District Administration- August 2008 - (Page 10)

Editor’s Letter Staying Informed and Alert T HE KATONAH-LEWISBORO (N.Y.) SCHOOL DISTRICT’S NEW EMERGENCY TELEPHONE notiﬁcation system was activated during the winter of 2005-2006, but I didn’t know it. On the ﬁrst potential snow day that December, I expected as usual to dial in to the district ofﬁce and then, while drinking my coffee, to hit redial until a line opened up. Instead, the superintendent gave us a call. It was one of those warm and fuzzy moments when I loved our life, our community, winters in the Northeast—it was all good. With holiday music playing in the background, he let us know, as well as everyone else in the entire district who was listening to the same recorded message, that schools were closed and that perhaps it would be a good day to read a book with your child. Fast forward to March 2008. The Meramec River in Missouri had swollen with rainwater and was threatening surrounding communities. Even with schools closed for spring break, administrators in the Valley Park School District used their emergency notiﬁcation system to contact school families and ask that they help ﬁll sandbags. In this issue’s “The Evolution of Emergency Notiﬁcation Systems” we explain that mass notiﬁcation systems have evolved tremendously to meet the challenges of inclement weather, school violence, and other emergency situations. This technology has become more capable, varied in its delivery, and affordable. If yours is a district considering such a system or looking for an upgrade, we’ve also highlighted the most popular systems available. In “Do You Know the Drill?” Senior Features Editor Angela Pascopella writes about the emergency drills more states are mandating each year. According to Ken Trump, president and CEO of National School Safety and Security Services, the best line of defense-even more important than having a well-fortiﬁed bulding-is a well trained, highly alert and informed staff and student body.” These two features focus on communicating safety information and staying safe within school buildings. These are two topics that we cover on a regular basis in DISTRICT ADMINISTRATION, along with technology, administration and ﬁnance, standards and assessment, facilities and construction, curriculum, special ed and English Language Learners. But how can districts perform as they need to without fairly compensated administrators? Our eighth annual salary survey will let you know how you and your staff fare on a nationwide basis. I hope that you will enjoy this issue as much as we enjoyed putting it together. Let me know which articles you ﬁnd most interesting and what you think may be missing from the mix. In addition to preparing for the new school year, I hope you are taking some time for yourself and your family. Best, With holiday music playing. he let us know that schools were closed. Judy Faust Hartnett, Editor jhartnett@districtadministration.com 10 August 2008 District Administration

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of District Administration- August 2008

District Administration - August 2008
Contents
Editor's Letter
Letters
News Update
Curriculum
English Language
8th Annual Salary Survey
Do You Know the Drill?
The Evolution of Notification Systems
How Well Does This Web Site Work?
New Products
Problem Solutions
Technology Books
Profession Opinion
Supervisor's Opinion
Crisis Response
Speaking Out
Calendar of Events
Understanding the Times

District Administration- August 2008