Entry Plan for the First 100 Days for
Tari N. Thomas
Interim Superintendent of Schools
Orange, Petersham and RC Mahar Regional
Orange, Petersham, R.C. Mahar Regional Schools
Entry Plan for First 100 Days for Superintendent Thomas
The school committees have charged Interim Superintendent Thomas with improving student achievement and making the three school districts’ systems more effective, efficient and aligned. In order to succeed in leading
and achieving this mission, Superintendent Thomas and the communities within the three consolidated districts must develop and implement strategic actions that are well informed. This entry plan guides the superintendent’s first 100 days as the new leader of the Orange, Petersham and R.C. Mahar Regional School Districts and enables her to make informed short- and long-term decisions that are reflective of the communities’ priorities and expectation and, most importantly, in the best interest of our students.
The focus of this entry plan is steeped in “listening and learning” activities with multiple internal and external
stakeholders, as well as a review of data, processes and policies, to quickly gain a thorough understanding of the school districts, including strengths and challenges, their core business of teaching and learning, their business systems, their cultures and the districts’ partnerships within the communities.
Goals:
To establish a plan for approaching the first one hundred days as interim superintendent;
To develop effective district governance policies and structures focused on student achievement through the formation of effective and positive school committee-superintendent relationships;
To lay the groundwork to build trusting, productive and collaborative working relationships with internal and external stakeholders, including elected officials, staff, parents, students,
union leaders, institutions of higher learning, community organizations and the business sector
To assess the system’s strengths and challenges including the core business of teaching and learning, operational supports, business systems, finances and budgeting;
To develop the initial framework for a comprehensive strategic planning process that will
align the school district around student learning, align resources to ensure students are college and workforce ready and organize the district for high performance.
Expected Outcomes: It is anticipated that the implementation of this entry plan will result in the following outcomes and therefore enable the superintendent to make informed decisions and recommendations:
1. A comprehensive summary of the feedback obtained from the stakeholders engaged during the “listening and learning” activities set forth by this plan.
2. Summarized and detailed findings from all audits, reviews and evaluations of the districts’ organizational structure, programs, processes, systems and finances.
3. Assessment of executive leadership and organizational structure and identification of any design/staffing changes needed to ensure optimal productivity, efficacy and efficiency.
4. The framework for a comprehensive strategic planning process to improve student achievement to be
outlined in the 2013-2014 school year for development and implementation in the 2014-2015 and 2015-2016 school years, including a shared vision and mission, goals and priorities, and target outcomes and key metrics.
5. Each community committed to working together to do what is best for Orange, Petersham and R.C. Mahar Regional School students.
Structure and Timeline: The entry plan will be implemented from July through November 2013, which is approximately 100 days. This will allow the superintendent to meet with all stakeholders in various formal and informal venues, perform data
analyses, program and systems evaluations and lay the foundation for a comprehensive process in the future focused on developing a strategic plan based on the mutual expectations and priorities of the communities. The entry plan’s activities, based on goals and anticipated outcomes are organized into the following key areas:
I. Governance Teams II. Organizational Capacity and Alignment III. Student Achievement IV. Community and Public Relations
V. Operations and Finance
I. Governance Teams
The following activities are intended to establish working relationships with individual committee members and the Committee as a whole, ascertain the Committees’ priorities for the districts and lay the framework for a strategic process planned in the future that will further guide future district reforms.
“The work of leaders involves catalyzing the work, establishing the vision, and developing strategies for building leadership capacity within others.” Copland, 2003 Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis,
“In effective districts, the local board of education is aligned with and supportive of the non-negotiable goals for achievement
and instruction.” Marzano, 2009 Phi Delta Kappan
Task Constituency Group Timeline
Review roles and responsibilities of the
Committee and Superintendent (Review operating
protocol)
Committee & Superintendent
September, October 2013
Clarify the Committee Chair role as compared to
the entire Committee
Committee & Superintendent July, August, September 2013
Establish an entry plan with input from the
Committees and others
Committee & Superintendent July and August 2013
Conduct school visits with committee members
beginning in September
Committee & Superintendent September, October 2013
Visit various community organizations with
committee members
Committee & Superintendent September, Octoberr 2013
School Committee Interview Questions: (15 members between three committees)
1. Please give me a brief biographical sketch to help me know you.
2. Why did you seek election to the Committee? What do you hope to accomplish as a Committee member?
3. Please give me your own assessment of the school district’s instructional program. To what extent do others hold these
views in the community?
