Board Beating!

OUCH! Well, the board of education sure took a beating on the staff survey and deservedly so! In an attempt to hold Superintendent Fredisdorf accountable for the shortcomings of the district, staff members were sucked into the foray and in turn, lashed out at the board of education. It all started when Dr. Fredisdorf kept putting messages out to the school community that the district Common Core Standards in mathematics were implemented in grades K-8 last school year and English Language Arts at the start of this school year.  In the 2013-2014 school year letter to parents: In this clip the district was completely aligned in math and part of ELA. When a local math common core trainer that serves on several ISBE Math Common Core committees pointed out that D107 was neither aligned nor implemented, she offered to help the district for free. Fredisdorf declined the offer as it was not in the district's best interest.  To verify claims of Common Core alignment and implementation and to satisfy other nagging doubts, requests for information were made. Each request to Dr. Fredisdorf was prefaced with: 'this is something that should already be in place. Do not put this on the staff to create it. Either you have it or you don't.' Was D107 fully aligned/implemented in Common Core or not? Does D107 have an RtI plan according to the law or not? Does D107 have a middle school language arts curriculum or not? And so it began - a search for the truth, starting with a request for staff professional development. Fredisdorf paraded the Curriculum Council out at the December board meeting with a presentation on Common Core Math and ELA progress.  Board members heard from the council facilitator that from the beginning what the teachers wanted was time - time as grade level teams, time to get their feet wet, time together as teachers, time to plan, time to look at assessments and resources, time to talk about strategies. Time was the best gift they could have gotten...better than a book or a consultant. A lot of time was invested, and at the time, their greatest gift was time.  During discussion, the back peddling suddenly began. Apparently communication to the parent body was to blame for the misinterpretation of what was meant by the words alignment and implementation. When basic questions in regard to the Common Core could be not answered, an audit was recommended to get at the truth. Some of the District's Core Values are:  Honesty and trust are vital to achieving common goals and positive relationships People are free to make choices and are responsible for the results of those choices. Involving diverse people and perspectives promotes understanding and new ideas. Who embodies these values? Pleasantdale School District 107 School Climate Staff Insights Survey - 2014 School Board  Comments/suggestions: -- The current climate of the relationship between the superintendent and the BOE makes answering these questions very difficult. The way that the superintendent speaks to the BOE and the way that the BOE feels about the superintendent makes the rest of the staff feel pressure and unsure where to turn. We feel as if the district is crumbling around us...and that scares many and angers most! -- I respect the Board and their mission to provide a better school for our children. There are mixed feelings among the staff because of the battle between the Board and the superintendent. Whenever possible, the superintendent tries to paint the Board negatively. -- I believe that the school board has the best interests of teachers and students in mind. It is unfortunate that the school board's desire to make Pleasantdale a better place often indirectly leads to more work for the teachers while the superintendent tries to cover up/ pass along responsibilities for administrative failures. -- Thank you school board for trying to make our school a better place. -- It is hard to have faith in a board when everything around you is falling apart. Do I have hope that our district can thrive again? Yes. Do I have hope that the BOE will put students first? Yes. Do I have hope that the BOE will recognize the incredible amount of work the teachers have put in above and beyond the call of duty for the good of the district and compensate them accordingly? Yes. Have I seen any of this happen yet? Unfortunately, no. I strongly believe that things have to get worse before they get better and I ask the BOE to please remember this turmoil on the pathway to recovery and truly strive to make this place better than you found it. -- The tone of board meetings seems very aggressive. I understand that there is tension amongst members of the board and administrators, but there needs to be respect for each other as well. It does weigh down on teachers when the board is constantly questioning how things are taught in the classroom. -- I think the current board is working to make positive changes in the district. The district needs some changes. It is easy to go along with a decision-making leader without checking up on the leaders statements. Change is needed and change is hard. -- I do think the Board needs to work together as much as possible or at least keep the meetings going with respect. I think they are working to the success of the school. The meetings I attended were civil and well run. I hope all meetings can follow that same pattern. -- I do not feel the Board understands the role and responsibilities of teachers. They do not respect or appreciate us. -- I feel like this board is losing sight of our goals and our students success while focusing on a personal agenda. Furthermore, I am embarrassed that our board would treat teachers (or allow them to be treated) so disrespectfully at a meeting. I would hope we (the board, administrators, teachers & support staff) were a team! -- My suggestion towards the Board of Education is to focus it's efforts towards working with Administration. Disagreement can be a powerful and positive thing in board meetings. A collaborative group of people is a positive thing. This group does not have the Mission in mind. They