American government would work a lot better if citizens directed the right questions and concerns to the appropriate office-holders. For example, presidential candidates are constantly being asked what they would do to “fix” education. Presidents do have a bully pulpit, and of course all of them are “for” education. President Reagan appointed the Blue Ribbon Commission that produced A Nation at Risk in 1983, which became the basis for a gazillion dollar reform movement that continues to this day.
President George W. Bush joined with Senator Ted Kennedy to enact the No Child Left Behind legislation that everyone likes to complain about. Presidents can appoint the Secretary of Education and direct some federal dollars to favorite projects, such as President Obama’s Race to the Top, but constitutionally, education is a state and local function. Less than 10% of school funding comes from the federal government, and much of that goes to programs, such as Title 1, that address problems of poverty and inequality.
Citizens who want to improve schools in their communities should take school board and state legislature elections very seriously, and they should follow what these policy-makers do once they are sworn in. School board members and state legislators are not altogether free to do what they want. They are constrained by teacher certification requirements that almost guarantee mediocrity, various employee unions, mind-numbing state education codes, court decisions, resistance to change, lack of money, an anti-intellectual popular culture, and community apathy.
Still, a school district that has a thoughtful, well-prepared, and civil board of trustees is going to have better educational outcomes than a school district with a dysfunctional board. Every great school system in the U.S. has, or has had at some point, a visionary board that has appointed an outstanding superintendent and has allocated scarce tax dollars wisely. The best school boards do not micromanage schools, but rather, set clear, consistent goals. Ideally, a school board should be comprised of individuals who bring a variety of backgrounds and expertise, who have measurable, realistic goals, and who work well with each other and with the various stakeholders that make up a school district to accomplish these goals. Like other public officials, school board members both lead and serve.
Over the next few months, the Spy will be talking to the five members of Kent County’s School Board, in no particular order. Board members, who are elected at-large, volunteer their time and serve for 4-year terms. On February 13, the Spy spoke with Michael Harvey in his office at Washington College, where he is Associate Professor and Chair of the Department of Business Management. He and his wife and two children moved to Chestertown in 1998 and volunteered in the schools before he was elected to the board in 2008 (at that time board members served six- year terms, so Dr. Harvey’s term will end in December, 2014).
Spy: Why did you run for the school board?
M.H.: Education is the future of the country. It’s the foundation for everything else. It lifts people up and has a lot to do with whether employers will decide to come here.
Spy: What are your goals?
M.H.: Public education is a bureaucracy, and I don’t like that. My goal is to get the bureaucracy to be responsive, agile, and transparent. I want Kent County to be the best school system in the state. I want to see more kids going to college. I want to see a system that champions people and hires entrepreneurial and innovative people. I want Kent County Schools to be a great place to work. Kent County is the smallest school system in the state, with about 2,183 students. Our small size makes us nimble. It is easier to bring about change in a small district. I like to compare us to the eight other small districts, rather than to Montgomery County, which has 143,000 students.
Spy: How will you reach these goals?
M.H.: I am always looking for good data, not only from Kent County, but from the other small districts that make up the Nimble Nine. I’m a data fanatic. Data tells us what we are doing right and where we need to improve. Many wonderful things are happening in this district. We made AYP (Annual Yearly Progress, as defined by No Child Left Behind) this year. I feel good about the direction we are going in.
Spy: How do you attract the best teachers and administrators?
M.H.: Board members do not do the hiring, but I’m very interested in the process of how we search for teachers and in the exit interview process. We have to be passionate about who we hire. It can’t just be a bureaucratic function.
Spy: Are the buildings in good shape throughout the district?
M.H.: The buildings are in good shape. Down the road, if we need new buildings, they should be breath-taking. They should connect kids with nature.
Spy: Is there anything you find disappointing about serving on the school board?
M.H.: Maryland’s statutory requirements make change difficult. There are limitations on being bold.
jscape2000 says
“School board members and state legislators are not altogether free to do what they want. They are constrained by teacher certification requirements that almost guarantee mediocrity, various employee unions, mind-numbing state education codes, court decisions, resistance to change, lack of money, an anti-intellectual popular culture, and community apathy.”
Is this sentiment Mr. Harvey’s or Ms. Costa’s?
Jack Dorsey says
Good point – is this an article or an editorial?