What areas/programs do you believe are most in need of improvement within the WPS over the next five years?

 The programs that need the most care and attention in the next five years appear to be the customization of our kids curriculum, the transparency of our special education support, the respect we show residents who work hard to raise issues our kids are unable to tackle for themselves, and our facilities plan to keep pace with 21st century educational environments. 

Currently, the administration of the schools is not in alignment with many of the values of the residents.  For the most part our schools run well, and we are all grateful for it.  We want feedback on how well our schools educate kids in learning to think.  I suggest we build a "Wonder Meter", a metric for how often a child wonders about an idea.   

Now, the administrators do not take the time to look at how the day to day is going en mass.  Athletics and special education fall under the radar for most because the actual events are so frequent and involve so many people.  How can anyone see into the overall patterns?  The intent of the budget is to spend money on programs that return good value for the students, staff, and administrators.  We have limited if any, feedback metrics for budget items now. Using Big Data analysis techniques, the schools can maintain privacy and give transparency for oversight. 

The most important feature of a leader is being of service to all. Our leadership is overlooking so many of the real, day to day happenings that deeply affect our students.  The kids are engaging in morally questionable bullying behavior, and the school looks aside rather than addressing the behavior. The policy comes across as express denial and actively denouncing the actions of “others” raising the issue.  A leader should take responsibility for the actions of all and provide a role-model for how to accept humiliation as well as acclaim.

Coming together to be stronger requires a different communication style and environment.  To date, this administration has thwarted communication in the fear that the WPS will come out looking badly.  Interacting and capturing the ideas the group generates in authentic engagement is the best path to reach our common goals.