Budget Flexibility

When it comes to managing a budget, consider the lesson taught to me by three exceptional school leaders, Richard Hooker, Bob Brezina, and Shirley Neeley. Always have some wiggle room. 

In your budget, you need to disguise an emergency fund.  At some time during the year, something is going to happen where the only way to solve the problem is throw money at it.  It might be a repair, a consultant, a training or overtime, but without the funds, the campus is up a creek. Being a good budget steward is not about saving money, it is about being effective and efficient with money in a way that allows the mission of the school to be accomplished. 

  

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 
• Upcoming Conference Presentations: TASSP Summer Conference, Virginia Middle and High School Principals Conference; The National Principals Conference; The Fundamental 5 National Summit (Keynote) 
• Now at the Apple App Store: Fun 5 Timer (Fundamental 5 Delivery Tool); PowerWalks CLC (Networked Formative Observation Tool) 
• Follow Sean Cain and LYS on www.Twitter.com/LYSNation  and like Lead Your School on Facebook

A Superintendent Writes... Reasonable Accountability - Part 2

In response to the January 14, 2016 post, “Reasonable Accountability – A Primer for the Texas Legislator,” an Old School LYS Superintendent writes:

SC,

Your plan is better than what we have now and obviously written with a heaping dose of common sense.  But... here is your big flaw.  You are still basing your plan on the current system.  When a house has a flawed foundation, you don't fix it by updating the curtains.  

If you strive simply to fix/change the over-testing problem ask the question, “What tests do the Feds require that all kids take?”

The answer is 3^rd and 8^th grade Reading and Math.  Why would we test more than that?  The answer is probably superstition. 

All other tests should be a local decision.  

The next question that needs to be addressed is why have a social studies test? 

Usually an answer addresses something about citizenship, knowing your heritage, etc. Well if that is the case, why not give all 8th graders a version of the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services civics test? It’s rigorous and meets the above stated goal's and immigrants have to pass it to become citizens and vote. So why not do he same those of us fortunate enough to be born here?

Next, what should we do about high school testing?  If we are truly interested in college readiness, there is only one test that colleges use to measure readiness for college in Texas (and by the way, it's required now) and that is the TSI (Texas Success Initiative) test. Any other test is a waste of time and resources.  All schools should prepare their students for this and administer it during their Junior year.  

What I have just presented only addresses the number and type of tests.  It does not address the flawed testing instrument that we currently use, the flawed measures in reporting, the excessive curriculum standards, and a flawed public school funding structure and reporting requirements. This would just be the lipstick that we put on the pig every spring.

So in summary.

•                Test only what is required by the Feds.

•                Give the U.S. Immigration Services civics test to cover all social studies.

•                Prepare and administer the TSI test to high school juniors.

•                Anything beyond this should be decided on and paid for by local ISDs.

SC Response

Not surprisingly, I have no material disagreements with what you have shared.

The early accountability advocates (of which I worked for three of the pioneers: Rod Paige, Bob Brezina, Shirley Neeley) believed in the end of course exam.  So I see the current EOC system as a bastardization (or negative politicization) of the original idea. So yes, I’m a proponent of actually fixing the state’s accountability system, not abandoning it.

I also think the state should have higher expectations and standards than the Feds.  We should consider the Fed’s requirements to be the floor or the minimum standard.  And meeting the minimum standard just means that you are “Not Bad,” which in no way should be construed as meaning that you are good. All of that to say, that I’m OK with having more tests than what the Feds require.  And you and I both know if the entire accountability issue is placed in local hands, too many local communities are OK with undeserving the underserved.

I do like your idea of just having one social studies test in the 8^th grade addressing U.S. citizenship that is at least comparable to the citizenship/naturalization test that immigrants must pass.  And the idea of the using the TSI, which tests reading, writing, and math skills is worth consideration, if the TSI is aligned to the TEKS (Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills). If the TSI is not aligned to the TEKS, then that puts schools in a no win situation. One, either teach the state mandated curriculum which only tangentially prepares students for the accountability test. Or two, ignore the state mandated curriculum to prepare students to pass the accountability test.

I can’t argue that the STAAR is flawed.  Hard? Yes. Aligned? Yes. Issues with how the test is administered? Yes. Flawed? Not so much. 

