In the
following message, Kimberlyn Carter, the
Special Education Lead Teacher at Bruce Elementary School, addresses the community's concerns
that District employees are afraid to speak up about the proposed Strategic
Plan.
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I became very concerned about the
accuracy of reports from our local media that teachers in the Bibb County
School System were being intimidated and not allowed to speak about or ask
questions about the “The Macon Miracle.” Coming from Corporate America, I was
amazed at how open and responsive this Strategic Planning process was.
Traditionally, strategic plans initially appear to be open and transparent but
employees rarely get beyond the information-gathering phase. This was not true
in our system's Strategic Planning process under Dr. Dallemand's leadership.
I was elated to attend two Strategic
Planning sessions with my colleagues from across the District to plan and
discuss the future of our system. It was an incredible opportunity to engage in
appreciative inquiry. After those two days, we attended Strategic Planning
sessions at our schools with the entire faculty and staff. We participated in
group sessions and even open debate about various components of the Strategic Plan.
That feedback was recorded and sent to the Central Office.
After the Strategic Plan was released,
we were allowed to provide feedback online as well as participate in surveys.
During a faculty meeting, my principal, Dr. Ramon Johnson, opened the floor for
questions, issues, concerns, etc., regarding the Strategic Plan. He answered
some of our questions and I was the scribe for the meeting. Our concerns were
sent directly to the Central Office and Dr. Johnson came back with answers that
required further information. It was a completely transparent process with 360-degree
feedback on a consistent basis. I have talked about the Strategic Plan with
students and answered their questions. Members of my faculty and I have
attended public forums on “The Macon Miracle” without feeling any retribution
would be taken out on us for our participation.
I am very excited about the
enriching learning environment that “The Macon Miracle” will provide for our
students. Our community needs more hope and “The Macon Miracle” gives us hope
for our future.
This blog is wonderful news for those in favor of the strategic plan. Unfortunately, there are many faculty and staffers very afraid to speak openly against any part or all of the plan. We have all been told in round-about ways (and some directly) that we are not to speak against the plan to anyone.
ReplyDeleteWhile the entire group of employees were involved in the info gathering and surveys about the plan, there are many who do not understand where much of the printed plan came from when they first heard it. Many people do not know where Mandarin came from, other than it was spoken by Dr. Dallemand before the info gathering sessions began. Most have no idea where Pacific Education Group, Efficacy, or Courageous Conversations came from, as no one has spoken up and taken credit for that.
Many employees are also parents to students in this system. Many would like to speak out and have their concerns addressed, but the word on the street is, "don't even think about it."
Change is difficult for everyone yet it can be achieved, but we need your help. We need to feel that we can openly ask questions and get direct answers, without fearing that we will be retaliated against in some way.
Please help us by providing as much information, including reseach gathered to back up the plan and costs associated with each part and its implementation. There has to be some cost analysis out there on each point of the plan, so please share that with us.
The perception of you and the plan to the community and to your internal stakeholders are not all that grand. Show us that we can all speak freely to you and others and supply us all with the details so that we may get a better understanding of exactly what this will do to our jobs, students, and of course, our own children.
Thank you Dr. Dallemand for continuing to provide feedback.
I agree with much of the above comments. While I do not personally feel pressured to stay quiet about the plan, I do have peers tell me that they don't feel comfortable sharing their thoughts and concerns for fear of consequences. While this concerns me, my chief concern is that this fear of consequences, along with a fear of the unknowns concerning the strategic plan, is leading many teachers to consider other options for employment. I know one is leaving due to great concerns surrounding the plan and others are considering following suit. We need you, Dr. Dallemand, to work hard to keep strong teachers in this system. Without strong teachers, your plan, nor any other plan, will not be successful.
DeleteThanks for listening to our concerns!
It is very unfortunate that some of your peers feel that they cannot be honest and open without fear of reprisal. This is not the type of culture and climate that I want to exist throughout the district. I hope in the future that your peers take the many opportunities afforded to them to express themselves.
ReplyDeleteThank you for taking the time to comment.