Community Room

Tammy, I just wanted to clarify the context in which both of our kids caught the reporter's attention. I was with Kent when the reporter asked if Kent had kids in school, what their ages were, and what school they went to. The reporter just seemed to think it was interesting that our kids went to the same school and Kent did mention that they were both in the same class. The mentioning of our kids in the paper was not a publicity stunt and it was just as much a surprise to me as it was to you. I agree with you whole-heartedly that our kids should be left out of this and I sympathize greatly with the surprise you must have felt at seeing a reference to your daughter mixed in the recall article.
Sincerely, Barbara Clawson

Kent,
I was saddened to read in the Gazette article today that you brought my 9 year old daughter into this issue. I respectfully request that you leave my kids out of your comments. I also request anyone reading this not bring any board members or administrators kids into this during this stressful time. We need to rise above personal attacks and realize the kids have nothing to do with this. We are supposed to all be in this for what we feel is best for kids, even if we disagree on how to get there.
Tammy Harold

Kent-

This is a great addition to your web site! Thanks for finding ways to make yourself available to the public. Keep up the great work!

First of all I want to apologize if my behavior was unpleasant or disconcerting. I am glad to hear ALL of the news that comes from the members of our great community and have tried to create a welcoming report, but I will work to become more blank if that will help you to feel more comfortable. As it is easy for me to have people tell me what I already understand, I actually am very glad to receive information that may run contrary to my thinking to help me better appreciate and empathize with points of view that I may not always fully understand.

I agree whole heartedly about use of the flash system to inform about our meetings and will see what we can do to bring this about.

Next I want to address the discussion about charter schools generally and RMCA specifically. I agree that Charter schools are generally a different clientele and may not be a direct comparison to our traditional school system, but in the end we need proficiency to increase to 100% in all systems. I can give 100 reasons why our traditional system may be challenged in a way that charters are not, but I can give an equally lengthy list of the advantages that our traditional system enjoys that the charter system does not. In the end I do not wholly agree with the excessive comparison of one school to another, instead I prefer to look at the level that they are achieving and make sure that we are making rapid gains each year. That being said I will not discount the success that RMCA has had, just as I will not discount the fact that Stetson was a School of Excellence while it was at it's greatest overcrowding. I will enthusiastically expound the successes of ALL of our schools. Not to try and shame the others into doing better, but to acknowledge success. In the end excellence at all schools, among all students is critical and I will support strengthening opportunities for all of our families and their children.

I will state that charter schools are a contingent of our growth strategy, not the whole strategy. At a minimum I believe that the charter schools in our district are required to maintain a level >50% D-49 students. At a minimum that currently equates to about a middle school's worth of capacity that the District did not bond or raise taxes for. These are institutions that the parents have selected because they meet a need that the parents value, just as you have chosen a traditional system because it contains values and opportunities that you cherish.

As to meeting with teachers and staff, I must admit that my time has presently been spent meeting with more administrators than teachers as I come up to speed on their needs and passions and my responsibilities. In the last three months I have met with several representatives from Learning Services, Construction/Planning, Safety, Finance, and Information Technology. I also met with the school representatives from each of the schools during the School Showcase back in January which was an excellent experience to see where the schools have their passions and see their strengths. Additionally I have met with a representative from Skyview to discuss issues related to overcrowding at that site and some parents and teachers associated with the Stetson Elementary PTA. I hope in the near future to be having some community meetings specifically to develop more community dialogue. Though the open forums provide a vehicle for this, I don't think that it is the best vehicle for meaningful discussion. If you would like I will add you to the list of people that I will specifically notify.

Also along these lines I am trying to update my personal website to allow more of these items to have a place to be posted. To that end I would request your permission to add this letter (with your name removed, unless you prefer otherwise) and my response to that site (http://www.kentclawson.com). I feel that this will allow others a chance to review concerns like yours and others and better understand my position on these concerns.

I have removed the contacts at the Gazette from this response. Not because I had anything that I wanted to hide, instead because I wanted to present a response to YOUR comments and concerns and not an editorial. You should have no reservations, on my behalf, about feeling free to forward or do as you wish with my response. As always please feel free to contact me with your questions, comments, or concerns (especially where we may disagree).

I look forward to other discussion.

Thanks,

Kent

Greetings _____________,

I want to take a minute to address some of the questions that have come up recently regarding the superintendent search and other issues related to board issues and policies.

First I want to address the request for my resignation at the February 13 board meeting. I must admit that the irony is not lost on the fact that the person who I unseated it now currently asking for my resignation. I feel that to comply with this request would be unfair to the position of those voters who agreed with the philosophies that I proposed for the advancement of our D-49 school's. At this point I have felt my actions are wholly in keeping with the trust and responsibility placed with me by the voters of this great school district.

