PRICELESS!! 

“13.5 million dollars is a lot of money but, having the trust of the community to support the bond issue at 71% is priceless.” 

Many times after an interview with the media you think I wish I would have remembered to say something or said something differently.  When I was interviewed by the NewsLeader and they printed the above quote I am able to say that is exactly how I feel!!!!

The Willard Board of Education and Administration has worked very hard to earn the trust of our community.  The Willard community patrons have an eagle eye and a high level of accountability in regard to paying taxes.  This is not a rich community but we believe in our schools.  Willard residents understand that the #1 reason we have a great community is because we have a great school and vice versa.  These two things are mirror images of each other (school and community).  Now there is a great deal of work to be done.  First we have to direct our architects to move forward to complete the construction drawings of our buildings.  Immediately after the completion of the plans we will bid the project.  Immediately after a bid is accepted construction will begin.  Construction of an elementary school normally requires 14-16 months.  The smaller projects will take less time.  All work should be completed by the fall of 2009. 

I am excited and thankful that I live and serve a community that has a passion for its children and wisdom to plan for the future. 

Have a wonderful summer!!

Kent

Congratulations to Graduates 

• 1.5 Gallons of gas to get to graduation                 =        $4.93

• A black gown and a goofy looking square hat       =        $46.00

• A high school diploma                                          =        Priceless

At this time I confirm that the graduating class of 2007 has met the requirements set forth by the State of Missouri and theWillard R-II School District.

This was the start and finish to my speech this weekend at Graduation.  It is always a thrill to see a community and a school come together to support graduates.  I challenged the young men and women to “Live Life!”  It is so easy to settle for the mundane and boring.  We can settle in front of our T.V. or we can grab hold of life and absolutely choke the passion out of it.  A K-12 contention of approximately 135 teachers led the graduates onto the floor and accepted a round of applause in thanks to all they have done to help them succeed.  I wish each and every graduate great success and blessings as they enter into the next stage of “Living Life!”

Kent

Last Sunday I had the opportunity to sit by one of my former High School Teachers. (Yes this was in a district that will remain nameless due to the fact that I could receive hate mail!) Mr. Brashers will be starting his 40th year in education next year. He is one of those teachers that I look back on with great respect and admiration. I am sure that every one of us remembers those special teachers that cared enough to share their life with us. Our district students are blessed because they have many, many of those types of teachers here at Willard. The vast majority of our teachers are not only quality teachers they are great people. One of the greatest rewards is to get a note or an e-mail from a former student that simply says thanks for being their teacher.

It is not possible to express my appreciation to the efforts of our teachers. The countless hours, tears, sacrifice of family time, etc. that is offered by all of you is priceless to our students. Our Master Teachers are never satisfied with their present level of performance. They are always looking to find new techniques and skills that can help them teach in the classroom. The key to every successful effort that we put forth for student learning finds success or failure because of the classroom teacher.

Thanks to each and every one of you for all you do!

Kent

Friday Governor Blunt signed Senate Bill 376.  This bill enables schools to accept forgiveness days due to the “Great Ice Storm of 2007.”  This ended a very long process that started soon after the storm.  It has taken me all of about 20 seconds to accept this decision which will allow us to have our final day of school on May 25th!  (Things sometimes work a bit quicker here compared to the Government!)  Willard offers a huge Summer School Program to children and this will allow us to better prepare for that to be a success. 
 

It is my pleasure to announce that Mr. Stewart Pratt has accepted the position of High School Principal for the 2007-08 school year.  Stewart is well known by many in our school district.  In the past he has spent 6 years teaching for our district.  Stewart is currently serving as Assistant Principal/Athletic Director in Branson.  Stewart brings experience, energy, and a passion for our community to the table.  I believe he will make a powerful addition to our administrative team, our K-12 program, and our community.  Please join me in congratulating him as a new addition to the best team of educators around!

• Why Willard?
• How do you rank your abilities to teach? 
• Tell me about yourself? 
• Is it fair to evaluate teachers based on test scores? 
• What is an element of teaching that you need to improve upon?