I completely agree that the TEKS are too broad, as does every curriculum expert that has examined them. And the legislature did pass a law last session to narrow their scope.  But remember, our Governor, The Honorable Greg Abbott, vetoed the law due to the misguided and ignorant fear of turning the TEKS into the Common Core. Nothing like pandering to the lowest common denominator.

As for your summary solution? I could easily live with it. But I would also want to strengthen it.

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: American Association of School Administrators Conference; National Association of Secondary School Principals Conference (Multiple Presentations) 
• Follow Sean Cain and LYS on www.Twitter.com/LYSNation  and like Lead Your School on Facebook

A Reader Writes... Quick Accountability Testing - Part 1

In response to the 2/11/2015 post, “Quick AccountabilityTesting,” a LYS Principal writes:

I love this plan! How soon can we implement it?

SC Response

Obviously, not now.  But if we, as educators, ever want to have this or a similar system implemented we must do two things.

1. We must co-opt the accountability discussion instead of fighting / ignoring / complaining about it.  Accountability, at least in Texas, has its roots with a small group of proactive Superintendents who were trying to identify the instructional practices that would improve the success of their students.  Paige, Guthrie, Donaldson, Neeley and Brezina didn’t enact accountability measures in their districts because they were anti-public education.  They enacted them because they recognized that public education is the most important civic enterprise that we engage in.  They were looking for better process and better results.  But outside of their circle, educators didn’t see a tool to use, only a weapon to ignore.  So those with an anti-public school agenda were able to dictate the terms of the programs.  To the detriment of the profession.      

2. Vote for a different candidate. Current state policy has not occurred by accident. It has been carefully and expertly (in political terms) orchestrated by those who have been in charge for the last 15+ years.

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); 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

A Reader Writes... (More on PLC's - Part 3)

In response to the 6/28/11 post, “More on PLC’s – Part 2,” an old school LYS’er writes:

I understand the initial skepticism towards the power of the Fundamental Five. When the Fundamental Five was discovered, and it was discovered - not invented, it was difficult for even Cain to accept the fact that improving student outcomes could be that simple.

We already had Cain’s Foundation Trinity, which dates back to the early days of the high school restructuring program put in place by Commissioner Neely. There have always been lots of good ideas about how to improve schools, some more practical than others. But it was Cain and Brown that identified the elements common to the ideas that actually worked. Then, they were the first to understand the power of the integrated implementation of those components. While PLC’s were evident in some successful improvement initiatives, they were not common to all successful improvement initiatives. Bottom line, though useful, PLC's are not the end all of instructional improvement.

Granted, it is easier for me to embrace the concept and power of the Foundation Trinity and the Fundamental Five because I was there at the beginning of all of this. I am proud that I was on one of the many campuses that contributed to the development of both. I lived it and witnessed it, and my students have been better off because of it.

When my staff gathers to discuss improving student outcomes, the ONLY framework they need to confine themselves to are the Trinity and the Five. It really is that simple, and yes, those two things alone ARE enough to improve your student outcomes rapidly and drastically.

SC Response

I think what is comes down to is that there are many things that we can consider and do that are a benefit to students in some shape, form or fashion. Which is part of the problem. If I just keep my students safe and treat them with dignity, I have done something positive that day. But the Foundation Trinity provides a mechanism to maintain organization focus on doing the things that make a positive impact on student academic performance. It keeps us from being distracted from our primary mission, educating all students at high levels.

The Fundamental Five focuses on the instructional delivery practices that the teacher controls that maximize teacher effectiveness. Again, providing the entire organization with a filter to separate the practices that are generally not detrimental from the practices that are specifically advantageous.

Simply put, the Foundation Trinity makes sure that the entire organization is playing the same defined game and the Fundamental Five makes sure that the individual actors within the organization are effective and efficient in the execution of their craft.