4. How do you assess the effectiveness of school personnel?
5. What do you see as the most important needs of staff?
6. What do you see as the two or three most important school system needs to be addressed by the Committee? By the staff?
7. What groups and individuals have major influences on the schools?
8. What are our system goals? Are they on target? What stands in the way of achieving them? How could we overcome the
obstacles?
9. What are your expectations of me as superintendent?
10. What is most important to preserve in the public schools? What is the most important to change?
11. Describe a difficult decision you had to make. What was the issue? How did you reach a decision? What did other people
think? Would you do anything differently now?
II. Organizational Capacity and Alignment
The following activities are intended to establish a strong and appropriately focused central office and administrative teams.
Task Constituency Group Timeline
Clarify roles and relationship of each person in
the central offices for Orange, Petersham and
R.C. Mahar Regional.
Superintendent
& Central Office Staffs
June, July, August 2013
Determine current organizational and operational
norms.
Superintendent
& Central Office Staff
June, July, August 2013
Thoroughly review each district’s strategic plan,
planning process, accountability or performance
management system and project management
structure.
Superintendent, Admin Team
& Central Office Staff
July & August 2013
Determine how communication and decision-
making will occur within the leadership team.
Superintendent, Admin Team
& Central Office Staff
July, August & September 2013
Meet with key district office personnel (Business
Mgr., HR, special ed., technology…etc.) for an overview of their current area of responsibility,
major initiatives under way, a review of
significant or potential problems in each area of
responsibility and major decisions that need to be
made in one month, three months, and six
months.
Superintendent & Others
August & September 2013
Meet with each operational department: Food service, transportation, bldgs. & grounds for an
overview of their current
area of responsibility, major initiatives under
way, a review of significant or potential problems
in each area of responsibility and major decisions
that need to be made in one month, three months,
and six months.
Superintendent, Admin Team
& Central Office Staff
August & September 2013
Conduct one-on-one interviews and review
resumes and briefing reports with administrators,
department heads and central office personnel.
Superintendent, Admin Team
& Central Office Staff
August & September 2013
Initiate plans to establish key metrics for each
division to assess alignment to core function and
support for student achievement
Superintendent, Admin Team
& Central Office Staff
September & October 2013
Establish leadership team’s standards of practice
Superintendent & Admin Team
September & October 2013
Interviews and Briefings Interviews and briefings serve two different purposes. Interviews assist in helping me understand those things that are important to individuals relative to their roles and responsibilities. Briefings are intended to focus on
issues and tasks that are more critical or urgent in nature. Both interviews and briefings will be conducted with Central Office Staff. Interviews for Central Office: 1. Please give me a biographical sketch to help me know you. 2. What would you most like to accomplish in your position? 3. What do you see as the key issues in program, personnel, and school-community relationships? 4. What is the nature of the relationships between the superintendent/central office, central office/principals and
central office/community? 5. Who are the people and groups active in the schools? How do these people influence the schools? 6. What are our system goals? Are they on target? What stands in the way of achieving them? How could we
overcome the obstacles? 7. What is most important to preserve in our schools? What is the most important to change? 8. What has been or is most difficult for you in your position? 9. What changes, if any, in working relationships or job structure do you see necessary?
Briefings with Central Office: 1. Please describe your job in terms of scope and responsibility. 2. What are your most pressing short-term tasks? 3. What are your most pressing long-term tasks? 4. Please describe the recurring tasks in your area. 5. What special projects are you undertaking?
6. What tasks must be completed prior to the opening of school?
III. Student Achievement
The following activities are intended to understand current strategies as well as strengths and opportunities for improvement in the districts instructional program.
“The fundamental purpose of the school is to help all students learn the knowledge, skills, and dispositions most essential to their success.”
DuFour, et al., 2008 Revisiting professional learning communities at work: New insights for improving schools
“The impact of monitoring on student learning is nearly linear. More monitoring, more achievement. And effective monitoring
will focus not just on test scores but on the adult practices that led to the test scores.”
