hired was highly qualified, highly recommended, highly respected by their peers and they had a strong desire to put children first. These were people with a strong character and a good work ethic who belived in putting children first. We formed relationships with everyone we hired. (My son and I even went fishing with our Superintendent.)
Greenprint Tip #4 If you want your children to learn good character traits then they should be surrounded with people who exemplify those traits. Form a relationship with people before you hire them. This may seem harder to do in a very large school district but if you start the interview process at the top and keep hiring like minded people, it will eventually be a driving force throughout the District. The Board should spend a lot of time deciding on the character traits that they believe will be in the best interests of their children.
The next burning issue we faced after hiring a whole new Administration Team was contract negotiations with several different bargaining units. Nobody was happy and the teachers standard apparel was black shirts. They would picket Board meetings and I found it painful walking through a picket line maintained by people who I knew deserved better. They had been promised raises by previous administrators who were now gone. The economic picture had changed due to some fairly large Tax Certiori Claims against the District. The Teachers didn't trust the new Administration based on their experience with the previous Administration and I didn't blame them. It took a few years to work through that mess but perseverance paid off. The Superintendent we hired was a very trustworthy and honest man who instilled respect in those he worked with. After a long road of many years, all bargaining units at Iroquois had contracts that were extended beyond there expiration. The black shirts were long gone. The Superintendent, Mike Glover, was a leader who put children first.
Greenprint Tip #5 Be honest with the people you are bargaining with. Do not promise something that you are not 100% positive that you can deliver. If you know that you will not be around in the future, don't jeopardize the future of the District by giving away a promise that somebody else can't keep. Take your time and hold your head up and persevere in truth. People may point accusing fingers for a season but a rock solid character will be a solid foundation for perseverance.
There is a lot more that goes into creating a powerful Greenprint for Putting Children First, but for now:
Bob Kuebler
YWAP Director
Youth With A Purpose
In School & After School
In The Mountains & In The Hood
716-830-8240
"All Children Are Gifted"
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Youth-With-A-Purpose-Inc/111808805513470
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