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/4ydqd4t

Follow Sean Cain and LYS on www.Twitter.com/LYSNation

A Reader Writes... (Texas School FInance Situation - Part 2)

In response to the 3/24/2011 post, “Texas School Finance Situation,” a reader writes:

Cain,

First, as to the your comment:

"...and everything to do with poor leadership by the Governor and the legislature"

The word "everything" leaves out a few people. Like, for example, the superintendents, principals, and board members who built a model of education centered around non-educational issues, hence Friday Night Lights and all other "extra" curricular activities that actually drive the public school process, by design. Texas public schools spend about 10% of their budgets on extracurricular activities, yet very few people have suggested cutting those. I am just saying we built a system on a house of cards that NEVER emphasized the main thing, and we were wrong for that.

Second:

“Bond money and operations money are different. They cannot be combined. Not one text book or teacher was sacrificed when we built this building.”

You are a much smarter man than this. The truth is, few people have any concept of taxation, they only know how much money is in their paycheck. That is to say, there is only so much tax money, regardless of the purpose of the tax, which people will tolerate off of their bottom line before they say no more. If as leaders we lead people to spend those precious dollars on bond debt instead of making the main thing the main thing, we are disingenuous when we later scream, "but that money comes out of a different pile." There is only one pile of money: our paychecks. As leaders how we convince people to spend that precious taxed money is on us. We have failed in too many instances to appropriately prioritize that expenditure of taxation.

Wake up educators!

SC Response

Let me roll up my sleeves, this is starting to get fun...

First, I was raised in a Brezina system. Effective and efficient is the iron rule. So I am not letting Boards, Superintendents and Principals off the hook. In fact, many of the districts we work with actually pay for our services with the money they save by becoming more efficient. And one reason why those who don’t like us, really don’t like us is that we don’t sidestep hypocrisy. We not only ask why the emperor isn’t wearing any clothes, we point it out.

We both agree that extra-curricular spending is an area ripe for pruning, but that will require a macro-level policy change. Until now, there is not a board or superintendent that could survive being the first to implement significant reforms. When I was working for Dr. Neeley, I suggested that the first sanction for an AU secondary campus should be the moving of all extra-curriculars outside the school day. The second sanction would be the suspension of all extra-curriculars, essentially “No Pass, No Play” for the whole campus. The consensus opinion (not mine) was that it would be actually be easier to close the school.

Do know that my comment was purposeful. Regardless of your opinion of the efficiency of district and campus operations, the current budget shortfall is the result of a structural tax deficit created by the Governor and the legislature. The effect of this tax deficit would have been felt during the last biennium if not for the inappropriate use of the federal stimulus package (note for politicians: supplement is not a synonym for supplant). I would even have been OK with that, if the Governor would have worked to fix his poorly crafted tax policy. But as we have seen, leadership is not his strong suit, political opportunism is. So in this case, I assigned the blame squarely where it belongs.

Second, you make my point for me. Tax policy is subtle and boring, yet very emotional. As school leaders, we have to understand that if we don’t educate our community on the importance of infrastructure investment, no one else will. Thus making them more susceptible to political demagoguery (see current political environment).

Now for bond debt. Bond debt allows current and future generations to pay for facilities that current and future generations will use and benefit from. And the primary reasons why we have significant bond debt are due to aging infrastructure (old buildings) and an explosion in school construction, due to our rapidly growing student population. So when you move to a district that has a higher tax rate due to bond debt, it is because you are moving into a district that had to build new schools to serve the new student(s) you just showed up with.

I’ll close with this, based on the education and funding models created and mandated by the state, there are some areas of budget inefficiencies. But I will submit that this inefficiency is less than the increase in student enrollment. Which means decreasing overall revenue available to schools is not a true “reform” solution. It is an anti-public school solution.

Think. Work. Achieve.

Your turn...

Coming Soon! "The Fundamental 5: The Formula for Quality Instruction" www.TheFundamentalFive.com

Follow Sean Cain on www.Twitter.com/LYSNation

Upcoming Presentation Schedule

June 11 (TASB) - The Fundamental Five; Improve Now!

June 15 (TASSP) - Improve Now!

June 16 (TASSP) - Conference Breakfast, hosted by E. Don Brown (LYS travel tumblers for the first 1000 attendees, last year we ran out); Fundamental Five; Tech Tools for the 2.0 Principal

June 17 (TASSP) - PowerWalks

June 18 (TASB) - The Fundamental Five; Improve Now!