As to decisions related to the hiring of the search firm currently utilized by the district these are decisions that were made prior to my coming to the board and were made without objection from any of the then seated board members at the time of entering into the agreement.

Next I would like to address concerns with the superintendent search. This is a process that is coming at a very poignant time within our district and must be made with consideration of the past while looking forward to the future. Our school district has transformed from a once rural setting, to become the fourth fastest-growing school district in the nation. We sit at the cusp of becoming the most accomplished school district in the region, if not the nation. It will not just happen, it will be a strategic decision made as we hire this new superintendent. This individual will be a leader recognizing the strengths that currently exist within our district and implementing a vision to help us achieve the next level of superior accomplishment.

In closing, it is my belief that D-49 is positioned to promote excellence among all of our students at a time when our competitiveness among global players is most challenged. In my interactions with the current board members, I feel that I can safely state that student excellence is the top priority of the decisions that we make and the goals that we hope to accomplish.

Thank you,

Kent Clawson

D-49 Board of Education

Greetings ________,

I want to thank you for your input and your concern for the District.

I believe that in the end we will see great applicants come out of this search process.

I would vehemently disagree with the assertion that the standard for the position has been lowered. The case could be made that the barrier for entry has been decreased, but that is the only thing that could be said on any level. If a Doctorate in Education simply made a person qualified to lead one of the fastest growing school Districts in the state then this would be an easy process. On the other hand this is not another teacher that we are hiring, this person must be a leader. A leader will always recognize that those they surround themselves with are the strength of the organization and will rely on them accordingly, and thank heavens for that.

I will use my employer, Colorado College, as an example. The closest that this individual had come to education before being hired President of this organization was signing the Ohio Department of Education budget. He is not a career educator, nor does he hold a Doctorate degree. He was though selected as the leader for what has become one of the best Liberal Arts colleges in the country. Some of his greatest strengths were actually his weaknesses. Because of his weaknesses he relies on his team, but fortunately (or unfortunately depending on your performance ;-) for them he also holds them strictly accountable. Professionalism is greatly valued and employees are allowed to innovate to meet targets.

On the other side of the discussion one of the regional school districts has always had a Doctorate at the helm and it continues to suffer declining performance (10% minority math proficiency, 70% graduation, etc.) They have added layer upon layer of administration to "meet the challenge" but performance continues to suffer. Did limiting the field to only D. Ed unnecessarily result in a smaller pool of Leaders for them to choose from? We are fortunate that our system is in a strong position and we have excellent people like yourself that are committed to the District and the business of Education.

I know that the response that I hear to this is that any of the applicants who look at the Job Posting will arbitrarily assume that we don't know what we are doing. That our fundamental requirements are to low, etc. I would contend that a representative that would feel that way is not the leader that I would want anyway. A person who looks and only sees problems instead of opportunities is not what I think we need in D-49. I say this partly because we have built in excuses that a person can use to explain away poor performance (growth, transiency, etc.) I need someone who sees that as a challenge that they want to address.

D-49 is on its way to being the best school district in the region if not the nation. We have the personnel, talent, and opportunities to make this come to pass and I am committed to nothing less. I have two kids in the system and two more in training that need this to be the standard. We live in a world that is fully competitive. The barriers that used to protect the US's position on top have come crumbling down. This is great for the rest of the world so that they too can enjoy the standard of living to which we have become accustom, but it means that we now need to play at a level that we have never had to before. My children need a District that will challenge and prepare them for the future. They need to become life long learners with critical thinking skills, while maintaining an awareness of the world around them. To this end I have one role as a Board member in bringing this to pass and that is hiring a superintendent that is willing to lead a District in a manner that is rigorous and personal.

Now with all of that said, there is a high likelihood that our leader will have an advanced degree, an educational background, and all of the components associated with the current paradigm. I also believe that I will be able to choose this person knowing that the barriers for entry allowed many other potential leaders to put their hat in the ring.

In closing I will reiterate that this is not a choice that I take lightly for the sake of the children and families of D-49. Additionally I want to restate that these are strictly my perspectives and should not be represented as a position of the Board.

As to the contention that "the person that [we] are considering" as made such statement, I must admit that the statement is currently groundless based on the fact that we have not began the selection process yet. This coming week we will be assessing the input that we have received from the District's residents and developing the appropriate selection criteria by which to judge these candidates. From this frame work we will assess the appropriateness of the respective candidates. I would ask if the person that has made these comments shows up on the final selection list that you again advise us to the specific individual and information to corroborate the claim so that this matter can be included in the assessment of the candidates. I will try and remember to email you these candidates when the field is whittled down to the finalists to make sure that if necessary your concerns are given the light that they deserve.

Thank you for your time, service, and commitment to D-49. As usual feel free to contact me if you have any questions, comments, or concerns.

Kent Clawson