Last Week to Apply - Superintendent Search

LYS Executive Search

~ Superintendent ~

Culberson County-Allamore Independent School District

A West Texas school district is searching for its next Superintendent of Schools

The successful candidate will have

• Demonstrated leadership success as a principal and/or district level administrator
• Demonstrated success educating diverse student populations
• Firm understanding of school finance
• LYS training and experience, preferred

Information of note

• Enrollment - 450 students
• Rural setting
• Two campuses
• Competitive salary and benefits

Qualified and interested candidates submit the following to Search@LeadYourSchool.com

• Letter of interest
• Resume
• Administrator’s certifications
• List of references
• Recent campus/district performance data 

Search Consultant: Robert 'Bob' Brezina

LYS Executive Search

(832) 477-5323

LYS Nation, once again a school district wants YOU!

Think. Work. Achieve.

A Superintendent Writes... Political Lies / Political Truths - Part 3

In response to the 4/22/15 post, “Political Lies  / Political Truths – Texas Senate Version,” a LYS Superintendent shares the following:

SC,

I agree with your position. Like you, I’m concerned with the lack of regard for public education and the direction taken by our current legislative body. Charter, voucher, or whatever route they pursue is a disregard for public education, both philosophically and financially. My concern is making a direct statement in regard to "separation of church and state," as there are many who actually believe those words are in the Constitution, when, in fact, they are not. Unfortunately, the Constitution at all levels of politics is being ignored in word and deed. Transparency in government is becoming a difficult thing to identify.

Thank you for your leadership, both in terms of these types of issues as well as instructional leadership.

SC Response

Granted, the “...Wall of separation between church and state...” is the common interpretation of, “...Make no law...”

What I most wanted to illustrate is the hypocrisy of the Texas Senate. Our current crop of controlling Senators does not operate from a specific political philosophy, which I can respect.  Instead they operate from the basest form of political opportunism and cronyism, which from a leadership perspective is essentially anti-leadership.  The solution is for stewards (like you), which represent real leadership, to begin having honest dialogues with their peers and constituents. The conversation... Stewardship is not opportunism and those who value opportunism over stewardship should not receive our votes.    

Think. Work. Achieve.

Your turn...

• Call Jo at (832) 477-LEAD to order your campus set of “The Fundamental 5: The Formula for Quality Instruction.” Individual copies available on Amazon.com!  http://tinyurl.com/Fundamental5 
• Now at the Apple App Store: Fun 5 Timer (Fundamental 5 Delivery Tool); PowerWalks CLC (Networked Formative Observation Tool) 
• Upcoming Presentations: TASSP Summer Conference (Multiple Presentations); TEPSA Summer Conference (Multiple Presentations); Texas ASCD Summer Conference; NAESP National Conference; Illinois ASCD Fall Conference (Multiple Presentations) 
• Follow Sean Cain and LYS on www.Twitter.com/LYSNation  and like Lead Your School on Facebook

The Politics of Fear, Greed, and Hate

The Reagan Revolution occurred for two primary reasons:

1. A large numbers of conservative Democrats believed that their party had left them, and they voted accordingly.

2. Reagan’s message was significantly more optimistic than the message of his opposition, both Democrat and Republican.

I bring this up to highlight to the fact that the dominant currency of many politicians in office today is pessimism spiced with paranoid pandering. They revel in a toxic mix of Fear, Greed, and Hate.

Let’s start with the Fear. We must fear the Common Core because it is a government plot to take over schools.  We must fear CSCOPE because it is a Marxist plot to indoctrinate youth.  We must arm ourselves to the teeth because Jade Helm 15 is a plot to institute martial law. We must dismantle public schools because teachers are, pick one:

(A) Lazy  (B) Greedy  (C) Incompetent  (D) Godless  (E) All of the Above

I understand and validate your Fear... Vote for me.

Then we move to Greed.  All taxes are bad.  Except the taxes that create a greater burden on the poor (see: Sales Tax; Fuel Tax; Sin Tax; etc.)  All welfare is bad. Except the welfare that benefit the affluent (see: Private School Vouchers; Homestead Exemptions; Property Use Exemptions; Corporate Tax Loopholes).

I understand and validate your Greed... Vote for me.

And then we can finish with Hate: We must hate the other, the outsider, the different. Hate them because they want to attack your marriage, take your guns, and kill you.

I understand and validate your Hate... Vote for me.

