Friday, November 1, 2013

We are now moving forward again to save our schools

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We are now moving forward again to save our schools 

For four long years as a public official representing the progressive community who wanted better for its children, while being shut out of a school improvement conversation at open board meetings in our community as a community representative, we were under siege. As community representatives, targeted board members, parents, and tax payers seeking excellence in public education, our Constitutional Freedoms in public community participation were threatened for not agreeing with the status quo of failure of our children, lack of full board accountability, collaboration, deliberation, working as a team to improve student performance levels, to perform our roles as board members, and absence of a continuous school improvement plan in our schools.

After April 9, 2013, we truly believed that fighting our way out of a twenty year academic and human rights rut had been achieved, but today we have finally realized that the fight must continue until justice is achieved for our children and community in academic accountability, and supportive school board policies in putting in place the proper keystones for students to learn and achieve at the highest possible levels with a supportive school board, until justice is achieved for our children and community's future.  Today, in our continuing efforts to help our children and community, we have welcomed the support of our community's leaders in business, education, civil rights for our children, and political and technical consultants and experts in our fight to improve our schools.  As a result, by the grace of God, in this process, we are still moving forward to achieve excellence and accountability in public education.

 

Today, we are beginning to work on the absence of a continuous school board academic improvement plan in our schools in our second phase by: Improving student performance levels and putting in place the supportive academic continuous school improvement policies for students to learn and achieve at the highest possible levels. Again, we would like to thank those citizen leaders north and south, east and west, who continues to work as community representatives for school improvement.  You are acting not out of a sense of legal duty, but out of a sense of human decency.

Meanwhile, away from home and the troubling times in the district 227 debacle, board members targeted to be shut down and threatened with arrest for speaking as community representatives in their own community, were still given an opportunity to speak in a venue that was 10,000 times the size of district 227's forum at the National School Boards Association Annual Conventions in Boston, San Francisco, Phoenix, San Diego, etc. followed by great effect where we were cheered, welcomed, and encouraged for our visionary contributions to school improvement conversations. Concurrently, on February 20, 2012, the Center For Open Government at Chicago's Kent College of Law urged School District 227, the then school board 227 president and superintendent were instructed to comply with the U.S. Constitution, the State's Open Meetings Act, Freedom of Information Act laws, the state School Code and the Rich Township High School District 227 Board Policy Book generally with regards to School Board members Dr. Morgan and Mrs. Coleman. One of those policies was that all school board members must have full opportunity to place items on the agenda for meetings and to speak as board members in open session. Again, how soon we forget.

 What follows is a speech made to the full school board and community on Friday, October 25, 2013, at the school board meeting following my arrival from a one week's vacation and educational tour of Europe. It reads as follows:

After considerable reflection while on vacation, I have come to the conclusion that the business of School District 227 has to be conducted in new and different ways. This change, like all change must begin with me. I am committed to make needed change in District 227. I am committed to:

1.   Lowering our levels of rhetoric in board meetings, in being more 

      focused on the prize, improving student performance levels and

      saving our children and community from further ruin.

2.   Staying out of the media. (We must handle our differences and

      discuss what must be done before coming before the public in a

      public board meeting by telling it straight in calm full board

     deliberations addressing controversial board agenda items).

3.   Before the public meeting, we must meet as a board to address

      the agenda and to strategically plan for the needs of our children

      and the district. I am mindful that there are many communities

      paying attention to what this board does or does not do. For

      example: students, business people, the development community,

      the insurance community, civil rights organizations who want

      excellence in our schools, and future residents of the area will

      take note of what we do. I want to inaugurate a listening tour in

      all of the communities that feed into the district.

4.   I am willing to keep an open mind to that hearing from the

      community, board deliberations and that compromise (with your

      team and the board) that can take place in an orderly fashion.

5.   I am committed to cooperation and compromise with each other

      so that we are able to make change and educational excellence a

      reality and priority in our schools. It is essential that our board

      take part in training on principles of continuous improvement

      including the use of data and customer focus.

