3 more days and counting!
I think one thing I am learning as the Chairman is that everyone has an opinion, everyone thinks something should be different, and that the press has a tendancy to use whatever they can to sell papers.
Facilities
Ground covering is still going in. The play ground is still being completed. The fence is being finished.
The property won't be perfect. It is a temporary facility that we are trying to make sure is as complete as possible, but it won't have everything.
Are we disorganized?
It probably seems that way to the person who hasn't been involved with getting everything ready. I would probably think that. One of the things I have been doing lately is trying to discover what we could have improved on or done better. I began to realize a few things.
When a new school is started in a town there is a lot of work for that school. They hire new teachers and they have to fill the new building with furniture and all new curriculum. But one thing that is different is that the board for that school and the district structure was already in place.
When a new charter school starts it has to start with a new board which often has more parents than educational experts. It has to start its own district and has to manage all of the reports and responsibilites that other local schools don't. It has to secure property without the benefit of bond levies and without having any past financial history or capital to support it. It has to develop curriculum and its educational philosphy. It has to advertise and promote itself because the student's don't come automatically because they are within the attendance boundaries.
Friday I watched our administration and teachers work. I watched them move desks and chairs. I watched them sort and unload boxes upon boxes of books. I watched the teachers decorating their classrooms and I saw the excitement in their eyes as they thought about the potential of the new school year. I watched as the administrators and office staff turned to answer question after question after question without a break.
Over the last 2 months our teachers and academy personnel have been working often times on their own time, early in the morning until late into the evening. The teachers have been training non-stop. Our administration has been diligently working to try and account for every scenario that might happen. (If you can, take the opportunity to send a treat or note of thanks to your teacher and the office staff the first day of school to show them how much we all love and appreciate them.)
Needless to say there are a few things that haven't been caught.
A parent asked me if their child could bring a water bottle for water. At that moment it was like a science fiction movie where you are hurtling through space toward a black hole as the realization siezed me that there were no water fountains. The idea of drinking water hadn't even entered my mind.
Headmaster does suggest that you provide a water bottle and that you might freeze it or make sure it is chilled. We are working on refill solutions, but it may take a few weeks to have the solution.
There have been many good questions by parents and we haven't always had the answers. It isn't because we were unprepared. It is because it didn't reach the same importance level as the items we were dealing with and had never been a point of conversation.
Things will smooth out in the next few weeks and months. Be patient. This is a brand new district, with a brand new board, an administration and group of teachers who have never worked together, and a new student body of over 500 students who are all at different levels of instruction or knowledge.
President Obama Speech
The conversations on the PFA site bring forth some foundational issues.
How are you as parents going to respond when there is something in the classroom that you don't like? How am I as a parent and the board chairman going to respond when there is something in the classroom I don't like?
My first step is to behave as a parent. I will communicate with the teacher and find out why it is being taught and if they have suggestions for my concerns.
If I am dissatisfied I will talk to the administration and find out what my options are and voice my opinion as a parent.
If I find that the issue is not resolved and it is important I will then take it to the board to discuss.
I have been reading legal briefs that last few days and I must say that I think our legal team has referenced every single case in the US that has any connection to our situation. In reading discriptions of those cases, one thing I have learned is that an academy or school board doesn't have the right to censor material simply because it doesn't like it. Just like the state doesn't have the right to censor material because it doesn't like it. Materials that are removed must be examined in terms of educational impact or importance. Is the removal or addition of material due to a reasonable educational motive?
Materials can't be removed just because we don't like them and they can't be added because they support our belief. Every curriculum item has to have educational merit. In our case as a public school it must have a secular educational merit.
As a charter school we don't have to go through the state curriculum review process for approval prior to adding materials. Our materials simply have to be legally based on constitutional rights. The academy board when considering appeals from parents or teachers to either add or delete material will first weigh it against our vision, mission, and our core values. Then we will weigh it against our reference guides and how it fits our overall educational goals. Finally we will have to weigh the educational impact and the educational merit of the decision.
I briefly looked up information about President's Obama speech and I honestly don't know what he is going to say. As a board member I can't say that we should not show the speech because we don't like him as President. We have to have a valid reason. We would need to know the content of the speech and show how the content of the speech lacked educational merit or was in contrast or was disruptive to the educational process that day. NCA is attempting to teach patriotism and respect for our country. The office of President deserves to be treated with respect. As a citizen I have the freedom to disagree with his decisions. I have the freedom to say what I want about the President. I have the freedom to publish my views and fight against what he is trying to accomplish.
