Music and the Arts, District Communications, and School Safety

By Sandra L. Dobbins

Please read on for more information regarding my positions regarding these subjects...

This subject is so close to my heart. I sang in every school chorus I could, I played clarinet for seven years, and I was in the marching band, as well as the school orchestra. I cannot imagine my school career devoid of music. It is essential that we find a way to fund music and art programs for the children of this District. I am committed to making this work. The state and federal government will not be a source of revenue for this for many years to come, if ever. We need to pull together as a community and find a way to raise the funds necessary for implementation of a District-wide program. It is unacceptable that music and the arts are not funded and made a part of our children's adademic life. They add value and meaning to our lives, they give our kids a sense of purpose and joy, and they act as outlet for creative passions. Study after study supports the important link between music and academic achievement, as well as a significant contribution toward the development of a sense of self-worth, pride, and for some, early exposure to what will become a life-long passion.

District Communications:

This is the key to making this District function as a whole. The more informed a populace, the more involved, and empowered a community. The quantity and quality of information available to the public is an essential tool upon which the very foundation of our school community will be built. If good information is not there, rumor and innuendo will be. If accurate information is not available, there will be speculation and erroneous assumptions. With solid, sound information will have an informed, supportive populace. We will have a coalition. We will have a cohesive community. I'm working toward establishment of the following outreach programs:

1. Broadcast all meetings on public access, Channel 27, as are the Town Council meetings. I also like the idea of having it rerun on a different day, so those who missed it have an opportunity to tune in.

2. A weekly Superintendent's column in the local paper, as well as the weekly mail.

3. A calendar in each weekly mail, describing the time and location of the next Board meeting. Maybe even a projected highlight or two of the proposed agenda.

4. Banners hung at all the schools the day of the meeting, and/or at the offramp at Windsor's main exit, to remind parents to come join the fray.

5. Record every open session meeting, and archive the recordings for a minimum of a year.

6. Update the website! Frequently!

7. Have links to each Board Member, and key District Office personnel available on the website, so the public can send us their thoughts, concerns, praise, or critique. I encourage those who would participate in this or any other form of communication with the Board or office personnel to be respectful, articulate, and concise.

8. Use Adobe Acrobat to convert the Board package into .pdf format, so anyone can download it prior to a meeting.

9. Have a translator available at all Board meetings.

These are just a few of many more ideas that I'd like explored soon by the Board as it comes back before us. Should anyone have something to add, please send me an email, or come to the meeting with your views. The public comment segment of any open session school board meeting is a great time to articulate your own thoughts on this matter.

School Safety:

We need to have this brought back before the Board soon for a look at what specifically is different from last year about this program. Are our kids safer? Do they have some form of recourse that didn't exist previously? What has changed from last year to this, and what additionally can we do to make our schools safer?

Some children are bullied mercilessly in school, and are sometimes compelled to resort to physical retribution against their tormenters to make it stop. I don't want that for any of our children. I don't want any of them to have to experience a feeling of dread, shame, or a sense of hopelessness because nothing could be done to stop it. I hope the systems we have in place are working, that they are effective. If not, we need to look at this now and get our noses back to the grindstone to actually make the kind of difference that will impact the quality of life our kids have at the schools, the quality of learning our kids are able to achieve in a physically and mentally safe environment. This is where the DAC (District Advisory Committee) will be invaluable. The sites all have such profoundly different needs relative to the safety of those within their walls. We need the DAC to go back to their sites and report on what is working, and more importantly, what is not. Then we need to take action appropriate to that site to insure a safe atmosphere for our children - no holds barred.