are not all operating with the same core values. My suggestion would be to have a clear Mission. My suggestion would be to remember you are there to EMPOWER EACH CHILD. Let that Mission drive your decisions. Along the way, remember our core values and live them in your words and your actions. I have attended many Board Meetings in various school districts and the level of disrespect I have witnessed this school year with some board members is incredibly sad. Our staff is clear that our Superintendent and Building Principals are focused on our Mission. We are sure they believe in our core values in their words and their actions. My suggestion is that our Board of Education does the same. -- The Board in the past has fallen short in the eyes of the staff. This current Board still has some members from that group. The staff is hoping that they can come together and get us the leadership and support we need. -- There has been visible blow ups at meetings that do not reflect well on a board. I believe that the board will gain their stride and work as a team. I believe that each person on the board is interested in advancing the district and making decisions that are in the best interest of students. I actually appreciate that there are members on the board that can evaluate information and vote their opinion. They are not always for or always against. I have heard that board members are not allowed to talk to staff. I don't believe that staff should feel uncomfortable when they see a board member making sure that comments stay on the weather or sports. That is awkward. -- In my opinion the board should consider making a decision one way or the other with regard to the Superintendent, and stop fighting, so we can get on with the business of educating out students. The fighting is not a good image for our district. Please pay our teachers for the job that they do at Pleasantdale. An increase is appropriate. Please, when you come to the negotiation table, take time to understand the issues as an individual rather than relying on the Superintendent to supply all of your information. These talks are intended to be a negotiation not a top down directive as it has been in recent years. -- The Board lacks trust in one another and the superintendent. -- I just hope they can balance the needs of the students and their wish to have our superintendent fired. -- Specific board actions this year have made some of the staff feel uneasy. For example, asking for documentation of professional training without an explanation as to how that information will be used. I wish the communication were a little more open as to the board's motivation for such actions. It would be like going to the doctor's office and having him or her ask you to give a blood sample to run some tests without the doctor telling you why he or she was taking the sample or what the test results would be used for. -- I encourage the board not to lose sight on what is best for kids. -- I feel the board is micromanaging our school. Teachers are being told how to teach. For all of the years I have been at Pleasantdale, many of the members have had their own agenda. -- The ones I disagree with are because the current Board seems to "have it out" for the Superintendent, which causes discomfort and more work (i.e., surveys) for the staff. -- I feel that the Board has genuine interest in helping the students and teachers succeed but when there is such animosity between the Board and the Superintendent it clouds the atmosphere and gets in the way of moving forward. -- I think the Board wants clear and truthful information so they can better understand and help set the course for the district. We are in a transition period in the the leadership at the middle school. At the same time many curricular issues have come to light and must be addressed. As a staff, we can only work to look forward as to how to provide the best curriculum and instruction for the students. I believe the board is very supportive of the efforts of the teaching staff. -- I understand the motives of the board, at least I think I do, but the way that they go about things is questionable and unprofessional at times. They battle with Mark and want him out. What they don't realize is that everything that they are doing to try to get him out comes down on the teachers and therefore affects the students. They want to audit the LA and Math departments. What they don't realize is by doing that they are creating a level of discomfort and distrust among their teachers toward them. No matter what they are trying to prove it does ultimately reflect badly on the teachers and makes us seem incompetent. We do our jobs with integrity. We don't do things blindly. We are very thoughtful and purposeful in everything that we do. Although not always given the training, time and resources needed to do our job, we do the very best with what we have. I don't think that this is being portrayed so far with the audits. The hostile environment between the board and Mark this year is most definitely negatively affecting the dedicated teachers who are with the children day in and day out. This atmosphere is not in conducive to the success of the district. As far as fiscal responsibility goes, if you want good teachers and a low teacher turnover rate, you need to have a competitive salary schedule and pay teachers to show that you value them. -- The Board is comprised of wonderful individuals who are not currently operating effectively as a team. They would greatly benefit from focused training to develop as a cohesive unit to best meet the needs of the students and our educational community.  -- The School Board seems to have one objective - to make the superintendent's job miserable. I hope the Board realizes there is a trickle down affect that goes to Matt, to me, and then the children here. Recently, I have watched Board meetings on tape and cannot believe the inaccuracies that are voiced by several members of the Board. In my opinion, members of the Board spend a lot of time searching other school websites and then comparing us to them.

