Monday, March 4, 2024

The Glory of Small Town Iowa

Some of my fondest memories from high school have nothing to do with a classroom activity or a test score. My recollections from typing class (yes, we had to take an actual typing class) were mind numbing! Days when we had to bring our grammar book to English class were pure torture, and if I think about Algebra class too hard I'm apt to break out in a cold sweat. 

Anyway, I digress. What I do remember with a great deal of joy and nostalgia are those events that were, no doubt part of my formal public school education but took place outside the confines of a traditional classroom. Those things that drove to the heart of our culture as a small, proud school district. The adventures that embodied a positive climate. The trips to the Dome for the playoffs. I was in the band, so getting to play in the pep band at the Dome was an amazing experience. Same when it came to the state basketball tournament. In those days, it was at the 'Barn'. Many of you can probably remember Veteran's Memorial Coliseum, now a conference center connected to the 'Well'. 

There were also the music concerts where I had a solo, contests on Saturdays that would take us to exotic locations for competition (like Roland Story), and early (and I mean early) practices in the fall preparing for All-State auditions. We had a great deal of fun, learning from our teachers, developing friendships, and really just getting to have the full small town experience. We watched our peers, the upperclassmen compete and perform, all while looking forward to the time when we would ascend to the spotlight. Hoping that we would live up to the expectations that had been set out for us. There is nothing quite like growing up in the comfort of small town Iowa. 

And the support from the community! Few things compare to having a full auditorium for a concert of a play! Or a gym, jam packed with fans for a Friday night game. Or an article in the local newspaper highlighting your success on the stage or on the field. 

That is the beauty of living in small town Iowa. In a lot of ways, State Center and Hudson are a lot alike. We understand the success of our students doesn't belong to those students alone. That success belongs to the entire community, and we beam with pride at their; at our collective accomplishments. These are our friends, our neighbors, and yes our students. I've watched some of these kids from the time they weren't even big enough to dribble a basketball. When singing was screaming. When they weren't old enough to tie their shoes, so they just ran around without them. 

A couple of weeks ago we had our annual pops concert. We were treated to amazing performances from our junior high and high school bands. The junior high and high school choirs. It is neat to see the growth these students have made this school year and how far they have come. When I was a student in junior high, I was always in awe when the high school students would perform because it was so dang good! Hoping that I would one day have a chance to perform in those ensembles. Anyway, at the end of this particular concert the musical theater small group performed. (This wasn't a thing when I was in high school.) To say they were amazing almost sounds inadequate. They took my breath away. Of course they did: they were an All-State nominee.

This past weekend was our Spring play, 'Clue'. Sadly, I was unable to attend due to a personal scheduling conflict. I feel badly about it because I was so looking forward to seeing our students perform. But yet, they were not really performing for me. They were performing for themselves. They were performing for the entire community. From what I have heard it was spectacular. Indeed there was never any doubt. We have come to expect nothing less.

This week we have another opportunity to create those memories not only for ourselves, but for our entire community and the students we serve. Our boys basketball team will be making their first appearance in the state tournament in 30 years! 1994. Let the record reflect that I was a senior in college! I do hope you take advantage of the opportunity to join us in Des Moines to watch our team play. They most certainly are playing for themselves. But they are also playing for the name on the front of their jersey. They are playing for you. They are playing for the glory of their hometown. 

Wednesday, February 28, 2024

You Get What You Pay For

A few weeks ago I spent some time with you discussing the teacher salary proposal that is currently being debated in the legislature. This is noble work and I encourage the legislature to continue moving this ball down the field, and to do so with as much expediency as possible (while at the same time not forgetting about the SSA rate). Not only are we in the final stages of putting our budget for the next fiscal year together [sans SSA], hiring season has arrived. With growing enrollment, once again positions will be added to our faculty. It sure would be nice to tell them with certainty how much they can expect to earn. 

Indeed, it is somewhat difficult to unpack what are complex compensation proposals and explain them in simplistic terms that are easily understood. Or succinct enough to help those with opposing viewpoints comprehend the long term implications of those ideas without coming across as self-serving. This is most certainly a difficult needle to thread.

Here, those heady arguments have been laid out point by point, but without truly discerning the implications of what those decisions may mean for the students and communities we serve. Think of it this way. Last year when we were beginning the search for our next elementary principal I spent some time with the board considering what the salary range should be by first sharing with them the current metrics for our conference. The average elementary principal in our conference, at that time earned a salary of $97,149 per year. So we settled on a range of $95,000-$105,000. At the same time, I was also clear that we could probably find someone to do this work for $80,000-$85,000. But we had to ask, is that what we want? Remember, this person is expected to lead our elementary school.

Currently we are engaged in a search for our next Tech Director. Naively, I posted that position with a salary range of $45,000-$65,000. After some research and watching the pool develop, I realized that the job description simply did not match the salary range. Let's assume I hire someone for $50,000 and the network goes down. At that point, we don't have a lot of time for on the job training. But the reality is, that's what you get for $50,000.

Teachers are no different. We can hire a teacher right out of college and pay them $33,500, which is the statewide minimum. I'll ask the same question that I asked before. Is this what we want? Remember, this person is expected to teach our students how to read. That is the primary reason why our starting teaching salary is more than $10,000 higher than the statewide minimum. 

But here is the other part of the problem: many young people studying to be teachers are not planning to stay in Iowa. Pay is some of, but not the only reason for this loss of talent. If the legislature can get the base salary to $50,000 for starting teachers, then I would opine we've won half the battle. (Mind you, I'm skeptical this is even realistic; particularly considering counter proposals from the Senate and House are $46,251 and $47,000 respectively.) 

The other 'half of the battle' so to speak is to make certain these young professionals feel value beyond the paycheck. They need the support of supplemental and auxiliary services that organizations like the AEA can provide. The autonomy to make decisions in their classrooms without fear of reprisal. A voice at the table. I could go on, but you get the point, right?