The Henton Headlines: July 23, 2020

THE HENTON HEADLINES
JULY 23, 2020
Here’s the scoop for the week…

 

The week of July 27 is upon us:

Here are some things to consider for the days ahead:

• COVID-19 is first a public health crisis. The Minnesota Department of Education is in consultation with the Minnesota Department of Health before releasing any guidance.
• Your school board must be ready for constituent response:

1. Prepare the school board for a possible contentious week as opinions about the opening of school are wide-ranging- 

• Provide the school board with talking points about how much work you and your team/s have been engaged in all summer preparing for all three scenarios. This information will assist them at the grocery store, gas station or wherever they run into constituents with opinions and questions.  
• Remind the school board how quickly staff went to full distance learning and while not 100% successful, you did very well given the speed of the conversion. Remember to include the phenomenal work of every sector of your staff. We know they deserve much praise for their efforts. It took a village…Staff want to hear praise from school board members.
• Review with school board members how they handle turbulence and discontent that comes to them via email and/or phone calls. Do they share what they are hearing with you? Does the School Board Chair respond on behalf of the school board? Do the members ask you for help if they don’t know the proper response? Are you copied on responses? Impress upon the school board this is a team effort-you will get through this together.
• Plan for media requests and who should speak on behalf of the school district.
• Depending on how the MDE guidance is written, there may be local decisions to be made by the school board, and there may be directives (masks) that must be followed.  Remember back to graduation and grading guidance and what you learned from working with disagreement among school board members and possibly yourself. Are there lessons from that time that will assist you if this scenario plays out again? What liability issues might there be for not following MDE/Governor directives?
• The school board is likely already aware, yet share with the members that while some staff are eager to return, others are not for a variety of reasons, and that you are listening and working through just about every possible scenario imaginable to keep everyone safe during uncertain, rapidly changing times. Let them know Ed MN has been in contact with its members and that there may be new requests to negotiate items.
• Draft communication so that you are ready to inform your families, students  and communities about your planning and opening efforts. Your work this past spring and summer has prepared you to communicate well. You won’t be able to get out ahead of the announcement, but you can try to be next in line.
• Anticipate staff reaction and need for communication following the announcement. Should you have a prepared statement ready to reassure them? Might you work with union leaders to seek their support in your communication? How might union leaders help to reassure their members? Consider the order of your communication. School board first, then staff, then students/families, then the community, or some variation?
• Meet for the umpteenth time with your cabinet/team members. Help them be in a good place for the forthcoming announcement.  Technology leaders, curriculum leaders, central office staff, principals-everyone on your team has played a key role in getting you to this day. Reassure them, elevate their confidence level, celebrate your united efforts.
• By now you may have noticed I believe strongly that leadership matters. You are essential to making whatever plan/s come out work for our children and all of our stakeholders.  I am certain you will do everything possible to remain positive as you contend with complexity unlike our generation of leaders has ever experienced when planning the opening of a school year. To retain your positive spirit, courage, sense of humor, compassion, and rational thinking through it all, it is imperative that you attend to your physical and personal needs. You simply must find a way to do so. Rely on your family, our colleagues, on me for support and confidence.  You are not alone.  We are in this together.

Leadership matters:

Every situation in life is temporary. So when life is good, make sure you enjoy and receive it fully. And when life is not so good, remember that it will not last forever and better days are on the way. -author unknown

Deb