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Letter policy
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comes your opinions on issues
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Mail letters to the Forsy th County News. P.O. Box 210.
Cumming, GA 30028. hand deliver to 302 Veterans Memorial
Blvd., fax to (770) 889-6017 or email to editor@forsvthnews.com.
We must develop school leaders
By Dr. Gale Hulme
For the Forsyth County News
Georgia, like the rest of the nation, faces a
crisis. Large numbers of educational leaders are
reaching retirement age. In fact, the state
Professional Standards Commission estimates
that nearly 700 school leaders are eligible to
exit the profession over the next three years.
The looming shortage in educational leaders
is magnified by another factor: The work of edu
cational leaders has changed dramatically. At one
time, it sufficed to earn an administrative degree,
which prepared one to manage buses, buildings,
vendors, operations, finances, legal issues, staff,
parental and community relations as long as
principals hired good teachers.
Today, however, hiring good teachers is nec
essary but nowhere near sufficient. Now, edu
cational leaders must lead school improvement:
engaging staff in analyzing disaggregated data;
setting learning improvement targets; analyzing
learning processes and root causes of problems;
monitoring learning improvement, leveraging
tools and technology, and identifying and uti
lizing best practices to achieve desired student
performance.
More than that, educational leaders must
inspire others; communicate and engage others in
achieving a shared vision; plan and develop strat
egy; access resources and organize structure;
manage the change; coach performance and nur
ture a culture that "leaves no child behind” in a
complex and ever-changing environment.
In all fairness to educators whose prepara
tion program showed them how to be “building
holders," the work of leading school improve
ment is new.
New work demands a new preparation
model. In light of the new realities of leading
school improvement, educational preparation
programs, too, must change to equip and sup
port aspiring leaders to drive change for student
success. The new model must emphasize the
development of aspiring leaders’ proficiency in
these multiple roles required to lead and
improve student achievement. Additionally, the
focus must be on preparing leaders to develop
leadership throughout the organization.
In reality, the principal’s job of improving
student achievement has become simply too big
to be accomplished alone. Stories from “turn
around" schools and media hype may lead to
the conclusion that all we need is Super Heroes
to head our schools. Individual leaders who are
“faster than a speeding bullet, more powerful
than a locomotive and able to leap tall build
ings in a single bound,” are in short supply.
Georgia needs a model that supports a flexible,
distributed leadership approach that makes the
new work of the leadership of school improve
ment embraceable and doable, one that will
align the strengths of individual leaders with
the needs of their schools and districts.
Georgia’s Leadership Institute for School
! i I
n it c,W7
\ Bu<cn;n °
Improvement is a partnership of the Board of
Regents of the University System of Georgia, the
Georgia Partnership for Excellence in Education,
state government, school districts and the business
community. Its direction informed by two years
of work w ith incumbent leaders, the institute is
leading the design to test a preparation program
for aspiring leaders that will develop candidates to
lead the new work of school improvement.
The model, the Rising Stars pilot, requires
mastering eight new roles to lead the new work
of school improvement: data analysis leader;
curriculum, assessment and instructional
leader; performance management leader; oper
ational leader; relationship development leader;
process improvement leader; change leader;
and learning and development leader.
It will be designed, developed and supported
in a collaborative process involving four pilot
school districts (Gwinnett. Hall, Lumpkin and
White counties), thre# University System of
Georgia institutions (e g.. North Georgia College
and State University, Georgia State University
and the University of Georgia), the Southern
Regional Education Board (SREB), Regional
Educational Senice Agencies, state government,
business leaders and P-12 educational leaders,
and facilitated by the institute’s project manager.
All development activities will focus on
building performance and results, as demon
strated by the participants' ability to pass per
formance-based licensure; by selection by their
districts for leadership roles after the pilot; by
candidates’ ability to perform to district stan
dards in their assigned leadership role to
improve student achievement, and by their pro
ficiency in the eight roles for school leaders.
