Who we are...

Sometimes an organization’s mission and vision statements seem like expected, abstract documents that few care about beyond the Board and top administrators.  They unfortunately can become a part of that dusty strategic plan notebook on the shelf or a hard to find link on a website.  However, school districts with clearly communicated, widely understood, and collectively shared mission and vision have been shown to perform better than those without them (when strategy and goals were aligned with them).  Research shows this, and I believe it, and that is why the third recommendation in my entry plan report states:

“3. Before the next school year begins, with stakeholder involvement, create a reinvigorated vision and identify agreed upon indicators of success, long term aims, and one and five year goals for the school district.  These should capture the imagination, address community expectations, and drive improvement.” 

I’d really like to hear everyone’s voice in the development of our new district identity statements.  I have been working with a number of focus groups this spring to draft a revised mission statement, update our belief statements (this link takes you to the existing ones...you’ll discover the new drafts in the survey) , and create a vision statement. These foundational pieces are really important in defining who we are as a school district and where we as a community should head together in the future of our children.

• A vision statement is future focused and paints a vivid picture of where you would like our school district to move towards and what you aspire the district to be known for across the community.
• Mission is focused on the present and describes the purpose of our school district -- what we do every day.  The mission provides the basis for developing plans that can be executed to achieve the ultimate vision. 
• Values or belief statements reflect core behaviors or common principles that guide our actions.

After finalizing our shared vision, mission, and beliefs, priority goals are the next step.  Aligning goals and actions with a shared vision and mission are the fundamental ingredients for moving from good to great.  Will you help us define/refine our school district’s identity and help set us on a course forward?

Please take this survey to see our work so far and share your perspectives. The survey will close on Friday, April 29.

SURVEY LINK

Thank you for your support of our community's schools and our community's children.

Tim Culver

About an Auditorium... Plan 4?

Tim Culver, Superintendent

In the fall of 2014, I was visiting Oak Creek to determine whether to apply for the superintendency.  When I toured the high school I was quite surprised that there was no performing arts center, or at minimum an auditorium, for such a large high school in a district and community with such a fine reputation in the arts.  I was pleased to see that the November 2014 referendum included the potential for an auditorium (“Plan 1”  - in my short-timer’s hindsight).  I was puzzled and sad when I learned that part of the referendum failed. I was pleased that the auditorium question was being brought back to voters in April 2015  at considerable savings to taxpayers - a win-win it seemed (“Plan 2”).  I was shocked and disappointed when I was told it failed again.

The next effort by the previous administration to overcome the second failure was to propose an auditorium “exterior shell-only” being built while the 9th grade center was under construction.  By doing so there would be considerable cost savings.  Since voters had not approved referendum funding, the proposal was to the fund the shell from the district’s reserve fund balance.  In transition, I attended some Board meetings in the spring of 2015. There was passionate support expressed for this “Plan 3”.  Being new to the community it was fascinating to watch the process.  I admit I had a lot of wonderings sitting out there in the audience, particularly about Board  Policy 610 Goal 7 and whether it would be possible to raise the “other $4M or so”  to finish the inside of the shell at “some later date”.  Several spoke of grants and community fundraisers, but it seemed to me another referendum would be inevitable (though that word was never used). How would that play out in this community given the recent past votes?  

Regardless of my wonderings, based on a logical idea and good intentions, on June 8, 2015, the School Board adopted the following motion:  " ...to approve commitment of up to $4.5 million in fund balance over two years for construction of auditorium shell as part of the new secondary school."  That was one of the ‘marching orders’ I received on taking over as superintendent on July 1, 2015. We had to begin to plan this immediately, along with the two other complicated construction projects needing to break ground;  and we did so.

The story of how and why  “Plan 3”  failed is included in my report to the School Board and community on April 11, 2016.   I won’t restate those details again here.  I am very sad about the loss of this important learning space for our students.  In my point of view,  without  a public arts performance space for our children, our facilities are educationally inadequate compared to almost every other high school in this state.  Also, I am humbled to have to stand here in my new community and acknowledge failure to accomplish the School Board’s adopted  “Plan 3”.  My career is about leading for children, and I have failed to achieve this opportunity for them.  I am sorry that our best efforts were not adequate to resolve the fundamental barriers to this project.

However, failure’s purpose is to teach us how to get back up, dust ourselves off, and move forward by learning how to improve. So, here are things I will recommend to the School Board in the near future:

• PLAN.  I believe we need to take a closer inventory of ALL our school facilities.  The lack of a regular sized auditorium, while a glaring insufficiency, is not the only space that is inadequate or outdated or needing attention.  We should review all school facilities and determine how each site is functioning, not only in terms of ongoing and deferred maintenance, but in terms of how the spaces meet the needs of our children in terms of the 21st century education they need.  To create a long term (10 year?)  “Educational Adequacy Facility Plan” will be a thoughtful, research-based process with wide stakeholder involvement and likely take at least a year or slightly more.

