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Welcome to Gary Rider's blog! Thanks for stopping by. I initiated this site in October of 2009 with the hope I could use it as a tool to get information about the Thornapple Kellogg Schools out to our community. I hope you find it helpful. If you would like to email me please feel free to do so at: superintendent@tkschools.org. Thank You! |
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8/16/2010
Greetings from the Superintendent’s Office!
The start of the 2010-11 school-year is just around the corner and we are very excited to get started! Our first day with students this year is Tuesday, September 7 and at the time of the writing of this newsletter our kick-off day for all staff is scheduled for Tuesday, August 31.
It’s been a quick and hectic summer. We have made adjustments to new building leadership at both Page and Lee, and the remainder of our staffing is in place to begin the year. Many teachers and support staff were very busy spending time updating skills to get ready for the school year. We have made the adjustments necessary to address the financial challenges schools are facing and we are ready to again give our kids an outstanding educational experience.
Construction at the high school will again be on our minds this year, but this time it’s because it will be finished! The three year project will be complete and ready to go when we open this fall and believe me – it will be worth the wait. We are looking forward to having the community see all the changes. Everyone should be very proud of what we will have for the kids of our district. We are also looking forward to a community open house this fall for all of the facilities that were part of this project.
We are continuing to work on constructing our district-wide “Curriculum Map”. Last year teachers continued with the hard work of developing our TK “Power Standards” and we will be moving to the next step of this important process this year. When this process is complete we will have a system in place that will greatly enhance our ability to serve the needs of our students that will improve the quality of instruction at TK for years to come.
My wife Sandy and I continue to love being part of this school district and community. We sincerely appreciate the kind words and hellos we receive from people whether we are at a school activity or simply getting a gallon of milk at the Marketplace. The friendly, caring atmosphere here is everything we hoped for when we moved here three and a half years ago. We are very blessed.
Thornapple Kellogg’s focus continues to be providing an excellent education for all of our children. One the greatest contributing factors to the success of this district has been the outstanding quality of the certified and support staff who work with our students everyday, along with the close partnership that has been developed between the school district, parents and community. We are deeply committed to those relationships and feel a tremendous responsibility to make the most of the great opportunities we have ahead of us.
Have a great year everyone!
4/28/2010
Last week (on 4/20) a rumor started at the High School that 45-50 students at the middle school had been caught with marijuana. There was no substance at all to this rumor. It is completely untrue. However, this is a small town, and let’s just say - the story did circulate. Please pass along that this was just an unfounded rumor which was started because of the significance of the date. For those of you who might not know, “4/20” is a drug reference that has been around for years. If you want to read more about it here are a few websites to check out:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/420_(cannabis_culture)
http://parentingteens.about.com/cs/marijuana/a/420meaning.htm
At Thornapple Kellogg we continue to be concerned, as are all school districts, about students using illegal drugs. It is an issue that plagues all of our society. In spite of the fact that we live in a safe and secure community, we are not immune to the problem and certainly cannot turn a deaf ear to it. We have been very fortunate this year to have received information from both students and parents which has helped us identify problems and respond with appropriate disciplinary action. Our thanks go out to everyone who has contributed to helping us keep TK a safe place for our kids.
I hope this information is helpful. As always, please call with any questions or concerns.
3/25/2010
On Monday, March 22 I made a budget reduction presentation to the TK School Board. I can’t begin to tell you how sorry I was to have had to do this knowing how it will affect kids, people and programs. In an effort to keep the lines of communication open as to what we are doing I have prepared two documents you may want to review:
· The file “budget reductions with voice over” is an abbreviated version of the PowerPoint I presented Monday with a voice over of explanations of the presentation. It takes about 15 minutes to view but it does provide context for the information on the slides.
· The file “Budget Reduction Power Point slides only” is simply the slides. Please keep in
mind that some of the information may be difficult to understand without the explanations.
Both of these can be accessed by clicking on the link in the document section on the upper right hand side of this page.
Again- I am so sorry to have to present this information. Please know we will continue to provide a great quality education for the kids of our community even during these times of economic crisis.
Please feel free to contact me if you have questions or concerns.
Sincerely,
Gary Rider 2/24/2010
We announced some minor mid-year budget cuts to the 2009-10 budget at our last board meeting. There have been articles in both the Sun and News and Grand Rapids Press about these cuts and we want to clarify some questions that might be on people’s minds.
1. The cuts recently announced are for the current year. During this process we have communicated that there would be small things we could do for the 2009-10 budget. Much more significant cuts will be coming to the 2010-11 budget. A first draft of possible reductions for 2010-11 will be released some time before spring break.