Inevitably, the implementation of this new
design will require policy changes. These
include an internship or residency requirement
before certification, certification endorsement
in the eight roles for school leaders, new com
pensation models, performance-based qualifi
cation for leadership, performance-based licen
sure, and new models for rewards and tenure
awards for university system personnel.
The history of school improvement in
Georgia is replete with random acts of
improvement producing dismal results. Policy
changes in support of the new Rising Stars
model must be enacted to secure the develop
ment of aspiring leaders proficient in the eight
essential roles. Only then will Georgia's
schools be guided by leaders, not managers,
who can ensure aligned acts of improvement
that engage everyone in the school in the
important work of school improvement for
increased student achievement.
Dr. Gale Hubne, executive-on-loan from
Gwinnett County Public Schools and program
director of Georgia's Leadership Institute for
School Improvement, wrote ‘this commentary
for the Georgia Public Policy Foundation, an
independent think tank that proposes practical,
market-oriented approaches to public policy.
On voting, trees, soccer fields
3 strikes and you're out?
For the third time, Forsyth
voters rejected the proposed
new jail and justice center,
despite supporters' well-fund
ed campaign supporting it.
After listening to many vot
ers' comments, this columnist
believes three reasons
prompted the rejection:
1. Voters wanted to vote
on the jail and justice center
separately, as Commissioners
Laughinghouse and Pritchett
proposed. A new (reasonably
priced) jail might have
passed.
2. Voters believed the
price tag ($65 million) was
excessive. One asserted the
construction price, per square
foot, could build "something
like the Taj Mahal.”
3. Voters worried the price
didn't cover land, furn
iture/equipment, and addi
tional personnel needed
nor interest on money bor
rowed. Adding those costs
would apparently push the
total over SIOO million.
Your vote does count
Only 20 percent of registered
voters (12,000 of 60,000)
turned out. The referendum
was decided by 353 votes.
Humorous Quote of the
Month Cumming Mayor
Ford Gravitt, at an
"Operation Daylight" Town
Hall Meeting sponsored by
Forsyth's Republican Party,
said approving the referen
dum would be "like buying a
pig in a sack."
If we had money, maybe
we should hire a decorator
Observers at that meeting
commented the debate on the
jail/justice center was polite
and dignified, with both sides
discussing issues respectfully
in contrast to public hear
ings in Forsyth’s Administra
tion Building, where people
call opponents names and
ridicule their opinions.
Perhaps the subdued light
ing and earth tones in the
beautiful City Hall chambers
keep participants calm, while
[I - *• C-'
Callison
white-hot lights in the
Commissioners auditorium
incite people to near-riot?
Can we move on now?—
Forsyth voters, like voters
statewide, decided over
whelmingly (74 percent to 26
percent) we should keep the
current state flag.
With , its roots in
Confederate history, but no
ties to segregation, and with
black leaders, including
Andrew Young, supporting it,
maybe that flag allows us to
move on to more pressing
issues, such as education and
the environment.
They paved paradise
and put up a parking lot
The BOC soon decides
whether to strengthen
Forsyth's Tree Ordinance
but efforts are under way,
sadly, to weaken it instead.
If you care about our trees
and want to see some spared
from clear-cutting, contact
commissioners and tell them
you want:
• More trees protected
(defined as basal units per
acre), not less.
• Smaller trees (18-inch
diameter) considered "speci
men trees," which are pro
tected more not just larger
ones (30-inch diameter), as
proposed.
• All disturbed/graded
areas included in the ordi
nance, not just wooded areas.
Graded areas (for houses,
driveways, roads) cause run
off into nearby streams, cost
ing more tax money to clean
up.
• The three-year moratori
um on rezoning land that's
clear-cut, to discourage spec
ulative clear-cutting.
• The ordinance in effect
all the way through construc
tion. so developers don't turn
FORSYTH I Business
COUNTY
. 100
new people move here weekly.