6.   If all of the above are done, we can create a platform for trust and

      a space so that the work is done on our goals.

 

Remain focused and committed to the goals of:

1.  Quality Education with continuous academic evaluation,

     planning, collaboration, community engagement, and full board

     and district accountability. (The board is responsible for putting

     in place the proper continuous improvement support policies and

     keystones for students to learn and achieve at the highest possible

     levels). Follow a regular monthly process in meeting with the

     superintendent to review student achievement data to ensure

     continuous improvement.

2.  Conducting the business of the district in such a way that creates

      jobs and supports existing district businesses and creates new

      businesses where needed.

3.   Maximize community partnerships and empowerment.

4.   Develop a competent, visionary, and culturally sensitive

      administration that guides the district through the 21st century

      and to fulfill our election promises to our children and

      community.

 

These goals can be achieved through a strategic planning process that stems the crisis, assesses the district, seizes this golden opportunity to achieve educational excellence, and builds a leadership team at the level of the board and administration that incorporates the needs of the community.

 

With a good conscience, our only sure reward, with history the final judge of our deeds, let us go forth to lead and restore the educational excellence, accountability, planning, full board and community inclusion participation, character, integrity, and educational leadership in the school district that we love, asking his blessings and his help but knowing that here on earth God's work must truly be our own.

 

David E. Morgan, Ph.D., School Board Member

Chair, Academic Evaluation/Continuous Improvement/Planning Committee

Rich Township High School District 227

Olympia Fields, Illinois   60461

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Rich Township 227 Coalition for Better Schools

 

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This email was sent to davidemorgan234567.rich@blogger.com by sd-227community@att.net |  
Rich Townhsip High Schools Coalition for Better Schools | Rich Township High Schoo District 227 | OLYMPIA FIELDS | IL | 60461

Sunday, October 27, 2013

We are now beginning to move our district forward again to save our schools and community from further ruin

RTC LOGO
Quick Link

 

We are now beginning to move our district forward again to save our schools and community from further ruin

For four long years as a public official representing the progressive community who wanted better for its children, while being shut out of a school improvement conversation at open board meetings in our community as a community representative, we were under siege. As community representatives, targeted board members, parents, and tax payers seeking excellence in public education, our Constitutional Freedoms in public community participation were threatened for not agreeing with the status quo of failure of our children, lack of full board accountability, collaboration, deliberation, working as a team to improve student performance levels, to perform our roles as board members, and absence of a continuous school improvement plan in our schools.

After April 9, 2013, we truly believed that fighting our way out of a twenty year academic and human rights rut had been achieved, but today we have finally realized that the fight must continue until justice is achieved for our children and community in academic accountability, and supportive school board policies in putting in place the proper keystones for students to learn and achieve at the highest possible levels with a supportive school board, until justice is achieved for our children and community's future.  Today, in our continuing efforts to help our children and community, we have welcomed the support of our community's leaders in business, education, civil rights for our children, and political and technical consultants and experts in our fight to improve our schools.  As a result, by the grace of God, in this process, we are still moving forward to achieve excellence and accountability in public education.

 

Today, we are beginning to work on the absence of a continuous school board academic improvement plan in our schools in our second phase by: Improving student performance levels and putting in place the supportive academic continuous school improvement policies for students to learn and achieve at the highest possible levels. Again, we would like to thank those citizen leaders north and south, east and west, who continues to work as community representatives for school improvement.  You are acting not out of a sense of legal duty, but out of a sense of human decency.

