That said, some notable highlights: Lillian Tafoya reported on her attendance at a National Board Members Association Conference. Speaking at the conference was Daniel Pink, author of the book Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us. Incentives (or "pay for performance") is not what motivates teachers, he reasons. Rather, they're more interested in "autonomy, mastery, and purpose". I was cheered to hear Lillian share this with the community members and teachers in attendance last night, because it reveals what an impressive impact Mr. Pink had on her. She also shared a few comments given by Condoleeza Rice. [To see Lillian's short speech, click HERE].
I was also thrilled to hear trustee Rick Van Horne talk about how enthusiastic attendance by "other board members" at various BCSD events has encouraged the remaining trustees (meaning him?) to "elevate their game" and join in the attendance of as many events as possible--kind of like a friendly competition. I know that Andrae Gonzales and Bill McDougle, especially, are whirligigs, and I frequently hear how happy teachers are when they see our trustees at the students' special occasions and events.
The dynamics of the board interactions, overall, are different, and much more is being accomplished because of "new blood". See THIS article in the Bakersfield Californian. Although I was curious about Mr. Van Horne's assessment that "much" of the questioning by the new board members was due to a "lack of board experience", I was even more bothered by his insinuation that trustees shouldn't "interfere". He said, "... there's a fine line between overseeing and interfering. I just don't want to see ourselves interfering with what the (administrators) are doing for a living." When so much good has been done in such a short time, I don't know why he would say such a thing, especially when I am aware of next to no questioning by him during the meetings. In fact, this last meeting was the first time in several months I heard him address the audience, and it was in reference to what I wrote about above: these so-called "newbies" are forcing him to "elevate his game". Maybe now he'll ask more questions, too. [This paragraph was added on May 1]
The bad news of the evening, of course, was that McKinley Elementary is no longer year round, and one-day GATE at Owens Primary has been eliminated. Can't say I was surprised. We face even more cuts next year. [click on the link for a news story via the Bakersfield Californian newspaper]
On a lighter note, I was amused by the dark, plastic skirts that were hung from the tables where the district administrators and trustees were sitting. Talk about budget cuts! It's like someone dug into their kitchen cupboard and cut open a few Hefty trash bags to decorate the stage. ;-)
The one problem for me is the length of the meetings now, which last two and a half to three hours. My only suggestion would be to move the presentation highlighting a BCSD school (one per meeting) to the END--the very end. Although we are all proud of our schools and the great work we are doing, these presentations add 20 minutes or more to an already long night. One speaker was "bumped", meaning, she was asked to not speak due to the unusually large quantity of people who wanted to address the board. I felt badly for her. The public should have a right to address the board on issues important to the evening's agenda--a presentation by a principal should have been "bumped". Again, not that showing off our school pride isn't important-- it certainly helps boost teacher morale--I just disagree with the choice of priorities as well as the placement of the presentation on the schedule.
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