Reeves, D. (2011) Finding your leadership focus: Transforming professional learning into student results, K-12
Task Constituency Group Timeline
Meet with district instructional leadership team to
discuss achievement data, instructional program
alignment and current goals and priority action
areas for the district
-determine degree of alignment with common
core standards
-determine degree of rigor embedded in curricula
Superintendent, Director of
Curriculum/Instruction & School
Principals
September & October 2013
Review district accountability plan for
instructional areas
Superintendent, Director of
Curriculum/Instruction & School
Principals
September & October 2013
Analyze patterns in student achievement data and
achievement gaps in order to begin to assess
current state of teaching and learning
Superintendent, Director of
Curriculum/Instruction & School
Principals
September, October & on monthly
basis 2013-2014
Assess current data and performance of all
schools and determine quality of actions (School
Improvement Plans or SIPs) designed for
continuous improvement
Superintendent, Director of
Curriculum/Instruction & School
Principals
October 2013
Identify chronically underperforming schools,
departments, teams, etc… and conduct a root
cause analysis for low performance, then
determine course for corrective action
Superintendent, Director of
Curriculum/Instruction & School
Principals
October 2013
Assess current professional development systems,
initially focusing on professional development for
instructional staff and building administrators
Superintendent, Director of
Curriculum/Instruction & School
Principals
August, September & October
2013
Discuss current status and focus of strategic plan Superintendent, Director of
Curriculum/Instruction & School
Principals
October & November 2013
Gain understanding of each school’s context;
academic and operational
Superintendent
& School Principals
August, September & October
2013
Listen to key issues and concerns school faces in
the coming year
Superintendent
& School Principals
September & October 2013
Listen to how the work of principals can best be
supported
Superintendent
& School Principals
September & October 2013
Survey school principals to gather information on
the operation of the District
Superintendent
& School Principals
August & September 2013
Conduct administrative retreat to establish
rapport, procedures and expectations
Superintendent, Principals and other
administrators
August 2013
Ensure all necessary plans and preparations are in
place for an outstanding opening of schools
(safety plans, staff and student handbooks)
Superintendent, Principals and other
administrators
August 2013
Interviews with School Based Administrators or Principals:
1. Please give me a brief biographical sketch to help me know you.
2. What are the accomplishments you look upon with pride as a principal?
3. What goal would you most like to achieve in your building and what makes achieving it difficult?
4. What is the current state of the working relationships between the superintendent/principals, principal/principal, and
central office principals, system/community?
5. Please assess your building in terms of program and personnel.
6. What are our system goals? Are they on target? What stands in the way of achieving them? How could we overcome
the obstacles?
7. What individuals or groups influence the system? How is that influence achieved? 8. What would you most like to see preserved in your building? In the system?
9. What would you most like to see changed in your building? The system?
10. What responsibilities are the principal’s alone? What responsibilities are shared with other principals?
11. Are there areas of decision-making that are unclear? Curriculum, staffing, budgeting, maintenance, student services….
IV. Community and Public Relations
A detailed communications and engagement plan has been developed to support Superintendent Thomas’ entry
into the school districts and the communities. The primary objectives of the engagement and communications plan are to introduce the new interim superintendent to the Orange, Petersham and RC Mahar Regional staffs and communities; create a strong presence; establish relationships/rapport and establish critical communications channels with each targeted stakeholder group.
Targeted Stakeholders School Committees
Parents
Staff in all three districts
Union Leadership for Orange, Petersham and RC Mahar Regional
Students
Elected Officials – Town, County and State
Community Partners/Organizations/Safety Officials/Business Leaders
Higher Education Partners at MWCC, GCC and UMass-Amherst
Other School Districts, Superintendents- Dayle Doiron at Pioneer, Anthony Polito at Athol-Royalston and Michael Sullivan at
Gill-Montague
Media- Athol Daily News and the Greenfield Recorder
Communication and Engagement Opportunities for Staff:
Task Constituency Group Timeline
New Teacher Orientation session
Superintendent & Induction Program
August 2013
Initial one-on-one meetings with leadership of all employee unions
Superintendent & Union Leaders August & September 2013
Group meeting with directors and coordinators Superintendent, Director of
Curriculum/Instruction & Principals
September & October 2013
“Drop-in” open-door office hours with sessions
limited to 20 minutes; first come, first served,
beginning in September
Superintendent & Staff
September & October 2013
Distribute Entry Plan survey to all staff to gather
information on the operations of the districts via
Survey Monkey.
Superintendent
Late September 2013
Visit each classroom in the three districts the first
week of school
Superintendent, Director of
Curriculum/Instruction & Principals
August 2013
Understand structure, membership and
responsibilities of teacher groups (Collaboration
process, grade level teams, department teams,
committees…etc.)
