District Administration - October 2010 - (Page 16)

Letters Misery Loves Company ank you, DA, for the recent salary survey article (“A Salary Recession for School Administrators,” September 2010) based on the ERS’s 37th national survey of salaries and wages in public schools. e article conﬁrms the feedback we are receiving at AASA: e pain caused by the recession is being shared by all. e drop in average salary increases for superintendents from the 2008-2009 school year to the 2009-2010 school year is noticeable and signals a trend that will undoubtedly continue into the 20102011 school year. Sharing what is happening in Los Angeles and states like New Jersey and Idaho is valuable information. Misery loves company, and all administrators that are making ﬁnancial sacriﬁces because of the economic conditions in their districts need to know that they are not alone. Administrators are deserving of the pay they get and, in spite of public opinion, it is not as high as it should be when compared to the private sector. Nevertheless, your article provides evidence that administrators will bite the bullet and lead by example when the situation warrants it. Dan Domenech, executive director, American Association of School Administrators with many of the conclusions of the Public Agenda study: More school counselors are needed, and existing counselors should not be overloaded with noncounseling duties preventing them from spending time guiding students to academic success and postsecondary education. ASCA believes the study’s ﬁndings can serve as a wake-up call that could bring about necessary changes. e study points out that “young people who characterized their interactions with counselors as anonymous and unhelpful were less likely to go directly from high school into a postsecondary program.” erefore, strong relationships between school counselors and students can lead to more students seeking postsecondary education. is is a chance to provide a positive perspective on the problems and to highlight the need for supporting school counselors, rather than eliminating their positions because some consider them to be ineﬀective. Pat Nailor, president, American School Counselor Association No Money Left for School Safety? After reading the cover story in the September 2010 issue of DA (“Keeping Schools Safe During Challenging Times”), I can oﬀer some advice. As a former head of security for one of the 25 largest school districts in the country, I was told 10 years ago to start doing more with less. I did. Security people understand budgets cutbacks, and we are willing to accept our hits like the other Necessary Change for Counselors In response to Christopher Griﬃn’s Student Counsel column (“High School Counselors Take it on the Chin,” September 2010), the American School Counselor Association (ASCA) agrees department heads. Administrators who think they can eliminate their security or law enforcement staﬀ and expect the local police to pick up the slack need to talk to the local police ﬁrst as they have had the same budget cuts you have. Just because your budget has been reduced does not mean you can accept unsafe schools. ere are some things you can do: • Prioritize your new security plan. Of the 25 to 1,000 items you must consider to thoroughly secure your school, you will only be able to deliver the top 5 or 10. In order to do this, form a crisis management team of three to ﬁve people, list all the challenges you have, and start at the top. Fund these items ﬁrst, then move down your list. • Ask for parent assistance. I served as a playground assistant several times to help the school staﬀ monitor kids during recess and lunch. Schools no longer have all the staﬀ they need to do things like that, and we parents need to be willing to assist our principal. • Finally, if things go bad and the school becomes unsafe, leaders must be prepared to go back to the level of security they had, and the community must back them on this. What we need are good, sound ideas, not ideas that sound good. As a leader, you will receive a lot of suggestions, and this is where I suggest hiring a recognized professional or joining a school safety organization that can guide you. Peter Pochowski, executive director, National Association of School Safety and Law Enforcement Ofﬁcials Letters to the Editor may be sent to jhartnett@districtadministration.com, or mailed to Judy F. Hartnett, District Administration, 488 Main Avenue, Norwalk, CT 06851. Selections that are published may be edited for length and clarity, and become the property of D A. Colors ( In Hex #) 3C2750 Colors ( In Hex #) 3C2750 1687B9 9AD0F3 D1C95B 000000 Enrollment opens for 2010 Disney’s Planet Challenge 1687B9 9AD0F3 See page 43 As she appears in teaser D1C95B 000000 16 October 2010 District Administration

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

District Administration - October 2010
Contents
From the Editor
Letters
News Update
Curriculum Update
Facilities Update
District Profile
Administrator Profile
Conversations
The Price of a Good Education
Dividing Arizona
Making Your School Future-Proof
Connecting Curriculum with Community
A Small District’s Big Innovator
New Books
New Products
Product Focus
Tech Disruptions
Superintendent’s Insights
Online Edge
Professional Opinion

District Administration - October 2010