Two of three BCS candidates respond to questionnaire

To our readers:

As soon as the identities of the three finalists for the position of superintendent of the Bogalusa City Schools were announced, wpnewsblog developed a 10-item questionnaire and sent it to the business address of each finalist on Tuesday, June 13. There was a deadline for response included.

As the schedule and interview process for each of the candidates was announced, the decision was made to change the response time until after all three interviews were concluded. This was confirmed by telephone with Lionel Jackson and Dr. Daniel Slack and by email with Louise Smith.

Following the completion of the interviews, the three candidates were asked at 9:30 Thursday morning to submit their responses in time for a Saturday publication. In that email, candidates were advised: The plan for publication is write a brief intro and then list the questions, 1-10. I will cut and paste responses in alphabetical order, so they will be listed as LJ (Jackson), DS (Slack) and LS (Smith).

“If you choose not to respond, that is your prerogative ... however, a "No response" will be listed by your name under each question.”

Both Dr. Slack, who drove to Bogalusa from Missouri in order to drive the community and was on his way home, and Mrs. Smith responded. Mr. Jackson did not.

There has been no editing of responses. They were cut and pasted into the space following the question and, as promised to the candidates, are listed in alphabetical order.

                                                                                                                                                        John H. Walker                                                                                                                                              Editor/Publisher

(Decision Facing BCS Board Might Not Be So Hard, see OPINION)

Introduce yourself to the community, as you would at a first-time public appearance:

LJ – Declined to respond

DS – Dear Students, Parents, Faculty, Staff, and Patrons of the Bogalusa City Schools:

         As a finalist for the Position of Superintendent of the              Bogalusa City Schools, I would like to take this opportunity to thank you for recognizing the qualities that I possess through the accumulation of my personal education and experiences as a public school educator.  As I research the Bogalusa City School District, I continue to recognize the qualities that define your identity, and it is my honor to be invited for consideration to a very important decision affecting your students.

With that said, I have served in public education as a High School Math and Science Teacher (10 years), High School Counselor (3 years), University Graduate Assistant (2 years), High School Principal (2 years), and as a District Superintendent (9 years) for a total of 26 years of service.  I earned my B.S.E. at Central Michigan University, my M.S. at Missouri State University, my Ed.S. at Missouri State University, and my Doctorate at NOVA Southeastern University, Ft. Lauderdale, Florida.

In conclusion, I have been involved in some form of education (Either as a student or Educator) for the entirety of my life.  I believe that everyone is a life-long learner, and that concept also applies to myself.  Education is my passion, and that passion created who I have become over time.  My wife is currently a professional working in Behavioral Health and we both look forward in relocating to Bogalusa, Louisiana.

Sincerely,

Daniel J. Slack, Ed.D.

    LS – I am Louise Smith - wife, mother, grandmother and educator.  All of these roles are important to me.  I am here today to talk about my role as an educator.  Education is the reason I am a responsible, productive person in our society.  I grew up under adverse conditions.  Educators instilled in me the desire to learn and work hard to achieve my potential and dreams.  I often wonder where I would be without powerful teachers who provided caring relationships, high expectations and opportunities to participate and contribute to the school and community.  I grew up knowing I would give back – I had to help other children find the hope and resilience they needed to succeed in life.  I have an undergraduate degree in social work, a master’s degree in education and a specialist’s degree in administration.  I have completed all work for the doctorate degree in education with the exception of a dissertation.  I love learning and I love watching our children grow and learn.

Why do you want to become superintendent of schools in Bogalusa?

LJ – Declined to respond

DS – First, if you look at the various methods that districts use to search for their Superintendents, I feel that districts that consult with a national search firm, as did Bogalusa City Schools, communicates a particular message about the District.  In addition, if you look at the educational and career backgrounds of Superintendents from such districts, you find a pattern.  Superintendents from such districts have educational backgrounds that are diverse and rarely isolated to one University.  In addition, they also have career experiences that are diverse, and not isolated to any one school district or position.  The message that The Bogalusa City School District telegraphed matched my philosophy relative to the type of organization that I would like to lead.  They are willing to be progressive and diverse in their search, and I have a diverse background.

In my opinion, the Bogalusa City School District is a great district, but great is never good enough.  No matter how good I get at doing what it is I do, I am always looking for methods that will assist me in doing better.  The search for improvement is never ending, dynamic and infinite, and we are never at the end of that search.  Districts, no matter how great also share this same characteristic, and this is the match that I previously alluded to.  This infinite search for improvement can be nurtured through the management style that I utilize which will become apparent with time.

If you review my career, every career move that I was able to make was promotional in nature, and my move to Bogalusa City Schools would also be very much promotional in nature.  The fact that I feel an admiration for this geographic area of the country is a bonus to the position.