Enough is enough.  I am an educator by trade, training and passion.  Which means at my core, I am optimistic. I get up every day because I know it has a chance to be better than the last and the work I do has a chance to make tomorrow even better. This also means that it is getting easier to decide whom to vote for, not by party, but by candidate.

Tell the paranoid fear mongers that they are paranoid fear mongers and I will vote for you. 

Advocate for rational taxation and government spending practices and I will vote for you.

Recognize that the world is not perfect, but with rational thought and hard work, we can make it better and I will vote for you.

And for those currently in office and/or running for office, if you prove yourself to be the candidate of the greedy, hateful, and paranoid, you have lost my vote.  But I also realize that it’s not you... It’s me.

Think. Work. Achieve.

Your turn...

• Call Jo at (832) 477-LEAD to order your campus set of “The Fundamental 5: The Formula for Quality Instruction.” Individual copies available on Amazon.com!  http://tinyurl.com/Fundamental5 
• Now at the Apple App Store: Fun 5 Timer (Fundamental 5 Delivery Tool); PowerWalks CLC (Networked Formative Observation Tool) 
• Upcoming Presentations: TASSP Summer Conference (Multiple Presentations); TEPSA Summer Conference (Multiple Presentations); Texas ASCD Summer Conference; NAESP National Conference; Illinois ASCD Fall Conference (Multiple Presentations) 
• Follow Sean Cain and LYS on www.Twitter.com/LYSNation  and like Lead Your School on Facebook

Legendary Leadership Badge (April 2015)

There are those that don’t understand the power of reflective observation.  They mistakenly believe that there is nothing to learn after a few cursory visits to a classroom.  Nothing could be further from the truth.  In fact, the most important key to building insight and deeper understanding about teaching and learning is to engage in a steady volume of daily classroom observation.  What we have learned over the past ten years is that after about every 300 classroom observations, the observer will notice, discern, and/or learn something new... something that was previously hidden. It is the “Eureka” moment, and there is nothing else like it in instructional leadership.

In this pursuit, there is the PowerWalks Legendary Leadership Badge that is earned every 300^th PowerWalks Observation. The following instructional leaders have already earned the Legendary Leadership Badge for the 2014/2015 school year (as of 4/30/15).

3 Badges (over 900 classroom observations; 2 recipients)

Lorie Bratcher: April 2015, January 2015, October 2014

Sean Cain: March 2015, January 2015, October 2014

  