But as a member of the NCA family I must remember our core values: Character, Charity, Civility, Discipline, Excellence, Industry and Thrift, Integrity, Service, Loyalty, Originality and Creativity, and Patriotism.
The removal of President Obama's speech without having knowledge of its content would amount to the same censorship that we are experiencing from the state. The fact that something is being said by President Obama is not enough to warrant censorship. It would have to be proven to have no educational merit and is disruptive to what is being taught that day.
Before I continue; I have not talked to the administration so I don't know what their plans are for the speech. I can tell you this.
It is the first day of school and there is a lot to be accomplished.
We have no televisions or if we do, very few.
We have no reception in the classrooms.
In order to watch the speech we would need to re-adjust our 1st day schedule which could impact our entire schedule for the year. We would need to acquire televisions very quickly. We would need to acquire antennas and digital converter boxes. Logistically, I don't see it happening, but I could be wrong because I am not making this decision for them nor am I involved in the discussion.
If it doesn't happen it should not be seen as a statement against President Obama. In this situation the academy is not making a decision based on content, but rather one based on equipment and schedule.
Now on to the big talk.
When you become a parent at NCA you take on the responsibility of helping us be successful. You must consider the bigger picture even above your own individual concerns.
I can tell you right now that my religious and political beliefs are right and if you disagree with me you are wrong. How can I say that? Because if I don't think I am right why do I believe it to be true? If you say something that is contrary to what I believe you must be wrong or my belief is based on a falsehood.
Hopefully we are all here at NCA because we all believe the vision, mission, core values, and classical education system to be correct. We must use this as our foundation of common belief.
How do we function outside that realm? We have parents or students who are LDS, Jewish, Hindu, Muslum, Atheist, Buddist, Nazarene, Baptist, Methodist, Jehovah Witness, 7th Day Adventist, Christian - Non Denominational, Republicans, Democrats, Constitutionalists, Libertarians, Independents, and more. Everyone within one of these groups thinks those that are not within their group is wrong. If they don't than why do we have different names to describe everyone?
Should we behave as some cultures and kill everyone who is not in our group? Can we allow others to exist even if we think they are wrong and focus on the common foundation the academy is built upon?
As a parent and a board member I can say there are some things I won't like that are in the classroom. There may be times I ask if my child can do something else. There may be some things that I believe are contrary to who we are as an academy and I would want to investigate those items for their educational merit. There may be some things that are so offensive to me that I will want to let others know. But I will follow the process. If it comes down to where a decision is not made in my favor and it continues to be a major issue for me then I will have to consider leaving the academy rather than trying to force everyone else to agree with me and risk causing the academy to fail by being disruptive.
I need all of the parents to consider the well-being of the academy as you voice your concerns to your teachers and if necessary as you move up the authority structure. Little things have a tendancy to grow big when emotion is involved without facts.
Drop Off and Pick Up
I just got this e-mail from Mr. Moffett. I will share it here in case you didn't get it.
There have been many questions coming into the Academy concerning drop off and pick up and the procedures in doing so.
Yes there is way to drop off and pick up students. We will have aids directing the first few days. Parents will need to enter the parking lot on the east side and turn left into the parking lot. Drive all the way around to the west side of the property (next to the 3rd & 5th grade portables. Drop off and pick up students along the curb and then exit straight ahead. NOTE: The front and east sides along the curb are for busses.
**Remember, busses have the right of way. Please stay out of their way and watch for children. The city does not want you stopping along the street and your child will not be allowed to meet you there. You will need to come in and follow the procedure. Remember to be patient and courteous to other drivers. Willow Creek Elementary, across from the street, starts later than we do, but ends at the same time.
Here is how I understand the process.
Enter the entrance that is closest to the Administration building or the sidewalk that runs down the middle of the campus. Turn left and go around the buildings. You will go off the pavement and onto a temporary road that will bring you back round to the other road. You will drop off your children next to the 3rd Grade building and then exit the parking lot at the exit in front of you.
The busses will be against the curbs. Go around them but give them priority.
Communication
This may be my last newsletter. Our administration and teachers will be doing most of the communicating from now on. The board will drift into the backround and into a supporting role. You will soon forget about the board and we will only be heard from when something major happens or we have to make a decision on a controversial subject.
A little bit of a breather would be nice, but somehow I suspect we will still be busy.
I will continue to post updates on my google site regarding board meetings and decisions that have been made. You are welcome to visit that page from time to time to find out what the board is up to.
It continues to be an honor to be the Chairman at what will soon be the best public school (academy) in Idaho.
Kyle Borger
Chairman
NCA Board of Directors
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