Here is S.D. city school board Candidate Mark Powell’s inspiring program for achievable reform, which he shared with SD Rostra.
Since, I am basing my campaign on “No Hollow Promises, just Common-Sense Results!” I needed to make sure my first year goals as a board member would not over promise and under deliver. I have set realistic goals and strive to over deliver. My first year goals are all designed to address student learning and to keep schools safe.
1. Ineffective Teachers: Negotiate with the teachers union to implement a uniform teacher evaluation system. (I have several working teacher evaluations models that are being used in other districts throughout the country. These models have been hashed out between the unions and the districts already and could easily be implanted in SDUSD)
2. Budget Concerns: Responsibly negotiate teacher contracts and eliminate non-essential positions or programs. (Review all existing contracts to make sure they are competitive with the open market)
3. Class Size: Hire back as many teachers as possible and create part-time and full-time teacher assistant positions. (It appears that class sizes will increase, because the current board did not have the foresight to predict that the state is bankrupt. There were absolutely no economic indicators that the state was going to receive a ton of money over the last 4 years.
In fact, all economic indications, such as unemployment rate, gas prices, real estate, etc. indicated that the state was going to lose millions in funding, yet the incumbent still promised the teachers a 7.2% raise – unbelievable. Teachers will need help. The most cost effective way to bring down the Teacher/ Student ratio is to hire teacher assistants from local teacher credentialing programs. I had a TA when I was a teacher and although she was only paid a fraction of what a teacher was paid, her value was worth her weight in gold)
4. Vocational Training For Students: Create a partnership with local businesses and implement a comprehensive internship program. (I will be instrumental in creating a business/city government/ school partnership.
Since I am a business owner and former school administrator/ teacher/dean of students and I can speak from a knowledge based position with other business owners. Local businesses know what they are looking for in an employee and it is the duty of the school to prepare students academically for future jobs)
5. Bullying/School Violence: Acts of bullying or school violence must be addressed by the schools administration as a to priority. Acts of bullying or school violence at the secondary level will also be addressed by school police. (School policies regarding discipline/violence on campus, will need to be reviewed and students who bully other students on or off campus at the middle and high school level will be dealt with by the school police and the Juvenile Court System. Parents of elementary students who bully will be held accountable for their children’s behavior as well as the student. Dress codes will be reviewed and enforced uniformly throughout the district)
6. Excessive Testing / Report Cards: Stop “teaching to the test” and implement a report card system that parents, teachers and students understand. (By implementing a uniformed teacher evaluation system, test scores will not be the sole criteria for teacher evaluations and will free teachers to teach…..not just to the test. Report cards will reflect a student’s academic achievement, positive or negative, in a way that is clearly understood by parents)
Thank you for taking the time to read this.
Mark