A Reader Writes... (Poisonous Staff - Part 1)

In response to the post, “Poisonous Staff,” a reader writes:

SC,

I was sitting here reading today’s blog and it hit me like a ton of bricks. The teacher that the person is writing about could easily be any number of teachers on my campus.

We have some that think they are above doing what is being asked of them by the principal (and by extension the district and the state) and spew their negativity and displeasure at will. Sadly, this is spreading throughout the school. With all of the problems our school is facing right now, we REALLY don't need the negativity.

However, all my principal gives us is ... “This is what you will do."

So what I am asking is as a lead teacher, what should I do? Is it enough just to try to stay positive? Or do I need to become EXTRA positive for the sake of the students?

SC Response

This is a tough one. And I won’t insult you be pretending there is only one right answer in your situation. But I will start with this, as an informal leader, your effectiveness is a function of modeling, influence, expertise, passion and problem solving. As such you have to decide which of those attributes are your strength(s) in the current environment and rely heavily on that (those).

If modeling is your strength, then you need to visibly work harder and smarter, and communicate that you are positive that this work will lead the campus to success, given some time. If you need to draw attention to this example, do so. Remember it was Washington that prevented a military coup, when he stepped up and addressed his former officers by fumbling with his notes as he took out his reading glasses and said, “Gentlemen, you will permit me to put on my spectacles, for I have not only grown gray, but almost blind in the service of my country.”

If influence is your strength, then get out there, and have individual conversation after individual conversation. Outsell the nay-bobs.

If expertise is your strength, then make sure the teachers that are struggling the most have regular and ready access to you and your expert brain.

If passion is your strength, then wear it on your sleeve. Advocate for the students and win the hearts of your fellow teachers. Remember former state commissioner, Dr. Shirley Neeley. She always remained unabashedly passionate about public schools and made no apologies for embracing her self-described role of “Head Cheerleader.”

If problem solving is your strength, then focus on creating quick, actionable solutions that provide noticeable bang for the buck. A string of quick victories will go a long way towards changing attitudes and opinions.

Just remember that leadership always sets the tone and tempo. If formal leadership is ineffective and informal leadership doesn’t step up to fill the void, the situation on your campus will continue to decline.

Think. Work. Achieve.

Your turn...

A Reader Submits... Technophobia

A LYS Principal submits:

I have decided that in the field of education we are almost all technophobic. Educators were so resistant to putting technology into classroom instruction that Dr. Neely implemented technology implementation in the classroom as one of the observed teacher proficiencies under the PDAS teacher evaluation system. Let’s face it, when the government implements a policy or law, it is because there is a perceived problem, and the acceptance and implementation of technology in education is certainly a problem.

Not convinced? Let's consider the LYS philosophy that the alpha and omega of student expectations is adult modeling. Or, in other words, the most effective way to teach is to model. What do we model as adults for the students? Consider the cell phone. Most school districts either ban the possession of cell phones by students outright, or they allow the possession as long as the cell phones are never seen or heard. What about the faculty? Do you use your cell phone during breaks, during lunch? Is your cell phone like mine, visible on your belt? If the superintendent calls you on your cell phone, do you ignore the phone since school is in session?

Seriously, what are you modeling? Why should students not be allowed to use personal technology devices such as cell phones during breaks and lunch? Are you afraid that students may film a fight and put it on YouTube? If your decision making process is driven by fear, you aren’t leading. The act of using cell phones to record illegal activity can be addressed in policy without banning all cell phones.

Still not convinced? Let's talk about Blogs and Twitter. Many districts universally block all Blogs, including the fine LYS Blog. Can Blogs be misused? You bet, but so can Microsoft Word. But this blocking practice also blocks numerous excellent Blogs that should be available to all students. Concerning Twitter, Twitter wasn't more than 20 minutes old before school districts began amending policies to prevent Twitter. But in the real world, TEA and numerous school boards are now using Twitter as a way to communicate with the public. Yet many districts, again by blanket policy, block access to Twitter and similar sites.

So there you have it, prime examples of our reaction to new technology - form a policy to prohibit the new technology, immediately. We need to re-evaluate our stance on technology. We need to model what we truly practice as professionals. Dare I say that in a short number of years personal electronic devices may find a welcomed place in education, even in classrooms for instructional purposes.

