8-7-04 It is imperative that our School District develops and maintains a long-range strategy for the educational needs of our children. Before strategy, however, there must be a vision, a vision reflecting the needs and desires of parents and community members. The ultimate aim of this vision must be providing the means to achieve educational excellence. Where do we want to be? Along with state educational mandates, we must establish the breadth and scope of curriculum and the level of preparedness we want our kids to achieve. We must evaluate where we are now and how we are going to achieve our established goals. What tools can we use? First, we can benefit from a Needs Assessment. What are the things our District needs in order to achieve the educational excellence we want? Once we have a clear picture of the needs, then we can proceed to forming a strategic plan, a plan to help us get where we want to go. The CEC continues to urge the School Board to use these simple tools instead of responding to crisis after crisis with band-aid solutions. Those who fail to plan should plan to fail. It is time for the School Board to become pro-active; to look ahead, to be prepared to work toward identified goals instead of wasting time and precious economic resources.
Consider academic test scores, for example. Testing scores show a significant decline between our elementary achievement and high school achievement. We often discuss what the test scores are, but there is much less discussion about what we want the test scores to be or how to improve them. By clearly establishing the desired level of scores and the time period for improvement, we give ourselves the opportunity to establish a strategy for reaching the goal and what resources we must commit to achievement. In creating a quality educational program for our kids, we reveal our own values and convictions. Because of the budget crisis, the District eliminated a significant portion of its Class Size Reduction (CSR) program, a program proven to have measurable benefit and effectiveness. While reducing CSR helped partially to resolve our budget crisis, this tactic negatively affected the overall quality of education the District provides - the exact opposite of what we believe parents and community members want.
Another example to consider is the use of recently acquired surplus resources. The District is planning, at considerable expense, to add facilities to Vasquez High School Campus by moving temporary buildings garnered from the closing of the Acton campus. While we might all agree that these facilities would benefit students in the short run, does this significant expense bring us any closer to our ultimate goal of a permanent high school site? What is the long-term plan for our high school campus?
Difficult times test our values and convictions. Negative results come from bad moves. If we as a community really want high quality education, then we must create a formal vision of that goal and take the necessary steps to achieve it. The District must not negatively affect the quality of education until doing so is the last possible resort.
In today's economic climate, the fiscal management of any governmental body is difficult at best. It is just as important to establish budgetary strategies to support the District's overall vision, as it is to create strategies for your own family's welfare and long-term financial health. The next CEC article will focus on budgetary practices.
The Community Education Committee is open to all members of the community. Our next meeting will be Tuesday, August 10, 2004, 7:30 pm at Hedgecock Hall, Crown Valley Road, Acton. We sincerely welcome your input.
Acton Agua Dulce Education Committee index
Acton Agua Dulce School District
Vanguard News Home page