District Administration - September 2010 - (Page 57)

toward a focus on school climate and does not appear to authorize the diverse program activities previously allowed under the Safe and Drug-Free Schools program. Funds from this new program will also be distributed by a highly competitive national grant process, limiting its application to far fewer districts. 2. An intense economic recession resulting in cutbacks to local school district budgets. e loss of federal dollars is occurring while local education agencies are being forced to make dramatic budget cuts due to declining local and state revenues. School safety and prevention administrators cannot look to their superintendents and boards to replace lost federal school safety dollars with money from other budget line items. Educators cannot rob Peter to pay Paul, because Peter’s budget has also been eliminated! 3. School budget cuts often made quickly, under intense pressure, in a Low-Cost and No-Cost Safety Strategies School budgets are tight, but there are still many things school leaders can do to keep schools safe. • The ﬁve-minute safety rule. Take ﬁve minutes at every faculty meeting to discuss one topic from your school’s safety or crisis plan. • Diversify drills. Conduct lockdown drills during nontraditional times such as lunch periods, during student arrival, and just prior to dismissal. Block exits (unannounced) during ﬁre drills to teach students and staff to think on their feet. Lock down one section of your school while evacuating another area during the same drill. • Engage students. Draw students into school safety plans through student-leader group discussions, poster contests and increasing awareness of drills. Train students not to open exterior doors for strangers during the school day. • Reach out to nontraditional partners. Work with your county emergency management agency (EMA) to update crisis plans, participate in drills with ﬁrst-responders, and collaborate on joint applications for security grants. • Hold mini-tabletop exercises. Build abbreviated tabletop scenarios into faculty meetings and districtwide principal meetings several times during each school year. • Conduct safety roundtables. Add an agenda item to district principal meetings for sharing successful safety and crisis-preparedness practices in district schools. How Will You Prepare Tomorrow’s Leaders In the Face of Today’s Economic Crisis? Introducing The World’s First Secure Social Media Platform Designed For K-12 Schools Seedplay® is the revolutionary low-cost, high-tech solution that helps maximize student enrollment, engagement, and achievement. Using safe social media and micro-fundraising tools, students apply course knowledge to develop projects that improve their school and community. Call or email us today to request a free descriptive brochure or visit our website for more information. Together, we can help your students create both a vision and the reality of their success. CORE K12 Education | 888-915-SEED (7333) www.corek12.com/seedplay | seedplay@corek12.com www.DistrictAdministration.com September 2010 57 http://www.corek12.com/seedplay http://www.corek12.com/seedplay http://www.DistrictAdministration.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of District Administration - September 2010

District Administration - September 2010
Contents
From the Editor
News Update
Inside the Law
Conversations
District Profile
Administrator Profile
A Salary Recession for School Administrators?
Working Hard in the Big Easy
School Safety Gets the Ax
Keeping Schools Safe during Challenging times
Google and Microsoft Go to School
A Bull Market for Financial Literacy
Problem/ Solution
Tech Disruptions
Student Counsel
Product Focus
New Products
Superintendent’s Insights

District Administration - September 2010