• VISION.  Before the process above begins, we must frame such a review within a new strategic plan presently under development (look for a future blog/communication  on how you can add your voice in the next month or so).  We need a shared vision for what this community, wants, supports and expects of its schools for its children.  This vision should drive a review of our facilities.
  

• FUNDING.  Concurrently, as we develop an “Educational Adequacy Facility Plan” we should work and think proactively how to fund it.  To be honest and transparent, at some point a referendum is likely inevitable to fund very high cost inadequacies, for example, an auditorium and some major energy/HVAC overhauls looming.  But there are other options to consider in the meanwhile that could make us more agile and prepared, for example, creating and building up a Fund 46, Long-term Capital Improvement Trust Fund, to prepare for capital improvements.  (Perhaps funded by the cell phone tower revenues?) This is a step the district has not yet taken.  There are other financial planning tools and projections we should consider as well to create a whole picture of costs, benefits, and potential solutions so we can make informed long term and short term decisions.
  

I believe if we have a community vision for our children, a comprehensive plan, and a well thought out, cost effective proposal (with all details carefully sorted out up front) it would be supported by a majority of our community's taxpayers for the sake of our community's children.  My experience has been that most people step up if they believe a proposed plan (Plan 4?) is “right”.  The process of leading a community to this place of acceptance is challenging and must be done thoughtfully, transparently, and inclusively.  I am willing to lead for children to get us there.

What do you think?  

Send me your ideas at t.culver@ocfsd.org  

Meet Your District Leaders

Welcome to Knight Vision, an ongoing collection of news and views from the leaders of the Oak Creek-Franklin Joint School District. The purpose of this blog is to share different perspectives, experiences and information from the various departments within our district. Below is a brief introduction of the district's leaders who will serve as the contributing authors of the Knight Vision blog.

Tim Culver, Superintendent

Dr. Tim Culver has served as superintendent of the Oak Creek-Franklin Joint School District since July 2015.  Previous to this he served as superintendent of the Sun Prairie Area School District since 1998.  During his career, he has been a teacher, school counselor, middle school principal, and assistant superintendent.

Lisa Kujawa, Assistant Superintendent

Lisa Kujawa has had the privilege of working with children, families, and extraordinary staff, in the Oak Creek-Franklin Joint School District, for approximately seventeen years. She is excited to see the expansion of the communities of Oak Creek and Franklin coincide with the district's response of new schools. Lisa is proud to be a part of the district and says the best part of her day is when she is inside the schools interacting with kids.

Dan Unertl, Executive Director

Dan Unertl has been with the Oak Creek-Franklin Joint School District since 2011 and has served as associate principal at the high school before moving into his current position as the executive director.  Dan holds master's degrees in education and administration and is also a licensed attorney.  Before becoming an administrator, Dan was an English teacher, and before that, he worked in construction and manufacturing.  Dan loves reading, the outdoors and playing with his one-year-old son.

Cathy Cramer, Director of Business Services

Cathy Cramer began working for the Oak Creek-Franklin Joint School District in 1988 as the business assistant, before moving on to director positions at other area school districts and returning to OCFJSD in 2004 as director of business services. Cathy holds a bachelor's of business administration and master's in school business management, as well as a DPI licensure as a school business administrator. Cathy is retiring from OCFJSD later this year and is looking forward to enjoying some free time to pursue her hobbies and interests.

Troy Hamblin, Director of Human Resources

Troy Hamblin has served as the Human Resources Director for the Oak Creek-Franklin Joint School District since 2012.  Prior to joining the district, Troy worked at the City of Milwaukee and Milwaukee County in labor relations and human resources.

Chris Bennin, I.T. Manager

I.T. Manager Chris Bennin has been working in the I.T. field for the past sixteen years with the last ten being in Education and the last two at the Oak Creek-Franklin Joint School District.  In that time, Chris has led many initiatives including website design, student information system transition, and most recently, transitioning OCFJSD to a Google Apps for Education (GAFE) school district. Chris is married and has two dogs. In the winter, Chris loves to snowboard and in summer he enjoys hobby farming and hiking. 

Chad Evenson, Curriculum Coordinator

Chad Evenson has been the curriculum coordinator at the Oak Creek-Franklin Joint School District since 2008.  He began his career in education in 1996 teaching math at Brown Deer High School.  He enjoys playing and coaching soccer, traveling and spending time with his family.