Floyd County Schools Superintendent Jeff McDaniel speaks to the Chamber’s Education Workforce Committee. He said, “Our children need to be moving forward and have fewer high school students focused on remediation rather than self-actualization.” (Lauren Jones, RN-T.com)
Rome Superintendent Jeff Bearden addresses the Chamber’s Education Workforce Committee on Friday. He said, “We have a responsibility between the home, school and community to make sure our kids understand how technology can be used as a really powerful tool to help them improve academically.” (Lauren Jones, RN-T.com)
The issues were among the topics brought to the table at the Greater Rome Chamber of Commerce’s Education Workforce Committee. Rome City Schools Superintendent Jeff Bearden and Floyd County Schools Superintendent Jeff McDaniel were guests at the meeting held in chamber’s executive boardroom.
Bearden called the children of today “digital natives,” since they’re growing up in a world where they are surrounded by technology that continues to see frequent advancements. He said his school system is working toward integrating more technology in the classroom and developing a “bring your own technology” initiative for students.
He noted that community leaders must ensure that children are intelligent and responsible consumers of technology.
“We have a responsibility between the home, school and community to make sure our kids understand how technology can be used as a really powerful tool to help them improve academically,” he said.
Bearden also emphasized the importance of teaching students the dangers associated with technology.
“What’s good research, what’s not good research?” he said. “They are not going to figure that out on their own. We have a responsibility to do that.”
“We want to focus more on skills and less on test scores,” he continued. “In my opinion, as a nation, we have become way too fixated on how kids fill out bubbles on multiple choice tests.”
He said that while standardized testing is important and necessary, skills that need to be emphasized to students are critical thinking, creativity, communication skills, punctuality and professionalism, to name a few.
Bearden’s previous term as superintendent was at Fayette County Schools, a system that recently announced it would close four out of 30 schools. Bearden said that while North Heights and Main Elementary schools have low enrollment in comparison to other schools, any Rome City school closings are not on the radar.
“They are smaller schools, so it’s not like we have a lot of empty space in those buildings,” he said. “I wouldn’t dismiss it, but it hasn’t been put on the radar screen yet.”
When McDaniel spoke to the committee, he first referenced Floyd County Schools’ planned Reduction in Force.
“I started with the end in mind when it comes to the budget process,” he explained. “I did not want to lose any programs, I didn’t want to lose any services, and I didn’t want to close any schools. As I kept those three things in mind in the budget process, when we got to those difficult decisions and the RIF plan, we were able to keep our programs and services and we didn’t close any schools.”
McDaniel said a goal for the school system is not only increasing the graduation rate, but also increasing the quality of graduates rather than merely the quantity.
Along those lines, he noted that early learning skills such as reading are imperative to the success of students in the future.
“Our children need to be moving forward and have fewer high school students focused on remediation rather than self-actualization,” he said.
Please let the system know your name and come to an agreement to part ways. Grant monies and FTE are 2 different issues. You are saying that WBL is self supportive. I disagree. Are you taking instuctors, salaries and benefits, building and utilities, and transportation costs into account? Another issue is the involvement of business and industry. Why would the Superintendent want your input. If you have such a successful business, why did you not go to the Superintendent before the RIF was final and offer your advice? If your opinion and insight is so valued, I would think you would have requested a meeting. Perhaps *one* reason you or others were not asked for input is because you would not have been strong enough to make the necessary decisions. "Pet" programs would have been demand to be saved as well as the positions of friends and neighbors. I would hope that if you had the magical answers to keep the RIF from occuring and over 100 peoole from losing their jobs plus several hundred other employees from incurring furloughs you would have come forward. But you like most of the kool aide drinking chamber crowd are full of hot air. I suggest something for you. If you have "the answer", contact the RNT, request a meeting with its owner, and tell him your ideas. The RNT will print your all saving solution! You will become a hero to the community. Over a hundred employees will send you thank you cards and cry in gratitude. Congressmen, Senators, State Representatives, Comissioners, School Board Members will all state they owe you a debt of gratitude.
I'm betting you'll remain behind a screenname and do nothing. Because casting stones at an easy target appears to be all you can do.
It appears you should have been more closely involved with Floyd County Schools. If you have vast budget knowledge, why didn't you make it available to the school system prior to the RIF? Apparently you do not comprehend the financial situation the system is in due to the enormous cuts the state has imposed. I chose to stand behind our Superintendent verses making belittling accusations against him. Do you wonder how our system was going to meet its financial obligations unless a RIF was put in place? It's plain and simple, the had incurred too many cuts from the state to sustain the level of spending it was at. Several programs were bleeding the system out of financial viability. Everyone has a "pet" program they deem most important. Cuts had to be made. You make the threat of revoking funding bc of your dislike for the Superintendent. If this is true, the only people you hurt are the children. I doubt the system counts your contributions as anything of importance in the financial reports. We are talking about a $80 million budget.
If you want a person to blame, call Katie Dempsey. She has voted to decrease funding in education every year she has been in office. There's where the change is needed.
Why didn't you mention Dr. Bearden's history and what brought him to Rome from the North and then Fayette?
Where you a person that smiled politely and shook Dr.Mcdaniel's hand and then ran to your computer, hid behind a screenname, and bashed him (leave your name. Let him respond to you)