LS – Becoming a school superintendent is one of my lifelong goals.  Bogalusa is just across the river from Poplarville.  Our demographics are similar.   I have made many trips to Bogalusa over the years to enjoy two of my favorite past times - eating and shopping.   I will use the skills, knowledge and insight from my diverse work experiences in education to turn the challenges of the Bogalusa school district into learning opportunities for students.  I firmly believe healthy schools build healthy communities.  I have been  successful in every education position I have held which includes: classroom teacher, principal, athletic director, federal programs coordinator, grant writer, loss control coordinator, sixteenth section land manager, staff development coordinator, test coordinator, technology coordinator, safe and drug free schools coordinator and alternative school principal. I will be a successful school superintendent and I look forward to working with students, families, educators and community members to build capacity and unlock the leadership potential in Bogalusa City Schools.

Why are you seeking employment other than your current position?

LJ – Declined to respond

DS – Question 3 is also answered in question two.

LS – I want to become a school superintendent.

Summarize your current job responsibilities.

LJ – Declined to respond

DS – I am currently the Superintendent of  East Carter County R-II School District, located in Ellsinore, Missouri.  East Carter demographically has three schools, a current student enrollment of 776 students, 120 employees, 281 square miles, and 14 bus routes.  We travel approximately 500 miles before we serve breakfast.  In addition to the Superintendent, the district has four additional administrators; however the district is definitely large enough to require a Superintendent, however not large enough to allow for an Assistant Superintendent.  Because of this characteristic, I as Superintendent am responsible for oversight and/or direct involvement of all operations including but not limited to Transportation, Food Service, Curriculum, Federal Programs, State Accreditation, State Reporting, Board Agenda Development, District Budget, Purchasing, Building and Grounds, Maintenance, Custodial, Strategic Planning, Human Resources, State Assessment, State Assessment Improvement Initiatives, Guidance, Legal Issues, among others.  As a Superintendent from a district such as East Carter, I have had to become familiar with all district programs.

LS – I write and administer grants for Poplarville School District and I coordinate our federal programs.  I work with teachers and support staff to build their professional capacity to serve our students and I help them find the resources, programs and strategies they need for success in the classroom.

What are your strengths?

LJ – Declined to respond

DS – My strengths are derived from my Educational and Career background.  Educational experiences provide the academic ability required to be successful, but they cannot provide the characteristics to be successful as a craft.  The academic environment provided by the university cannot provide the experience necessary to be successful as an educator.  To illustrate, my university experiences enabled me to be qualified to serve as a District Superintendent, but did not guarantee the quality of my performance for that position.  I am now presently a higher quality Superintendent than I was nine years ago when I first occupied the position.  Malcolm Gladwell illustrates this in his book “Outliers”.  His research indicates that it takes about 10,000 hours of practice before anyone can be an expert in their field/craft.  I am an example of his research.  What I once struggled to achieve as a Superintendent nine years ago have become more automatic relative to response.

LS – • Student focused

·       Principled, collaborative leader

·       Visible, accessible, hands-on leader

·       Team player

·       Communicator & Listener

·       Fiscal Manager

·       Committed to lifelong learning

·       Informed decision maker

·       Strategic planner

·       Analytical Observer & Problem Solver

·       Results oriented

·       Resourceful

·       Relationship/capacity builder

·       Sense of Humor and Humility

What challenges do you see in Bogalusa?

LJ – Declined to respond

DS – No matter how great, all districts have challenges.  Rather than simply listing challenges, I will use a highly collaborative strategic analytical approach, and access the human resources of the board, administration, faculty, staff, students, parents, patrons, and stakeholders.  I feel that it would be unfair to the district and myself to be so bold as to publically outline the weaknesses of Bogalusa City Schools prior to some real connective collegiality with the above-mentioned parties.  I have my ideas, but I feel that they need real validation prior to wandering down that path.  The fact remains that Bogalusa has many positive characteristics that can be utilized to cause improvement, which will be appropriate with time.

LS – 1. Facilities

2.     Student Achievement

3.     Declining enrollment

4.     Accountability

5.     Transparency

6.     Stewardship

7.     Communication

8.     Leadership

Your current district has a mixture of high performing, medium performance and low performance campuses … what needs to be done to get all campuses to the point where they are at least showing improvement and are not stagnant or in decline?

LJ – Declined to respond

DS – The State of Missouri issues an Annual Performance Report based on a maximum score of 14.  The East Carter School District received a score of 11 out of 14.  If we would have participated in the State Voluntary End of Course (EOC) bonus assessments, I and others feel that we would have received a score of 12, rather than 11.  East Carter met all State Assessment Standards in Communication Arts and Mathematics in all grades scored (grades 3 – 12) with the exception of grade span 3 – 5 Communication Arts.  In addition, East Carter also met the ACT State Standard.  I have a plan in place to address the weakness and to keep stagnation from occurring which can be applied to any district and will be reserved for the interview process.

