Dr. Ballard's Message - 8/31/09
I loved being with everyone at the Convocation. Even though there were over 3,000 people at the Mabee Center, I truly felt like I was talking individually to each person in attendance. It really felt like I was your superintendent. Taking the helm in October last year made it tough to get acclimated to the job.
We had an unbelievably hectic summer, but it all solidified when we came together as a district on Monday, August 17. Since then I have visited more than 30 schools and will keep up the regular visits until I’ve visited every school in the district. I must say I am very impressed with how quickly and efficiently the school year started. We must remember that we do not have one day to waste, not any part of any day.
I was very disappointed that we did not advance to the final five for a Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation grant. I appreciate the Gates Foundation giving us the opportunity to be a part of this process and I offer my profound thanks for all the time, energy and resources they poured into TPS during that time. They left us with a great plan and we must be determined to implement it. The question is: where do we go from here? For starters, Gates has offered to support a continuation of our building capacity phase. Building capacity means that TPS has the capacity to carry out the work of the grant. It also means that we have the capacity to measure everything—to attract, recruit, train, support, evaluate and take action based on evaluations. We were behind the other schools in this regard, but we are quickly catching up. I am working on a plan to carry the work forward and will be releasing more information in the near future. I would like to express my appreciation to all who worked on this highly important project. In particular I would like to thank the steering committee of Denzel Kesterson, Roberta Ellis, H.J. Green, Dr. Lana Turner-Addison and Terri Grissom.
This weekend, I will be traveling to Oklahoma City to attend the annual Oklahoma State School Board Association/Cooperative Council of School Administrators conference. School administrators and school board members will convene from all across the state to attend general session and breakout sessions. Several of our district’s board members will be in attendance. I appreciate them giving up their weekend to become better-informed board members.
H1N1 influenza has already raised its ugly head. I urge all parents, teachers and students to be extra diligent in taking precautions. We must do all that we can to prevent the spread of this illness.
I am looking forward to a great year. Much is in place for TPS to reach new heights of success. Just compare us now to where we were just one year ago today. We were going through a change in the office of superintendent, which always brings about great uncertainty. I want to say that I am pleased and honored to be your superintendent. I look forward to interacting with many of you as we enjoy our journey through another exciting school year.
