This from the
Herald-Leader:
Fayette County Public Schools Superintendent Emmanuel
"Manny" Caulk will launch an intensive examination of all aspects of
district operations to help him as he begins his new job.
Caulk,
who was on the job in Lexington for the first time Monday, takes on the
role as the school district is under a state edict to help
low-performing schools and close the achievement gap between minority,
disabled and poor students and other students.
Caulk, 43, said he
had spoken to Kentucky Education Commissioner Terry Holliday, who has
asked Fayette County school officials to improve student achievement.
"I
certainly echo and share his concerns," Caulk said at a morning news
conference. "Every student should graduate prepared for college, career
and life, and to the extent that we are not fulfilling that mission, ...
then we need to do some additional work in that area."
Caulk said improvement wouldn't come from a one-size-fits-all solution.
Some
schools will need more professional development for the staff. He said
he wanted to make sure that all teachers and staff, including the
district's several new leaders, had the support they needed.
Some schools will need additional resources to make progress, he said.
On
Monday afternoon, Caulk met with middle school principals and officials
from the state Department of Education who are working with Fayette
County to reduce the number of students scoring at the novice level
instead of proficient in the state's accountability system. The state
officials also are working to improve student achievement at Bryan
Station High School, the district's only school labeled as persistently
low achieving.
Later in the week, Caulk is to meet with other principals to share the novice-reduction plan.
Students
who are proficient will need to get to higher levels more quickly, and
students who are at the novice level will need to become proficient more
quickly, he said.
As part of Caulk's contract, he asked that
experts be allowed to come into the district and help him with an entry
plan. The contract says the cost of consultants would be kept in check.
The consultants would help work on organizational structure, culture,
policies, academics, operations, communication, finances, special
education and other areas, Caulk said.
"A world-class system of
great schools is our goal," he said. "Our mission here in Fayette County
is to create a collaborative community that ensures that all students
achieve at high levels and graduate prepared to excel in a global
society."
Caulk began his first day at a meeting for classified
employees, including custodians and bus drivers, at Bryan Station High
School.
"Every person is critical to student success," Caulk said.
His first summer job between high school and college was as a high
school custodian.
Caulk also spoke to new teachers at orientation at Bryan Station.
Later
he went to the district's Central Office, where he met with school
board chairman John Price, vice chairwoman Melissa Bacon, and Marlene
Helm, who had been interim superintendent since Tom Shelton resigned in
December.
Caulk, who previously was superintendent of the
Portland, Maine, school district, met several Central Office employees
before answering questions at a news conference.
Caulk told reporters he was preparing for the first day of school on Aug. 12.
Price, the board chairman, said at the news conference: "Our role is to build a team."
He said he and Bacon let Caulk know how much "we support the work we are about to do together as a team."
Price said he was not just talking about the team at Central Office.
"It's the team of our staff and the team of our community," he said.
District
officials also have spent the past several months trying to address
problems in financial and budget systems that were pointed out in a 2014
state audit.
Caulk said he was reviewing the audit from state
Auditor Adam Edelen and the district's correction plan to ensure that
the problem "doesn't occur again."
"We are confident we will not experience again those sorts of findings," he said.
Read more here: http://www.kentucky.com/2015/08/03/3972177_new-fayette-county-schools-superintendent.html?rh=1#storylink=cpy
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