|
[Transcript]
Dr. Joseph Tafoya, Director, DoDEA: Welcome
to another school year in DoDEA.
This
year promises to be a challenging year for us as we continue
to provide our students the best education we can. It is a time
for us to recommit ourselves to doing our jobs well and to focus
on student achievement.
We are in the process of implementing two major programmatic
changes, the High School and Special Education Initiatives.
The High School Initiative is going very well and we are making
great strides in improving the literacy and algebra skills
of our students. I visited a number of high schools this past
year and was extremely pleased with the efforts of our teachers
to make these new support classes successful, challenging,
and engaging for students. I spoke with a number of students,
especially those in our new Read 180 classes and I was amazed
at their new found love of reading. We are building on the
success of these programs by providing computer assisted instruction
for our math support classes and introducing the Language Support
Class so we can serve more students.
I recently attended a conference of state superintendents.
The number one issue on the agenda was the need to address
reform issues at the high school level. We explored many of
these topics that were discussed at this conference as we developed
our High School Initiative and I sat there confidently knowing
that we were two years ahead of many of the states.
The second major program that is ready to roll out this year
is the Special Education Initiative. Dr. Middlemiss and her
staff, along with Area and district personnel have been very
proactive in getting this program ready to go. We are hiring
the additional staff and putting in place the assessment teams
that will greatly assist special education and regular classroom
teachers in addressing the unique needs of these students.
My philosophy of reform is that we need to set priorities
and ensure that programs work before we move onto the next
topic. We are now ready to do this and I have asked Beth Middlemiss,
the Deputy Director of Education to begin the process of examining
our middle and elementary school programs in the same manner
that we did for the high schools. We need to establish baselines
for staffing and resources that ensure that we are providing
the best comprehensive educational program and that we all
understand what that baseline is. It is my goal to have the
middle and elementary school program initiatives in place as
we reallocate resources and staffing to make it work.
This past year was a difficult one in terms
of budget. Due to weakening of the dollar in Europe and the
Pacific, we were
unable to fully fund our programs. Funds that were received
in the spring and summer went to address payroll issues and
therefore were unavailable to us to restore some of the cuts
that were made. We are hopeful that our budget will be more
normal this year, but our big problem is that we operate on
a school year calendar while the budget is on the federal schedule.
Therefore, we are already fully engaged in executing our funds
when the budget reductions come in December. We don’t
have the flexibility that public schools have because when
we receive our funding it is too late or us to change contracts
and address staffing issues.
This year will also be a challenging one for us as we respond
to the needs of our military sponsors. The Transformation in
Europe, the movement of troops in Korea and other areas of
the Pacific, and the completion of the DDESS study will have
a significant impact on DoDEA. We are working closely with
EUCOM, PACOM, military services and the Pentagon to be proactive
in responding to any final plans. I know that it is a stressful
time for all of you as you wonder what will happen to your
school and to your programs. Please know that addressing these
concerns is my number one priority this year and I promise
that we will share with you all pertinent information when
it becomes known to us and released for publication. I am and
will continue to work closely with your association representatives
on these issues. I am keeping my schedule open so that I can
travel to meet with commands and to hold town hall meetings
as appropriate. I know that your personal concerns need to
be addressed and I will do my best to alleviate them as much
as possible.
Finally, I want to thank all of you for the job you do everyday
with students, parents, command, and other stakeholders. The
praise and recognition we receive in terms of high test scores,
testimonials, and other measures of success, are due to your
efforts to do your job to the best of your abilities. I am
proud of what you do and who you are.
|