SC Response

I have to say that you are on track. Too many of us in our field take a prison type view on technology access. Don’t let anyone have it, because they might misuse it. We might as well quit teaching kids to read and write. We need to recognize that the need to block the access and use of technology is rooted in fear, lazy practice, or both. Fear that I, the adult, might not be the source of all knowledge in my school or classroom. Lazy in the sense that to ensure that students are not harmed by or misuse the tool requires increased vigilance and ongoing conversation and coaching. Which for too many of us in our field is a dramatic change in typical practice.

As we continue to address the reality of an increasingly flat, universally connected world, I will channel the tone of Dr. Todd Whitaker advice to school leaders. “We need to create policy to support our best and brightest, not to manage the lowest common denominator.”

Think. Work. Achieve.

Your turn...

Brezina Writes... (The Great Ones Outwork Everyone Else - Part 2)

In response to the post, “The Great Ones Outwork Everyone Else,” Brezina writes:

"What a great comment on "Good and Great." It takes a lot of courage and wisdom to take someone else’s thoughts and extend those words to further challenge conventional thinking.

Good work."

SC Response
Thank you. But I will admit that the courage is mostly the result of the good training I received in the formative years of my leadership career. Staring down rouge boards and power hungry politicians was always a less scary proposition than having to report to you, or Schaper, or Neeley that I came up lacking. As far as wisdom, when you are lucky enough to have almost daily conversations with the best and brightest in our field, a little of it can’t help to rub off.

Think. Work. Achieve.

Your turn...

A Reader Writes... (Urban School Myth - Part 2)

In response to the posts relating to, “Urban School Myth,” an old school LYS Principal writes:

“It is always good when Brezina likes a post.

Of course, I know there are scores of problems that make the job of education exceedingly difficult. I also believe that many of those problems are self inflicted. In rural schools, we talk about not having the resources needed to compete with those big city schools. In the big schools, both urban and suburban, we look around and ask ourselves, "What resources are they talking about?"

The urban school myth is but one of a collection of excuses I have noted that educators use to explain away the lack of student success. While working in a large urban district, I made the mistake of discussing my thoughts concerning this particular myth with an assistant superintendent who hid behind the urban school mantra. After presenting the case and laying out the facts, you would not believe her response. She looked at me and said, "Well, you do understand we are not a true urban school. We are an inner city school."

What? That’s the best you can come up with? If you can't logic your wait out of a corner, just restate the excuse using synonyms? At that point, I realized that my skill set in this particular non-LYS district was a waste of their money and my time."

SC Response
Let me start with your “self-inflicted” observations. During my career as “school-district-state plumber,” the sad truth was in most cases the problem is easy to pinpoint, all you had to do was hold up a mirror. That’s both bad news and good news. The bad news being that we are at fault, but the good news is that we can do something about it. If we work, at full speed, on the things that we can control, the uncontrollable (myth) problems solve themselves.

Up until the mid-2000’s, the resource issue was a valid excuse. The rural schools had no infrastructure support. Not because they didn’t want it, but because it didn’t exist. Now you can buy infrastructure (scope and sequence, data processing, etc), and it becomes more affordable every year. If you are in Texas, you need to thank two people for making this possible, Dr. Shirley Neely (Commissioner of Education) and Dr. Nadine Kujawa (Aldine ISD Superintendent). Nadine and Aldine ISD stepped up and gave a cohort of struggling rural school, their scope and sequence, for essentially free. Or as the Aldine leadership team told me, “Let them know, as far as we’re concerned, they are Aldine now.”

Shirley used Aldine and the subsequent success of rural school cohort as the lever to force the ESC’s to step up and better fulfill their purpose. Jump to 2010 and now you have C-Scope and C-Cap, two excellent and evolving curriculum sources that weren’t worth the paper that were then printed on, just six years ago.

Now that tools are readily available, at every campus in every setting, the critical variables are the adults and the quality of leadership (or lack thereof). One of the Maxwell’s Fundamental Laws of Leadership states that a subordinate leader will not work for a leader of inferior skills (in the long run). When you can’t attract good leadership candidates from the outside, nor retain good internal candidates, you have to seek out and address the root cause. This brings us back to the mirror.

Think. Work. Achieve.

Your turn...