Superintendent’s Message - Fall, 2011

Dr. Gary Plano, Superintendent of Schools

School has been in session for three months now and our students, teachers, administrators, parents and community members are hard at work in the critical work we are doing together to prepare students for their future.

Everyday I am reminded that the world is changing, faster than we know. In the 20th century, technology changed the fabric of our lives; for our students today, it will no doubt grow exponentially, connecting the world in ways we cannot even imagine. By 2020 many of our students will be working at jobs that don’t exist yet.

Our facilities, curriculum, instruction, and effective use of technology as a tool for learning are all factors in preparing students to think and succeed globally while using technology as an inherent part of everyday life. We have one of the most talented teaching staffs in the country, and our community has demonstrated over and over that they are willing to go the extra mile to support our schools. Our 21st Century Facilities Planning Committee noted this fact in their recommendations to the board: “In our schools, the committee saw the 2020 Vision being taught in our classrooms today. They saw teachers who are creative in the way they organized their classrooms, examples of project-based learning, hallway tables set up for personalized learning, partitions in place to create small group learning environments, technology integrated into the learning environment. They also saw the facility-related changes that our principals are facing today.”

I am proud of the great teaching and learning we see in all of our schools despite our facilities challenges and I’m immensely grateful to the 21st Century Planning Committee for their time and expertise in helping to shape the future of learning for our students. I look forward to sharing more news about 21st Century Facilities planning in the months ahead and of course, the wonderful stories of teaching and learning that happen in our schools everyday.