Meanwhile, away from home and the troubling times in the district 227 debacle, board members targeted to be shut down and threatened with arrest for speaking as community representatives in their own community, were still given an opportunity to speak in a venue that was 10,000 times the size of district 227's forum at the National School Boards Association Annual Conventions in Boston, San Francisco, Phoenix, San Diego, etc. followed by great effect where we were cheered, welcomed, and encouraged for our visionary contributions to school improvement conversations. Concurrently, on February 20, 2012, the Center For Open Government at Chicago's Kent College of Law urged School District 227, the then school board 227 president and superintendent were instructed to comply with the U.S. Constitution, the State's Open Meetings Act, Freedom of Information Act laws, the state School Code and the Rich Township High School District 227 Board Policy Book generally with regards to School Board members Dr. Morgan and Mrs. Coleman. One of those policies was that all school board members must have full opportunity to place items on the agenda for meetings and to speak as board members in open session. Again, how soon we forget.

 What follows is a speech made to the full school board and community on Friday, October 25, 2013, at the school board meeting following my arrival from a one week's vacation and educational tour of Europe. It reads as follows:

After considerable reflection while on vacation, I have come to the conclusion that the business of School District 227 has to be conducted in new and different ways. This change, like all change must begin with me. I am committed to make needed change in District 227. I am committed to:

1.   Lowering our levels of rhetoric in board meetings, in being more 

      focused on the prize, improving student performance levels and

      saving our children and community from further ruin.

2.   Staying out of the media. (We must handle our differences and

      discuss what must be done before coming before the public in a

      public board meeting by telling it straight in calm full board

     deliberations addressing controversial board agenda items).

3.   Before the public meeting, we must meet as a board to address

      the agenda and to strategically plan for the needs of our children

      and the district. I am mindful that there are many communities

      paying attention to what this board does or does not do. For

      example: students, business people, the development community,

      the insurance community, civil rights organizations who want

      excellence in our schools, and future residents of the area will

      take note of what we do. I want to inaugurate a listening tour in

      all of the communities that feed into the district.

4.   I am willing to keep an open mind to that hearing from the

      community, board deliberations and that compromise (with your

      team and the board) that can take place in an orderly fashion.

5.   I am committed to cooperation and compromise with each other

      so that we are able to make change and educational excellence a

      reality and priority in our schools. It is essential that our board

      take part in training on principles of continuous improvement

      including the use of data and customer focus.

6.   If all of the above are done, we can create a platform for trust and

      a space so that the work is done on our goals.

 

Remain focused and committed to the goals of:

1.  Quality Education with continuous academic evaluation,

     planning, collaboration, community engagement, and full board

     and district accountability. (The board is responsible for putting

     in place the proper continuous improvement support policies and

     keystones for students to learn and achieve at the highest possible

     levels). Follow a regular monthly process in meeting with the

     superintendent to review student achievement data to ensure

     continuous improvement.

2.  Conducting the business of the district in such a way that creates

      jobs and supports existing district businesses and creates new

      businesses where needed.

3.   Maximize community partnerships and empowerment.

4.   Develop a competent, visionary, and culturally sensitive

      administration that guides the district through the 21st century

      and to fulfill our election promises to our children and

      community.

 

These goals can be achieved through a strategic planning process that stems the crisis, assesses the district, seizes this golden opportunity to achieve educational excellence, and builds a leadership team at the level of the board and administration that incorporates the needs of the community.

 

With a good conscience, our only sure reward, with history the final judge of our deeds, let us go forth to lead and restore the educational excellence, accountability, planning, full board and community inclusion participation, character, integrity, and educational leadership in the school district that we love, asking his blessings and his help but knowing that here on earth God's work must truly be our own.

 

David E. Morgan, Ph.D., School Board Member

Chair, Academic Evaluation/Continuous Improvement/Planning Committee

Rich Township High School District 227

Olympia Fields, Illinois   60461

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Rich Township 227 Coalition for Better Schools

 

Join Our Mailing List
Email:
For Email Marketing you can trust
This email was sent to davidemorgan234567.rich@blogger.com by sd-227community@att.net |  
Rich Townhsip High Schools Coalition for Better Schools | Rich Township High Schoo District 227 | OLYMPIA FIELDS | IL | 60461