May 27, 2010

Dear Englewood School Staff and Community:

It is both an honor and a privilege to assume the role of Superintendent for Englewood Schools. I’d like to thank the Englewood Board of Education for having the confidence and trust in me to provide the leadership to address the academic and financial challenges ahead. While these challenges appear to be daunting, I have full confidence that by working together, we will be successful in moving Englewood Schools forward.  

Clearly, the environment of preK-12 education is changing dramatically throughout the state and local community. Englewood Schools is adjusting to a “new normal” which includes fewer personnel, fewer programs, and fewer resources… while continuing to provide a quality education to students of diverse needs. Over the past few years, budget pressures have precipitated changes that influence the level of service our system is able to provide. Layer on the dismal economic realities facing our state and local governments due to shrinking revenues, and it is understandable why many people are feeling uncertain, frustrated, and tense about the future of public education.

In turbulent times, it is more important than ever that we focus on reestablishing strong lines of communication between our stakeholders and schools. We need to spend time reaffirming our shared beliefs as a community. We must focus on what unites us versus that which divides us so we are able to harness the passion, commitment, and pride that is the hallmark of the Englewood community. We continue to be blessed by the countless hours of volunteer work, donations and support provided daily to our schools, but we need to reach into all corners of our community. We know Englewood citizens are behind every single child to ensure they each have every opportunity to succeed and excel in school and in life!

The Englewood Community will quickly learn that I have a relentless focus on student learning; I believe we owe it to the children. Educating children is one of the most – maybe THE most – important responsibility of our society. How well we attend to this work will determine our children’s future, as well as our own. It’s not only a moral and social obligation – it’s also a business and financial priority.  Schools are the most important indirect economic investment a community can make. How well our schools perform impacts the economic environment of a community. In Englewood Schools, the education of students comes first and adults have a responsibility to provide students with a world-class education. To this end, there is a need to establish some simple but important standards of operation within the school district:  transparency, accountability, and communication.

Transparency means the sharing of all information -good and bad, (financial, academic, accreditation, curricular, operations, facilities, etc.) with all stakeholders who are involved in our public education system.  Staff, parents, citizens, and the community at large – all of us should be, indeed, must be, involved in public education. We can’t expect the community to support an entity they don’t understand. As a district, we have an obligation to be open and transparent to the taxpayers, to share information and to be honest and straightforward with parents and the public in all aspects of the school district’s operation.

Accountability is more than just financial reports or CSAP scores from the Colorado Department of Education – although those are important too! Accountability means all of us (staff, parents, community members) taking responsibility for establishing the highest standards for students and maintaining a relentless focus on our primary mission – the academic growth and achievement of students.  We must insist that our work is focused, effective, and efficient – that schools maintain high academic standards as well as provide safe, secure, and well-maintained learning environments. Additionally, students need to be accountable for working hard in school, striving to reach their full potential, and maintaining exemplary behavior while at school.   They too are vital stakeholders who help make Englewood Schools attractive, inviting, and interesting to other students within the community (and beyond).

Internal and external communication related to Englewood Schools must be crystal clear, honest, consistent, and aligned with the important work we do. Mixed messages to stakeholders cause confusion, anxiety, and mistrust.  I am committed to the ideal that all administrators, teachers, and staff provide communication to the Englewood community as a single voice of solidarity regarding our primary mission – the academic growth and achievement of students. While we might not always agree on District initiatives, priorities, policies, and processes, once a decision is made, we will collectively agree to support (and never sabotage) the strategic direction of Englewood Schools. 

Englewood Schools must be clear about what we control and what we don’t. We can’t control how, when, why, or in what condition a child arrives at our schoolhouse door. But, we can control the care, the concern, and the high expectations we have for students AND the quality of teaching and learning that takes place each day within the classrooms. The leaders of our schools must understand the pulse of their programs in this regard and be prepared to lead change if necessary.  When we do experience success within schools, we need to ask…can we expand it?  Can we sustain it across the entire district? If strategies and initiatives are not working, we need to modify our approach to get results. In any case, we need to focus on how we can continuously improve as a learning organization.  We must establish and maintain a culture of collaboration and courageous conversations about what we are doing well and what we are not doing well within schools, across the entire district, and with the surrounding school districts in our state. We need to share our successes and solve our challenges; we can learn from each other.  No one person has all the answers to all of Englewood’s complex questions. Working together we will find solutions.

Simply put, these are my core operational beliefs and areas of focus for Englewood during the 2010-2011 school year. Some of you are probably asking… but what is he actually going to DO right now? A good question that I’m not quite prepared to answer after only being in the district for ten days. It’s much too soon for me to tell you what specific plans I have except for putting together a strong, expert leadership team and listening to and learning from the many internal and external stakeholders in the Englewood community. What I can promise you while I evaluate Englewood Schools and its systems is a relentless focus on student learning and constant attention to my core beliefs of transparency, accountability, and communication. I feel some urgency about my work in Englewood Schools; I am eager to set priorities and focus on what’s most important – student learning.

I’m looking forward to working with you in the coming months; together we will fulfill the mission of Englewood Schools… dedicated to safe, caring, progressive, community-centered schools, is to develop the full potential of all students as contributing members of a rapidly changing world through academically excellent educational programs.

Have a great summer and I’ll see you in August!

Best Regards,

Brian Ewert
Superintendent