LS – We will conduct a comparability study to determine why schools with the same demographics are not improving or growing.  We can do this by gathering and analyzing the data.  We will use results to implement best practices and research to ensure all schools are performing at high levels.  Improving schools is a matter of determining where the weaknesses are and working to correct them.

Bogalusa has a reputation as a district where there is minimal parental participation. What can be done to effect change?

LJ – Declined to respond

DS – Again, I would answer this question with a response that would essentially echo the answer to question number 6.

LS – Research demonstrates family engagement in a child’s education increases student achievement, improves attendance and reduces dropouts.  Bogalusa recently sent 26 cheerleaders to a camp at The University of Southern Mississippi.  These students represented the school district very well.  They were behaved and disciplined.  Families and school sponsors worked with these students to help them realize the importance of their conduct and appearance to outside audiences.  I will go to these families and the families of other students and ask for their input on providing family participation in the schools.  We must help families realize they are the greatest advocates for their children and our schools.  We will develop multiple outreach mechanisms to inform families about family involvement policies and programs through newsletters, slide shows, local newspapers, memos and other media.  We will make optimal use of communication technologies to connect with families.  We will send learning videos/DVDs home.  We will post press releases, calendars, school menus and other messages on the district web site.  We will provide a family resource center with a coordinator.  Families can use the family resource center to learn technology skills and gain skills and knowledge to help their children with school work.  Families can check out learning materials from the Family Resource Center.  We will organize family advisory committees and PTA Units.  We can connect with families through face to face meetings, school performances, extracurricular activities and home visits.  Families will be invited into our schools as volunteers and resource speakers.  We will provide capacity building, training and technical assistance to teachers and administrator to scale up innovative practices to reach more families.  We will provide innovative programming and services to families such as leadership training, nutrition classes, exercise classes and family literacy to remove barriers to family participation.   We will evaluate the effectiveness of family involvement activities and programs on a regular basis.

Realizing all districts are different, and that you have not been in the district before, rank your priorities for Bogalusa from one through five, with one being the most important. Also, please briefly explain why for each.

LJ – Declined to respond

DS – Again, I would answer this question with a response that would essentially echo the answer to question number 6.

LS – 1.   Student Achievement – Student achievement is important for the successful development of our children.  Students who achieve in school become responsible, productive citizens and achieve occupational and economic success.

2.  High quality teacher in every classroom – Research tells us the teacher is the number one variable in academic achievement of students.

3. Family involvement – Research tells us family involvement is important in helping students perform academically

4. Safe disciplined schools – Teaching and learning cannot take place in a disorderly learning environment.

5. Improved facilities – Perception is reality.  People judge us by our appearance.  The public evaluates schools on the basis of appearance.  Clean attractive, well-kept buildings and grounds convey a sense of pride, attentiveness and respect for the public’s investment.

Make your case for becoming Bogalusa’s next superintendent.

LJ – Declined to respond

DS – I am currently a fully certified Superintendent and the Superintendent of East Carter Co. R-II School District, a district of 800 students, 120 staff members, 281 square miles, and 14 bus routes.  I have 24 years of experience in education including 10 years of teaching Secondary Math and Science, three years of Secondary Guidance and Counseling, two years as a High School Principal, and nine years as a Superintendent.  Due to these experiences, I now possess solid oral and written communication skills and have an exceptional frame of reference to base my leadership abilities upon, which I believe is unique.  I also believe that these experiences will synchronize to meet the candidate profile that Bogalusa desires.

As a superintendent with nine years of experience, I have been responsible for and become familiar with all aspects of district operations.  I am open, approachable, and responsive, have a broad range of k-12 experiences in both the classroom and in administration, possess strong communication and listening skills, can make tough decisions and follow through, value and respect differing points of view, possess strong skills in developing relationships, possess the ability to maintain balance among competing interests, am consistent and fair, maintain focus on student achievement, and have completed a fully accredited Doctorate Program in Educational Leadership.  All of the above mentioned characteristics are significant relative to my leadership in public education and I believe will be a significant benefit to Bogalusa City Schools.

LS – I believe the challenges in Bogalusa City Schools can be turned into opportunities.  I will conduct an assessment to determine priorities and needs in the school district. Everyone will participate in the assessment – students, educators, families, board members, and community members.  We will establish our goals and develop an improvement plan.  We will implement and monitor the plan in order to make adjustments as needed.   The plan will be documented and communicated in as many formats as possible and to as many audiences as possible.  Everyone in the school district will know and perform their responsibilities to achieve the goals.  As the leader of the district, I will follow-up and follow-through to ensure we are meeting the goals as outlined to ensure a quality education for every student.