Pleasantdale School District 107 School Climate Staff Insights Survey - 2014 Results Summary School Board

Certified Staff (Teachers, Social Worker, Speech etc.) or Support Staff (Aide, Custodian/Maintenance, Secretary etc.)

Question: Please indicate your level of agreement for each item.  (items are sorted by average highest to lowest) Item Response Count % The Board is focused on making our district successful. percentages based on n=73 Strongly agree 8 10.95 Agree 45 61.64 Disagree 12 16.43 Strongly disagree 3 4.1 Don't know/doesn't apply 5 6.84 Average Response: 3.63   s= 1.01 The Board appropriately balances the mission of the district with fiscal responsibility. percentages based on n=72 Strongly agree 5 6.94 Agree 31 43.05 Disagree 14 19.44 Strongly disagree 3 4.16 Don't know/doesn't apply 19 26.38 Average Response: 3.39   s= 0.98 The Board has provided support for new curricular initiatives. percentages based on n=71 Strongly agree 4 5.63 Agree 33 46.47 Disagree 14 19.71 Strongly disagree 4 5.63 Don't know/doesn't apply 16 22.53 Average Response: 3.34   s= 1.02 I trust that the Board will make decisions in the best interest of the students. percentages based on n=72 Strongly agree 7 9.72 Agree 27 37.5 Disagree 20 27.77 Strongly disagree 7 9.72 Don't know/doesn't apply 11 15.27 Average Response: 3.11   s= 1.2 The Board is respected by staff members. percentages based on n=73 Strongly agree 1 1.36 Agree 23 31.5 Disagree 29 39.72 Strongly disagree 8 10.95 Don't know/doesn't apply 12 16.43 Average Response: 2.67   s= 1.06 The Board presents a positive image to our community. percentages based on n=73 Strongly agree 2 2.73 Agree 17 23.28 Disagree 27 36.98 Strongly disagree 12 16.43 Don't know/doesn't apply 15 20.54 Average Response: 2.48   s= 1.08 The Board operates effectively as an entity. percentages based on n=72 Strongly agree 2 2.77 Agree 14 19.44 Disagree 29 40.27 Strongly disagree 13 18.05 Don't know/doesn't apply 14 19.44 Average Response: 2.36   s= 1.06 The Board sets an atmosphere that is conducive to success. percentages based on n=73 Strongly agree 1 1.36 Agree 14 19.17 Disagree 29 39.72 Strongly disagree 16 21.91 Don't know/doesn't apply 13 17.8 Average Response: 2.25   s= 1.04

Administrative/Confidential Staff

Question: Please indicate your level of agreement for each item.  (items are sorted by average highest to lowest) Item Response Count % The Board appropriately balances the mission of the district with fiscal responsibility. percentages based on n=7 Strongly agree 2 28.57 Agree 3 42.85 Disagree 0 0.0 Strongly disagree 2 28.57 Don't know/doesn't apply 0 0.0 Average Response: 3.42   s= 1.72 The Board has provided support for new curricular initiatives. percentages based on n=7 Strongly agree 1 14.28 Agree 4 57.14 Disagree 0 0.0 Strongly disagree 2 28.57 Don't know/doesn't apply 0 0.0 Average Response: 3.28   s= 1.6 I trust that the Board will make decisions in the best interest of the students. percentages based on n=7 Strongly agree 1 14.28 Agree 2 28.57 Disagree 1 14.28 Strongly disagree 3 42.85 Don't know/doesn't apply 0 0.0 Average Response: 2.57   s= 1.72 The Board is respected by staff members. percentages based on n=7 Strongly agree 1 14.28 Agree 1 14.28 Disagree 2 28.57 Strongly disagree 3 42.85 Don't know/doesn't apply 0 0.0 Average Response: 2.28   s= 1.6 The Board is focused on making our district successful. percentages based on n=7 Strongly agree 1 14.28 Agree 0 0.0 Disagree 4 57.14 Strongly disagree 2 28.57 Don't know/doesn't apply 0 0.0 Average Response: 2.14   s= 1.35 The Board sets an atmosphere that is conducive to success. percentages based on n=7 Strongly agree 1 14.28 Agree 0 0.0 Disagree 2 28.57 Strongly disagree 4 57.14 Don't know/doesn't apply 0 0.0 Average Response: 1.85   s= 1.46 The Board presents a positive image to our community. percentages based on n=7 Strongly agree 0 0.0 Agree 1 14.28 Disagree 2 28.57 Strongly disagree 4 57.14 Don't know/doesn't apply 0 0.0 Average Response: 1.71   s= 1.11 The Board operates effectively as an entity. percentages based on n=7 Strongly agree 0 0.0 Agree 1 14.28 Disagree 2 28.57 Strongly disagree 4 57.14 Don't know/doesn't apply 0 0.0 Average Response: 1.71   s= 1.11