Superintendent, Director of
Curriculum/Instruction & Principals
August, September, October 2013
Interviews for Teachers’ Unions:
1. Please give me a brief biographical sketch to help me know you.
2. What are the students like in Orange, Petersham or RC Mahar Regional?
3. What are the district(s)’ strengths and challenges?
4. What are the key issues for you in your own work with the school district(s)?
5. What is the current state of the working relationships between the superintendent/principals, principal/principal, and
central office, system/community?
6. What are our system goals? Are they on target? What stands in the way of achieving them? How could we overcome
the obstacles?
7. What individuals or groups influence the system? How is that influence achieved?
8. What would you most like to see preserved in our work together?
9. What would you most like to see changed in our collaboration?
10. What leadership has the Superintendent of Schools provided in the past? What do you wish s/he would provide in the
future?
Survey for all staff via Survey Monkey:
The purpose of this short questionnaire is to provide the new superintendent of schools with information about our school
community. The information collected will be summarized and shared with the board of education. Some information will be
used to develop district-wide priorities and goals. Thank you for your time and input.
1. What do you see as the school’s greatest strengths?
2. What do you see as the school’s greatest areas of growth?
3. Based upon your knowledge about our school community, what should the top three priorities be for the interim superintendent of schools and the school
committee?
4. Please tell us about yourself. This information will help us to organize the responses. Check all that apply.
□ Student
□ Teacher PK-2 Orange
□ Teacher 3-4 Orange
□ Teacher 5-6 Orange
□ Teacher K-6 Petersham
□ Parent/Guardian Orange
□ Parent/Guardian Petersham
□ Parent/Guardian RC Mahar Regional
□ District Resident
□ Other school staff
□ Food Service staff member
□ Teacher assistant/para
Students, Families & the Community:
“Non-negotiable district goals should be established through a collaborative goal-setting process that involves key
stakeholders.”
Marzano, 2009 Setting the record straight on “high-yield” strategies
“A primary task in taking a company from good to great is to create a culture wherein people have a tremendous opportunity to
be heard and, ultimately, for the truth to be heard.”
Collins, 2001 Good to Great
Task Constituency Group Timeline
Visit each school council (5) Superintendent, Principals & School
Council Members
October & November 2013
Individual school PTO meetings and events as
invited
Superintendent, Director of
Curriculum/Instruction & Principals
September – December 2013
Meet with Student Council, 9-12 Superintendent & High School
Principal
September, January and June
Visit district summer school programs Superintendent & Director of Special
Services
July & August 2013
Community celebrations, including festivals, fairs,
etc.
Superintendent July – December 2013
Superintendent-sponsored meetings with community
organizations and groups/ meet & greets
Superintendent & hosts September – December 2013
Parent/Student/Community Survey:
The purpose of this short questionnaire is to provide the new superintendent of schools with information about our school
community. The information collected will be summarized and shared with the board of education. Some information will be
used to develop district-wide priorities and goals. Thank you for your time and input.
1. What do you see as the school’s greatest strengths?
2. What do you see as the school’s greatest areas of growth?
3. Based upon your knowledge about our school community, what should the top three priorities be for the interim superintendent of schools and the school
committee?
4. Please tell us about yourself. This information will help us to organize the responses. Check all that apply.
□ Student
□ Teacher PK-2 Orange
□ Teacher 3-4 Orange
□ Teacher 5-6 Orange
□ Teacher K-6 Petersham
□ Parent/Guardian Orange
□ Parent/Guardian Petersham
□ Parent/Guardian RC Mahar Regional
□ District Resident
□ Other school staff
□ Food Service staff member
□ Teacher assistant/para
Elected and Appointed Officials:
Task Constituency Group Timeline
Initial and on-going meetings with Orange Town
Administrator
Superintendent & Town
Administrators
Starting August 2013
Initial phone call to each Select Board Chair in
Orange, Petersham, New Salem and Wendell,
followed up with a meeting/tour of town
Superintendent August, September & October 2013
Official phone calls to or meetings with county and
state elected officials and agency directors, as
appropriate
Superintendent September & October 2013
V. Operational Support and Business Systems
The following activities are intended to understand the current strategies, strengths and opportunities for improvement in the districts’ operations and finance areas.
“A critical task for school boards is the allocation of financial resources to bolster students’ academic achievement”
Land, 2002. School Boards under Review: Their Role and Effectiveness in Relation to Students’ Academic Achievement
“Public schools are being asked to do more with less for an increasingly more needy clientele.”
Larry Lezotte, 2008. Effective schools; Past, present, and future.