2 Badges (over 600 classroom observations; 4 recipients)

GayLynn Holt: April 2015, December 2014

Mike Laird: April 2015, March 2015

Michael Clifton: March 2015, October 2014

Sandra Wilson: January 2015, October 2014

1 Badge (Over 300 classroom observations; 70 recipients)

Courtney Berry: April 2015

Carrie Caruso: April 2015

Lee Crews: April 2015

Jennifer Gillard: April 2015

Mia Hurtado: April 2015

Cedric Ivie: April 2015

Terry Johnson: April 2015

Jaclyn Lisle: April 2015

Denise Majewski: April 2015

Brandy Richard: April 2015

Christine Strickler: April 2015

Michelle Bischoffberger: March 2015

Richard Celestine: March 2015

Kyle Hendrix: March 2015

Derieco Irvin: March 2015

Angie Moore: March 2015

Racheal Rife: March 2015

Eric Sams: March 2015

Scott Schneider: March 2015

Ernest Smith: March 2015

Leslie Ackmann: February 2015

Carmen Bellefant: February 2015

Denise Bird: February 2015

Tonia Cummings: February 2015

Jonathon Gutierrez: February 2015

Kari Eggleston: February 2015

Kathy Horvath: February 2015

Chris Johnstone: February 2015

Kelli Maikell: February 2015

Kimberly McKnight: February 2015

Edna Parr: February 2015

Martha Pulido: February 2015

Molly Swanson: February 2015

Lisa Weaver: February 2015

Brad Weston: February 2015

Joan Alvey: January 2015

Tracey Bennett: January 2015

Wes Brown: January 2015

Jenn Cooper: January 2015

Ethan Crowell: January 2015

Donny Green: January 2015

Julie Hinson: January 2015

Todd Jones: January 2015

Charles King: January 2015

Lyle Lackey: January 2015

Kim Meador: January 2015

Tim Merki: January 2015

R.J. Rodrigue: January 2015

Patsy Sanchez: January 2015

Michelle Schreiner: January 2015

Melissa Summers: January 2015

Tamika Washington: January 2015

Brenda Blackmon: December 2014

Marianne Buentello: December 2014

Dexter Floyd: December 2014

Cara Jolly: December 2014

Brian Lowe: December 2014

Mike Metz: December 2014

Leslie Thomas: December 2014

Pam Williams: December 2014

Jim Womack: December 2014

Mary-Margaret Crandall: November 2014

Charlie Crisp: November 2014

Rita Faulkner: November 2014

Jenny Morris: November 2014

Twyla Thomas: November 2014

Rankin Hitt: October 2014

Jennifer Phillips: October 2014

Jessica Robert: October 2014

Chris Viator: October 2014

Think. Work. Achieve.

Your turn...

• Call Jo at (832) 477-LEAD to order your campus set of “The Fundamental 5: The Formula for Quality Instruction.” Individual copies available on Amazon.com!  http://tinyurl.com/Fundamental5 
• Now at the Apple App Store: Fun 5 Timer (Fundamental 5 Delivery Tool); PowerWalks CLC (Networked Formative Observation Tool) 
• Upcoming Presentations: TASSP Summer Conference (Multiple Presentations); TEPSA Summer Conference (Multiple Presentations); Texas ASCD Summer Conference; NAESP National Conference; Illinois ASCD Fall Conference (Multiple Presentations) 
• Follow Sean Cain and LYS on www.Twitter.com/LYSNation  and like Lead Your School on Facebook

PowerWalks Hero Schools (April 2015)

In furtherance of a LYS Nation tradition, we will take this time to tip our caps to the campuses that have embraced the most important step in creating and maintaining an action oriented professional learning community.  These are the campuses that have conducted an extraordinary number of formative classroom observations in a given month. In April, the Hero Schools met or exceeded the targets below:

The April Hero School Targets

Big Schools – 215 PowerWalks Observations

Medium Sized Schools – 140 PowerWalks Observations

Small Schools – 75 PowerWalks Observations

Very Small Schools – 35 PowerWalks Observations.

For May, due to state testing and end of the year activities we will adjust the targets:

The May Hero School Targets

Big Schools – 200 PowerWalks Observations

Medium Sized Schools – 130 PowerWalks Observations

Small Schools – 65 PowerWalks Observations

Very Small Schools – 30 PowerWalks Observations.

For the record, the schools in the LYS nation conducted a total of 6,724 PowerWalks observations this past month.  But enough stalling, here are your twenty-two PowerWalks Hero Schools for the month of April 2015.  Congratulations!!!

Elementary Schools	Junior High & Middle Schools	Alternative Schools	Combined Campuses	High Schools
Southside Primary School (CISD – small school): 717	Cleveland MS (CISD - midsized school): 500	San Marcos School (JWPCS – very small school): 50		Cleveland HS (CISD - midsized school): 575
Eastside ES (CISD – small school): 508	Big Spring JH (BSISD - midsized school): 195			Fairdale HS (JCPS – large school): 259
Northside ES (CISD – small school): 504	Big Spring IS (BSISD - small school): 123
Veterans’ Hill ES (HISD – small school): 258	Dublin IS (DISD – very small school): 90
West ES (NEISD – small school): 251
Rennell ES (CFISD – midsized school): 163
Winona ES / IS (WISD – small school): 138
Dublin ES (DISD – very small school): 126
Goliad ES (BSISD - small school): 126
Johnson ES (HISD – small school): 122
Ray ES (HISD – small school): 121
Hutto ES (HISD – small school): 91
Raymond E. Curtis ES (WISD – small school): 90
Cottonwood Creek ES (HISD – small school): 75
Marlin ES (MISD – very small school): 74

Think. Work. Achieve.

Your turn...

• Call Jo at (832) 477-LEAD to order your campus set of “The Fundamental 5: The Formula for Quality Instruction.” Individual copies available on Amazon.com!  http://tinyurl.com/Fundamental5 
• Now at the Apple App Store: Fun 5 Timer (Fundamental 5 Delivery Tool); PowerWalks CLC (Networked Formative Observation Tool) 
• Upcoming Presentations: TASSP Summer Conference (Multiple Presentations); TEPSA Summer Conference (Multiple Presentations); Texas ASCD Summer Conference; NAESP National Conference; Illinois ASCD Fall Conference (Multiple Presentations) 
• Follow Sean Cain and LYS on www.Twitter.com/LYSNation  and like Lead Your School on Facebook