2. One-way transportation for athletics. This will only take place in sports where it makes sense. For a large majority of our sports buses were returning home almost empty because parents were taking their kids with them. We will realize a savings from this practice because when buses take students home after games we have to pay the bus drivers while they wait. This reduction idea was suggested by people in the community as well as several TK staff members. We won’t be able to do this for all sports but will implement it where we can. 2/17/2010
First of all, a big thank you to the 119 members of the TK community who were able to be at our Financial Informational Meeting this past January 13. It was great to see so many people there to learn about the financial emergency that is coming for all school districts in Michigan, including our own. I believe we were able to accomplish our goals for the evening. First, we were able to educate the community to the nature and scope of the problem; and second, we set up a system for people to be able to provide us with feedback and ideas to consider.
Since the meeting on January 13, we have had people give us feedback via emails, letters, handwritten notes and personal one-on-one meetings. All in all, we have ideas from over 45 different members of our community and staff. Although I can’t tell you that there is any one idea that will be a magic pill to fix our funding issues, I can tell you that people spent a great deal of time giving serious thought to their feedback and we received several ideas we will be able to implement no matter how small the savings might be.
Now it’s time for the hard work to begin. As I wrote in the last issue of “The Key”, the next step in the process is for the administrative team and me to sort though all of the ideas we have generated and formulate a draft plan for the School Board to consider by this spring. Barring a miracle that would lead to revenue restructuring in Lansing, the one thing I am quite certain of is that we will be cutting programs and people we do not want to lose and we will be making decisions based on choosing from the lesser of two evils. None of us will be happy about any reductions we will have to make at this time. Not a great position to be in, but for now it may be what has to be done.
Thank you so much again to the community, to the staff at TK and to everyone who has been so supportive of the process we have put into place to make these tough decisions. We will do our best to be good stewards of our resources and, as always, ensure that Thornapple Kellogg Schools continues to be a place “Where Kids Come First”. 1/18/2010
It was a good day today. I got to spend some of it thinking about this community and one of the people who is a role model for how we should treat each other. I attended the funeral of Ray Page and it was one more reminder to me of what a great place this truly is and why.
The United Methodist Church was full as we heard stories of Ray's life and how he made an impact on his family, his school and his community. People from all walks of life were there - some who were close to home and others who traveled. All there to say good-bye to Ray and what he represents.
Several members of Ray’s family spoke and a common theme which resonated was that Ray took time for people – he truly cared about others. And you know – that what it is about this community. There are a lot of Ray Pages out there - taking time for others – caring about what happens. Thanks Ray – You set a great example for all of us and we won't forget it. 1/7/2010
This post is to again invite you to a community informational meeting about the state financial crisis and how it might affect our school district. The meeting is Wednesday, January 13 at 7:00 pm in room 1616 of the Middle School.
Our goals for the evening are:
· To inform the community about the financial crisis so that they can better understand why we may need to make significant budget cuts next school year,
· Let the community know what we have done so far to contain costs, and
· Let the community know how they can submit ideas and suggestions for cost savings.
We would appreciate it if you could be part of the group that night. It would certainly help in our effort to communicate with our community. Their support has been extremely important to us in the past and in order for us to maintain that level of support, the community will need to know why we are looking to a financially difficult 2010-11 school year. If you are able to attend, please let us know by emailing me at: superintendent@tkschools.org.
Thanks so much – hope to see you next Wednesday. 12/14/2009
All you have to do is turn on the TV or read the newspaper to see evidence of how school districts all around us are cutting and slashing their budgets. Because of the significant cuts in state funding, schools are implementing mid-year layoffs, closing buildings and discontinuing basic programs - It is all very disturbing.
Here at TK we are not immune to these problems but we are fortunate to have a little time to develop a plan of action. One thing is pretty much certain – next year we will not be able to operate as we have in the past. Significant cuts will need to be made – the only question will be – just how deep will we have to go? Unfortunately, the answer to that question will have to be a based on a “best guess” next spring of the funding we’ll receive from the state to operate our district.
This is where I need to ask for your help. We truly believe we will need the understanding and support of our community to help us get through the next few, very difficult, years. We also believe it is crucial for parents and members of our community to have an understanding of this financial crisis in order to continue to give us that support. So here is my request: Please – Please – Please – join us in room 1616 of the Middle School on Wednesday, January 13 at 7:00 pm for a public forum so that we can tell you about the issues we are dealing with and get feedback from you.
In the mean time we are in the process of developing strategies for saving money now as we prepare for the potential of even more significant reductions during the 2010-11 school year. We are trying to turn our focus toward what we can do and what solutions we can develop so that we can continue to keep the best interest of our students as our first priority, retain programs and staff, and still be fiscally responsible to our community. It will be a very difficult task.
