I interviewed the Superintendent of Curriculum, Jean Isaly, and discussed types of input she gets from different groups of people. First, she mentioned that Central Office Administrators and Staff members give input in curriculum development and ways to improve the instruction in classrooms. This information is vital to improving the education of our students. Principals also relay key information regarding curriculum, but they also give input on campus needs. Principals normally discuss in their campus committees what is needed to improve the quality of instruction. Then, they generate a list of things that could improve instruction at the campus level. Site Based Decision making Committees also create a list of strategies that could improve the school district and relay the information to their campus principal. The District Improvement Committee lays out all information from the different groups and ranks them according to the most beneficial to our district. They also vote on what they would like to see implemented as a team and that is how it is presented to the School Board members. Teacher Organizations give little input to the Superintendent in my school district. They relay any information regarding budgets to the District Ed. Improvement Committee. Key Stakeholders in Huffman ISD are part of the district level committees, like the SBDM, CEDIC and DEIC committees. They give their input to these committees which is relayed to the Superintendent. The Board of Trustees discusses their concerns directly with the Superintendent. Mrs. Isaly stated that it is extremely important to constantly communicate with board members regarding events that occur in the district. This communication is vital to keeping all members informed of decisions, issues, and events that occur. Having the relationship with the board is the key to having a successful district.
I was intrigued by the information I received because knowing how all pieces work together helps me understand the layout of the district. I was also amazed that teacher organizations did not have a lot of input for the Superintendent and maybe that is because we are not a big district and we have a low turn-over rate. I did understand how all of these committees work together to improve the district and that having these different committees gives members the opportunity to discuss their concerns throughout the budget process. I was not surprised to know that it was the Superintendent’s responsibility to develop and present the budget to the School Board. I was also able to attend the Budget Board Meeting this year for my school district and was able to see many of these things put into place that I have read about in this class. I know that the Superintendent must rely on the School Board to trust her opinions and trust her to run the district. This trust is crucial to effectively running a school district.
I have learned how all parts of the community must work together to better the school district and create a learning environment for all students. I see that we always listen to our community members as well as teachers, parents, stakeholders, principals, and administration staff because many times, they are the ones who have the truly inspirational ideas that create such wonderful change in our schools. We also listen to their concerns and sometimes we even change our thinking due to their input. Having this type of collaboration is what makes our school district run smoothly.
