We receive a lot of questions about the H1N1 flu. Health officials repeatedly tell us the swine flu is coming and we need to be ready. We have a District H1N1 Flu Task Force made up of the administrative cabinet, Lisa Robinson (oversees nursing services), Melinda Colton (Director of Communications), and Steven Dunham (Communications Assistant). We meet regularly to review all information shared by national, state and county health officials, which we receive almost on a daily basis.
So, how are we preparing? We are preparing to send schools and District facilities hand sanitizer and thermal-scan thermometers to assist with reducing germs and determining elevated temperatures in students and staff. We are also working with the Salt Lake Valley Health Department to establish H1N1 flu clinics in our schools. The H1N1 vaccine is expected to be available between mid-October and mid-November. The Health Department would like schools to be distribution points for the H1N1 flu vaccine.
Issues our Task Force is in the process of finalizing include: decision guidelines about when it might be advisable to close schools, make-up days if a school is closed, implications for all employees if schools are closed, impact on school extracurricular activities, student attendance issues related to flu absences, and effective communication strategies throughout the flu season.
As more information becomes available and as decisions are made, we will be sure to communicate with staff and parents about our plans. In the meantime, we must all continue to wash our hands frequently, cover coughs and sneezes, be aware of our own health and take necessary steps if we don’t feel well, especially if we have an elevated temperature.
Swine Flu: The alerts have elevated. The Federal Center for Disease Control
(CDC) has starting using the words “pandemic” and “imminent.” We are
literally watching and acting minute by minute with our responses. Everyone
needs to follow the precautionary recommendations given by the State Health
Department and the CDC. Official information and direction will always come
through your building administration. If it becomes necessary to close
schools, we will. That will bring a new host of issues and questions to be
resolved. We’ll deal with those as they come. For right now – safety
first.
Remaining District Reductions in Force: If you haven’t already heard – you
will. The remaining Jordan School District has announced its intention to
reduce District-level staff by 122 FTE for the 2009-10 school year. This
action is the first in a series of steps moving forward at the direction of
the Board in order to offset the 2009-10 State budget deficit. The Board is
doing all it can to insulate classroom teachers and students from being
affected. If budget cuts do reach to the classroom, I believe they will be
the least amount possible. Final decisions about where additional
reductions will be made are still in process. The Board is conducting a Dan
Jones poll to determine preferences for balancing the budget from a patron
perspective. Within the next several weeks, specific courses of action will
become finalized.
We have entered a season of significant events. Between now and June, the
Board of Education will prepare next year’s budget, we will enter into
negotiations with employee groups, and the class of 2009 will graduate on
June 4. Employee negotiations begin next month. Preparation of next
year’s District budget is already in full swing.
The budget deficit for next year is approximately $25 million. The Board
is adopting a multiple-solution approach in large measure because there is
no single solution to resolving the deficit. Much discussion will continue
to be held regarding the mix of program restructuring, budget reductions,
reassignment of employees, reductions in staff, tax increases, and employee
compensation. The relative roles of these elements have not been
finalized. It’s as challenging a year financially as I have ever seen in my
professional career. Coupled with the financial implications of the
District split, we are faced with sobering choices. There’s likely to be
lots of rumors about what will happen. Reliable information about how we
will meet our financial challenges will come through proper channels as
“official information.” Beware of “I heard . . .” this or that. Some of
what you hear may be true or close to the truth, some may be partly true,
and some will be absurd. I will keep you informed as we move through the
next several months to help you know what’s happening. We’re in this
together and we’ll find the solutions together.
I received a hand-written note the other day – only two or three short
lines. It was a note of appreciation for something I had said to a group of people that helped them out. What I said to them isn’t important. What is important though, is how I felt to receive a simple note of thanks. I think it took this person less than one minute and the cost of a postage stamp to write the note, address it, and mail it to me. I’ve concluded you can’t quantify appreciation that way. I don’t know why I felt so appreciative that someone was appreciative of something I did – and then took the time to tell me. It seems a little circular, but that’s how I felt. One thing I know for certain; it brightened my life for several days – not in a self-centered way, but it gave me strength to be willing to meet the challenges of another day and try to make a positive difference again. Kindness and appreciation add positive energy to our lives and those around us. We should always be grateful when we receive it from others and be quick to pass it on to someone else. Thank you for all you do every day!
I was reminded the other day of a student in my fifth-grade class named Michael. I was teaching a combined class of fifth- and sixth-grade students. Michael was a bright, witty, aware student. Another unique quality of his was an ability to be in the wrong place at the wrong time doing the wrong thing. It was like a sixth-sense for him. What he did wasn’t bad. It was just irritating. His behavior seemed to frequently require some kind of intervention on my part. Having said that, I really liked Michael. In fact, I had him in my class for two consecutive years (poor Michael). One day, while the students were working on a project, I noticed that Michael wasn’t working – at all. So I said to him, “Michael, please stop wasting your time.” His response took me totally by surprise. In typical Michael fashion he replied, “Mr. Newbold, I’m not wasting my time – I’m just using it up doing nothing!”
The winter recess is time for each of us to relax, spend time with family and friends, and if we choose, “do nothing.” That may in fact be a very wise use of time. Whatever you choose to do, may your time be filled with activities that bring a sense of renewal and much happiness.