Morale No. 1 Issue for KCSD
Dear Editor,
Morale is the number one issue that needs to be addressed in Keystone Central School District. That was the premise of the first part of a statement I read last Thursday during the public comment section of the KCSD school board meeting. Facing a seemingly impossible challenge of elevating the school district from the bottom group of districts to one of the state’s top performing systems, it seems reasonable to expect administration to do all it can to improve morale and reduce stress among the staff and students. It is my suggestion that long-standing practices such as using insubordination as a tool to control staff behavior be eliminated and replaced by processes that encourage dialogue, problem solving, collegiality, and a sense of empowerment among staff (faculty, administration, support staff) students, and the community. There is a general understanding in the community that the level of distrust within the district is creating levels of stress that have seriously undermined morale and has caused issues that prevent the district from making significant progress. Within the community there are signs of growing impatience with the administration’s and school board’s seeming inability to make more than cursory progress with solving the issues that are frustrating students, parents, and staff. Clinton County needs a highly effective and forward-focused school system running at top speed now more than ever before.
If you want to find perspective on the issues facing Keystone Central School District today, talk to a retired employee. Secretary, teacher, classroom aide, nurse, maintenance worker, or administrator… they will tell you of an enjoyable and rewarding experience that began in the “golden years” of the ’70s in KCSD and ended with the beginning of a decline that happened in the later years of their service. Talking to students and parents will give you a notion of what life is like today inside the district. Do not expect to hear much from anyone who is currently employed by the district because talking to you could jeopardize their job. This has been very difficult to explain to people who believe that district employees, particularly teachers, are protected by the Constitution. They are incredulous that freedom of speech does not shield from reprisal those who would discuss issues in the district. But, that is the case today. Saying anything that would reflect poorly on the reputation of the district could be cause for charging an individual with insubordination resulting in disciplinary action that could include dismissal. At least that seems to be the biggest concern on the minds of employees.
Using insubordination as a threat began with the implementation of GAP almost 20 years ago. It is something I witnessed along with other teachers during training sessions at the KCSD Environmental Center. In talking to recent retirees, this practice is still happening. The threat of insubordination is now part of the fabric of daily life in KCSD and has created an atmosphere of distrust between faculty and administration. This should not be acceptable in an institution that employs teachers who have the highest levels of education and experience in the history of public education in Clinton County. These are teachers with dual certifications, masters degrees, and specialized certificates that qualify them for positions in administration – people who, if trusted, would be instrumental in solving many of the district’s problems.
This situation is baffling and disconcerting to many who have heard about it through family and close friends who work in the district. It is pervasive and needs to be remedied if we are ever going to be able to tackle the tough issues that are holding this district and, consequently, our community down. As a community, we still live under the cloud of two scandals that occurred at Central Mountain High School. In our schools drugs, bullying at student and adult levels, curriculum issues, scheduling problems, large classes, paperwork overload, assessment overload, communication problems, and strained community relations are all serious issues that can only be handled effectively in an atmosphere where people can count on each other. Today, that seems to be all but impossible. Additionally, we are bleeding highly qualified and experienced teachers at both ends of the career ladder because of the issues with stress and morale. We need those teachers.
As Wayne Koch acknowledged, the district is burdened with high levels of stress and low morale. He clearly stated at last Thursday’s board meeting, that a large part of the district’s problem with stress and morale comes from the unfunded mandates imposed by federal and state law. A good bit of that stress has to do with preparing for and taking mandated tests. The rest of it comes from new requirements for teacher accountability that have never before been imposed by the state. As Wayne rightfully pointed out, the administration bears the responsibility of seeing that the district not only complies with the requirements of the mandates, but also must show that everything possible was done to show improvement. That is indeed a heavy load.
It is at this point in the process that everything rests entirely on the shoulders of the school district. The reaction to, and dealing effectively with this requires the kind of leadership that inspires commitment and buy-in to a cause. Most of the time, we react in a hurry and only make things worse by adding more work to our list rather than taking a creative look at ways to remove ineffective or redundant practices to allow room for the changes. We have the people and resources to handle these challenges effectively if they are trusted to do so.
In this case, the over-arching and most important cause is to bring our school district out of the lowest ranks in the state to a place among the top performing districts regardless of the additional load caused by mandates. That can only happen in a district that believes in empowerment, collegiality, and constant improvement. Coercing or forcing people to perform tasks that are supposed to achieve higher degrees of success has failed. After 20 years of prodding, pushing, testing, and almost a complete turnover of staff, the school district is still at the lower end of the rankings of school districts state-wide. It is reasonable to believe that it is time for a change in philosophy.
Standing in the way of opening that door is this issue with morale and trust. Removing the unreasonable threat of insubordination is the first step to improving morale and reducing stress. The void caused by this action should be filled by developing ways for people to ask questions, to offer challenges respectfully, and to have concerns heard and handled with consideration and compassion. This could be accomplished quite well in a teaming structure. Committing to doing what is necessary to become a district that values, respects, and supports empowerment is an essential task that can and should be embraced without delay. It won’t be easy and it will take time, but it will work if everybody agrees to commit for the long haul.
Many of us in the community are willing and interested in helping the district. We offer the suggestion that we work together to form a community council as a bridge to open dialogue and serve as a platform for building an environment of trust between the community and the district. We need to find a way to move forward to bring us the progress the county so desperately needs. We are ready to begin that process today.
Rich Wykoff
rwykoff68@gmail.com
570-748-4245