226
square miles of land. i sports&i^s
/J|gQ ' FoK'*'« reibon ” C,Bie ’ in^ed " n ’
people for each square mile. 1 z
2,500 r
business establishments.
22,000 I |
students in our schools. ■
■■ »n» •** • *l." «
Education,
r
housing units. R
4 • rsptuU
■
newspaper each year
that reports on the progress
of this great community.
Forsyth Count y News I
J low Homrtnvn I’aprr Suxr I9OK J ■
ssgl J
Progress 2004 *
An award-winning special edition Ift
which chronicles Arts, Education,
Government, Sports, Health, and
Business in Georgia’s fastest til ti
growing county. | S
Your enterprise can acknowledge | '
your business or service ?
accomplishments by advertising jT --■ & Com
in this highly-visible edition. 1 fej#
Contact your Forsyth County News | *
Account Executive or ‘ i
call 77M97-5f26 WOMB
for early deadline information.
FORBYTH COUNTY NEWS - WednMday, March 17,2004 -
over saved trees to builders,
who can cut them down (as
currently happens).
Many misconceptions
about the ordinance circulat
ed, and inconsistencies in
earlier drafts contributed to
them.
Those have been correct
ed. For example, construction
of six or fewer homes would
be exempt from it, as was
always desired by ordinance
supporters. Therefore, it
would not apply to individual
home- or property-owners
cutting trees on their own
property, or building up to
six homes.
Sarcastic Quote of the
Month ln a BOC work
session on the ordinance,
commissioners discussed
where to plant trees with
money developers can
deposit in the "tree bank,"
one option if they remove too
many trees in new develop
ments.
When someone mentioned
they could be planted in
parks, Commissioner Marcie
Kreager (who once described
a stronger Tree Ordinance as
"a fascist system") asked, "So
now we re going to plant
trees over our soccer fields?"
Idiotic Quote of the
Month Right-wing com
mentator Ann Coulter insult
ed Vietnam War hero and
triple-amputee Max Cleland
(and all disabled veterans),
saying he had dropped the
grenade, which exploded and
severely injured him, and
therefore was not a hero.
Besides being idiotic and
insulting. Coulter's assertion
was wrong: Cleland picked
up a grenade someone else
had dropped, tried to throw it
away from his soldiers, and
suffered the explosion him
self. All veterans (especially
those wounded or killed)
deserve our appreciation and
respect, whether we agree
with their political views or
not.
Kudos to:
• Commissioners Conway,
Laughinghouse, and
Pritchett, for meeting with
bdth sides about the Tree
Ordinance and exploring fair,
reasonable ways to protect
more of our disappearing
trees.
• Mayor Gravitt and the
Cumming City Council for
hosting that meeting at City
Hall. Forsyth County once
hosted such events until
the BOC, in a 3-2 vote,
decided to prohibit that.
•Commissioner
Laughinghouse and the 50+
citizens who attended his
first greenspace meeting. All
advocated more protected
greenspace in Forsyth.
The goal is not to
"demand property owners
keep their land as pasture so
everybody else can enjoy
looking at it," as some have
claimed.
The goal is to preserve
greenspace, through purchas
ing land, arranging ease
ments with tax breaks, and/or
purchasing development
rights without financially
penalizing landowners.
• State Rep. Jan Jones, for
her appointment by Gov.
Perdue to the Advisory
Council of the Georgia Land
Conservation Partnership.
• Commissioners Conway
and Laughinghouse, for
announcing plans to extend
the Big Creek Greenway trail
from Alpharetta into Forsyth,
hopefully all the way to
Sawnee Mountain.
For walking, jogging, bik
ing, and skating, the green
way trail would offer resi
dents much-needed places for
those activities, in addition to
preserving greenspace.
Developers, landowners, and
businesses can donate land,
materials, labor, and funding
for the project. Public recog
nition for such donations
would certainly be warranted.
Forsyth County resident
Jim Callison writes a month
ly column.
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