These are just some of the questions that candidates have to answer to become a “Willard Teacher.”  Last night at the regular meeting of the Board of Education we hired a batch of new teachers.  Some of these are straight out of college, some from other districts, but I will tell you all of them have one thing in common:  They want to become a “Willard Teacher!”  I believe there is a distinct difference between the average teacher in public schools and the Willard Teacher.  The difference may be in work ethic, knowledge of instruction, love of children, or character and integrity of person.  Many districts find it very hard to fill positions because of the lack of applicants.  Even in our district we no longer have the number of applicants that were submitted 5-10 years ago.  The hard fact is that there are fewer and fewer individuals that are finding the teaching career as their heart’s desire.  After painting this bleak picture I want everyone to know I am excited about our new hires. WOW!!!  I believe this year we have hit the new hiring pitch out of the park.  Our administrators have found outstanding candidates for our classrooms.  Last night we hired over 25 new people into our district.  I still interview every new teacher recommended by the buildings prior to being hired.  It is a pleasure to see a new group that is excited, idealistic, and pumped about teaching kids.  I bet a few of them will teach some of us old dogs a few new tricks.  I also will wager they will learn many tricks from some of the best old dogs in the business!!!

Have a great weekend!
Kent

Congratulations are in order for Mrs. Caroline Puckett and Mr. Steve Vaughn.  Caroline and Steve were elected by the community to serve on the Willard Board of Education for the next three years.  Caroline has served on the board for 18 years, while this will be Steve’s first term as a board member.  Mrs. Puckett was re-appointed as the President of the Board and Mrs. Karla Shaffer was re-appointed as Vice President.  We have many important issues progressing in our district.  Members of the Board of Education are key factors in the success of our school.  It is our hope to continue the positive efforts of the past into future years. 

I would like to recognize Mr. Joel Adams and his service on the Board of Education during the past three years.  I appreciate Joel’s common sense approach to the school and problem solving.  Joel was instrumental in working to increase salaries for all district personnel.  Joel was a major supporter for the district prior to becoming a member of the board.  I know that we will be able to count on him for continued support in the future.  Joel has a heart for all kids and pushed us to find ways to help kids find success.  Thanks Joel!!! Job Well Done!!!

Have a great weekend!

Kent

Dr. Kent E. Medlin

Superintendent of Schools

Two very important election issues are upcoming for our school district.  The first issue is on April 3rd and is the selection of local school board members.  This is a very important decision for our district.  Willard is fortunate to have individuals committed to supporting the excellent traditions of our school district.  These individuals volunteer countless hours to help foster student success.  This year Willard has two open seats on the Board of Education and six candidates are seeking these seats.  A typo was made in the printing of one of the candidate names on the ballot.  The following names are how they should have appeared on the ballot: Caroline Puckett, Juan Meraz, Mark J. Scott, Jack McConnell, Steve R. Vaughn, and Richard Gardner.  

The second issue is a bond issue which will be on the June Ballot.  The Willard Board of Education has decided to ask the community to approve a $13.5 million dollar bond.  This bond can be achieved by NO INCREASE in our present tax levy.  Major projects included in this bond are:

• Elementary School  (Proposed in the Southern part of the Willard District)
• Vocational Agriculture Building (Located behind the new High School)
• Locker Rooms at the Football Field Complex
• New Gym at Willard South Elementary

The district will be hosting meetings at all buildings to present information regarding this important bond issue.  These meetings are planned for the month of May.  Times and dates will be communicated by each school and posted on our district web site.  I encourage your support of the Willard School District in both upcoming elections.    

Thank you for your continued support of children. 

Dr. Kent E. Medlin

Superintendent of Schools 

I would like to address two Presidents in my article this week.  The first is the new President of the Missouri Association of Elementary School Principals, better known as Mrs. Julie Germann.  Willard R-II is blessed to have top of the line employees.  I do not publicly praise administrators enough, but this is clearly a time to say congratulations to Mrs. Germann.  Julie is a long time elementary principal in our district.  Her work ethic and dedication to education is clearly respected by the people in our community and around Missouri.  Julie will not only be an advocate for all Missouri educators in this position but will spread the good things occurring at Willard to the entire state.  Please join me in dropping Julie a line and a pat on the back for a job well done!

The second President I would like to address is the President of the United States. 

Dear President Bush, I voted for you, but you are leaving me behind.  I have supported the “No Child Left Behind” program and have worked hard to help students achieve the predetermined levels of success.  However it will not be more than a couple years until our school will fail, just like every other school around.  One of the most important elements of a successful educator is to help all kids succeed.  If you don’t quit claiming that NCLB is perfect then you have doomed all schools to failure.  I admit that NCLB has pushed schools to get better.  I do not think your original intent was to push all kids to failure instead of success.  This program should not be trashed but you must open it for review and improvement or we will all fail.   
Kent 

I have included an article from the Washington Post below.

Have a great Spring Break!!!