Here’s our plan of action for how we will make our recommendation to the Board for budget cuts:
- Our Administrative Team has been developing cost saving ideas for the rest of this year and next year during the month of December,
- I am meetings with all employee groups in December to brief them on the latest on the state’s financial crisis and how it might affect our district. We are also asking for their input on how ,
· I am meeting with several community groups during December and January to help people from the area understand the issues we are dealing with,
· We will conduct a public forum on these budget issues in January, and finally
· We will then be putting together budget reduction recommendations that I will present to our school board to consider next spring.
I am very certain that, unless something drastic happens legislatively, we will be forced to make choices next spring which we do not want to make. There will be very good programs and/or people affected. We sincerely hope this can be avoided, but for now we need to prepare for the worst and hope for the best.
This is my 34th year in education. Like many other educators who are my age in Michigan, I was laid-off as a teacher in the early 80’s and had to leave the state to continue my career until the economy recovered. Back then, inflation and unemployment in Michigan were both in the double digits and the economy was in very tough shape. The problems schools are facing in the next few years are worse than those of the 80’s. Our ability to continue to provide our students with the high quality education is in jeopardy and we will need your continued help and support as we make some very difficult choices.
If you are able to join us on January 13 please email me at superintendent@tkschools.org. Thanks again - Hope to see you then! 12/8/2009In October of last year I wrote a column for our district newsletter "The Key". With everything that is happening in regard to the state's funding of schools I thought it might be appropriate to reprint it on my blog. Here it is:
The Perfect Storm
It has been an absolutely wonderful start to the school year. Our children are back in classes; we made the transition to new technology systems; opened a new library; new classrooms at the High School and McFall; and even successfully navigated evacuating two buildings when a gas line was accidentally hit by a village work crew. It’s been a great beginning and we are looking forward to a wonderful year with the students of Thornapple Kellogg.
But as positive as the start of the school year has been, we know that for everyone in our community there is an uneasiness that lingers in their lives. Economic uncertainty in Michigan is something we have come to learn to live and it certainly makes life difficult for most everyone. Your school district is no different. On the front page of this issue of The Key you read about the funding crisis for all schools in the state of Michigan. As I am writing this entry on October 2, 2008 we still don’t know what level of funding we will receive. It is a very, very difficult time in our state’s history.
But there is good news from your school district because in spite of the gloom that is hanging over Lansing there is still a great deal that’s within our control.
· We are as committed as ever to delivering the same high quality education to the children of our community as we have in the past,
· We will continue our work as a leader in the Kent ISD in curriculum development and instructional practice, and
· We will continue to meet the challenge of high standards and expectations every day.
We are very proud of the education students receive at Thornapple Kellogg and the great strides we have made in recent years. We believe we do better with the resources at our disposal than anyone else, and that we “coach up” our kids better than anyone in West Michigan.
We have also been responsible stewards of our resources. As a result of being fiscally conservative we are fortunate to be more financially stable than many other districts in the area. This should help us weather the “Perfect Storm” better than most, but we should not be misled into thinking that we will not be affected by what looms on the horizon. If the state budget cuts we have heard about in the next few years take place; schools all over the state will be devastated and our ability to provide children with the education they need to be successful will be severely compromised. Here at TK it will mean deeper cuts than we have already made. It will mean cuts to programs and people. We will not be able to avoid it, and others will feel the sting even more than we will
What we need more than ever is a stable, adequate and equitable system for funding our schools. We also need the assistance of community members to help send that message to legislators. School officials have been very active in this discussion for many years, but alone there is only so much we can do. After a period of time our phone calls and emails begin to fall on deaf ears. We will continue our effort, but now in addition, Lansing will need to hear from you.
We will be posting information on our website during the school year to keep you informed as we learn more about school funding issues. We will also be asking you from time to time to contact your legislators to make sure they know how people in our community feel about the importance of providing stable, adequate and equitable funding for our schools. 11/23/2009
It’s about time for all of us to begin the holiday season which means it’s also a great time of year to reflect on the blessings we enjoy. This year in particular, we should all take time to be thankful for what we have. I looked for a quote that might fit this year and found the following:
“The true meaning of Thanksgiving is not what we say about our blessings, but how we use them.” --WT Purkiser
There is no doubt that in the coming months we will be challenged to find ways to best use the resources we are blessed with.
Thank you again for the effort, hours and passion you have invested toward providing a great education for the students of Thornapple Kellogg. We are all in education to make a difference. Please always remember that your efforts on behalf of kids are an investment in the future of our community and country which will pay tremendous dividends.
This Thursday I will again be giving thanks for being able to serve you and this community. Being at TK continues to be the best professional experience of my life and I am extremely grateful for the opportunity. I hope you get some time to enjoy your family and friends this weekend, and have the chance to remember how truly fortunate we are -
Happy Thanksgiving!
Gary Rider |
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