Task Constituency Group Timeline
Review all employee group contracts and participate
in negotiations of renewals
Superintendent May, June, July, August, September
2013
Understand each district’s information technology
systems and plans for the future
Superintendent, Assistant
Superintendent, Director of
Curriculum/Instruction & Director of
Technology
August 2013
Understand district accountability plan for
operational areas
Superintendent & Central Office
Staff
August & September 2013
Review districts’ financial projections, resources
allocation and budgeting processes
Superintendent & Business Manager May, June, July, August &
September 2013
Assess how each district’s budget and budgeting
process is aligned to support student achievement
Superintendent & Business Manager September 2013
Meet with attorney to review any legal issues
impacting the districts as well as to be briefed on
existing and proposed laws and regulations that may
impact the consolidated districts
Superintendent & Attorney
July, August & September 2013
Review each district or school’s safety and crisis
plans
Superintendent, Facilities Directors
& Principals
July & August 2013
Review districts’ strategic communications plan Superintendent & Central Office
Staff
July, August & September 2013
Data Collection Methods:
Identify and interview key personnel (Listed below)
Review data related to student achievement and student activities
Visit districts’ schools
Analysis of survey data via Survey Monkey
Individual and group discussions
Interviews to be Scheduled/Individuals to Meet:
Board members from all three districts (15)
Building administrators
Business manager
Grants Manager
Special Education Director
Technology Director
Athletic Director
Association Presidents
Community:
o Town Administrator, Diana Schindler in Orange
o Selectboard and Finance Committee Chairs in Orange, Petersham, New Salem and Wendell
o Police chiefs in Orange and Petersham, County Sheriff
o Fire chiefs in Orange and Petersham
o State representatives o Service organizations
o Select Individuals
Cara Deane – former committee member
Dana Kennan- former committee member
Angela Littlewood – former committee member
Eileen Perkins – former Superintendent of Schools and current Finance Committee member
Dr. Helen Vivian – former Superintendent of Schools
Dr. Patricia Martin – former Superintendent of Schools
Walt Owens– Director Wheeler Memorial Library
Dan Haynes - Auditor with Scanlon & Associates
Cliff Fournier – Council on Aging, Orange and former School Committee Chair
Bob Andrews – former Selectboard member /regional planning committee
Frank Zak – former principal
Robert Haigh – former principal or Enver Softic
Kurt Enko – former teacher
Demil Kovacevic – former teacher
Dale Bull – former town administrative assistant, Petersham
Interview Questions for Various Stakeholders:
11. Please give me a brief biographical sketch to help me know you.
12. What are the students like in Orange, Petersham or RC Mahar Regional?
13. What are the district(s)’ strengths and challenges?
14. What are the key issues for you in your own work with the school district(s)?
15. What is the current state of the working relationships between the superintendent/principals, principal/principal, and
central office, system/community?
16. What are our system goals? Are they on target? What stands in the way of achieving them? How could we overcome
the obstacles?
17. What individuals or groups influence the system? How is that influence achieved?
18. What would you most like to see preserved in our work together? 19. What would you most like to see changed in our collaboration?
20. What leadership has the Superintendent of Schools provided in the past? What do you wish s/he would provide in the
future?
Document Review:
Strategic Plan/District Plan for each district
Districts’ budgets
Districts’ financial audit
Salary schedules/placement guides for all three districts
Administrative procedures
Board policies, regulations and exhibits
Administrator job descriptions
Key personnel evaluations
Content standards, curriculum maps and pacing guides for all three districts
School improvement plans for all five schools
Student and faculty handbooks for all three districts
Federal grants and other funded grants for all three districts
Capital Improvement Plan for all three districts
Technology Plan for all three districts
Crisis Management Plans for all five schools/three districts
Next Steps:
To set the entry plan into motion, observing and meeting with individuals, holding focus groups, surveys and other
forums to ask the guiding questions. Once achieved, the Superintendent shares findings and compiles the data
acquired. Then, along with the school committees and staff, works to identify priorities to inform the development
of strategic plan in FY15 and FY16 with input from community and district stakeholders.
Responses and planning can be framed around the following:
What do we want the Orange, Petersham and RC Mahar Regional School districts to be best known for? How can
we maintain momentum for the journey forward?
leverage increased achievement given fiscal constraints?
Report to School Committees planned for December 2013
Tari N. Thomas
Interim Superintendent of Schools
Consolidated Districts of Orange, Petersham, RC Mahar
Draft: July 9, 2013
Draft: August 7, 2013
Final: August 20, 2013