Congratulations again to our local President Germann.

Kent

Dr. Kent E. Medlin

Dozens in GOP Turn Against Bush’s Prized ‘No Child’ Act
The Washington Post, March 15
WASHINGTON, D.C. — More than 50 GOP members of the House and Senate — including the House’s second-ranking Republican — will introduce legislation today that could severely undercut President Bush’s signature domestic achievement, the No Child Left Behind Act, by allowing states to opt out of its testing mandates.  For a White House fighting off attacks on its war policy and dealing with a burgeoning scandal at the Justice Department, the GOP dissidents’ move is a fresh blow on a new front. Among the co-sponsors of the legislation are House Minority Whip Roy Blunt (R-Mo.), a key supporter of the measure in 2001, and John Cornyn (R-Tex.), Bush’s most reliable defender in the Senate. Rep. Eric Cantor (Va.), the House GOP’s chief deputy whip and a supporter in 2001, has also signed on. … [A] spokesman for Blunt said that after several meetings with school administrators and teachers in southwest Missouri, the House Republican leader turned against the measure he helped pass.

Please check back next week for our blogs…..we are in Columbia cheering for our Willard Tigers as they compete in the Final Four!!! 

If you would like to listen to the game at 10:40 a.m., please visit Willard WebTV at  

http://www.willardwebtv.com/

GO TIGERS!!!

Dr. Kent E. Medlin

Superintendent 

Change is always a constant!!!  That statement seems contradictory but everyone knows that it speaks the truth.  Willard School District Goal Number Three states:

The Willard School District will enhance and improve community and parental support. 

Communication is always the key to improvement of this goal. “The Pride” e-mail newsletter was one of the first new and different communication vehicles that I put into place three years ago.  Over the last three years it has been a way to celebrate accomplishments, inform patrons about educational issues, and alert our community about up-coming events.  Starting this week we are changing the format from an e-mail to a “Blog”.  This is not a villain from a 1970’s movie.  It is simply a new way to post the information.  As you are aware the previous format would on occasion have formatting issues.   It is our hope that this new format will have a better look and format.  This new Blog will give us options in the future to allow patrons to respond to questions and surveys.  My parents are in their 80’s and read “The Pride” every week.  They are not the only ones that enjoy The Pride who struggle with computers and technology.  The new format is very user friendly and will not be difficult even for the most technology challenged.  Please give this new format a try.  I believe the new system will be worth the change.

If you have problems working through the new “Blog” call us at the District Office and we will help you through the process.  742-2584

Have a Great Weekend!

Go Tigers!!

Kent

Dr. Kent E. Medlin

Superintendent of Schools

Local Control, Bonding Capacity, Open Enrollment, Vouchers, Attendance Forgiveness, School Funding, Property Taxes, Assessed Valuation, No Child Left Behind, etc…

All of the above topics were discussed last night in a community meeting sponsored by MSTA (Missouri State Teachers Association).  MSTA invited Missouri State Representative Shane Schoeller to share his position on these issues.  First of all, I would like to publicly thank Mr. Schoeller for his willingness to gather input from those whom he serves.  He has e-mailed me for input into educational issues which I believe has been helpful to our school district and in the end our students and staff.  We have not totally agreed on every issue but I firmly believe he has listened and considered my opinions in his decisions.  I will try to give a brief comment on the above issues.

Shane is very supportive of Local Control of education and shared that he believes this is the best level for decision making in public schools.

Shane has signed on to the bill that will increase bonding capacity from 15% of assessed valuation to 20%.  This is positive for districts like Willard that are exhibiting growth.

Shane has submitted an alternate proposal of open enrollment that will allow districts to decide if they would like to participate.  This concerns me because it opens the door for state tax revenues flowing to private schools.  His proposal would only affect school funding on a minimal basis, however I am concerned that this could be the start of a dangerous snowball effect in the future.  If this concept expanded it could direct more and more money away from public schools to private school organizations.

No decision has been made at the State Level concerning forgiveness of days due to the 2007 Ice Storm.

Mr. Schoeller recognizes that concern exists for the No Child Left Behind mandates.  NCLB is a Federal issue and not controlled by the State Legislature.

Once again, I appreciate Shanes willingness to come and listen to our concerns.  He is the first Missouri State Legislator that has made these efforts to gain my opinions in the last four years.  I will never expect us to agree on every issue but I certainly appreciate his listening ear!

Have a great weekend!

GO TIGERS!

Dr. Kent E. Medlin
Superintendent of Schools