Accomplishments as a Board Member

By Kenton A. "Ken" Weir, Jr.

The true results of our progress are CONSECUTIVE YEARS OF SUBSTANTIAL GROWTH IN STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT AT EVERY GRADE LEVEL AND IN EVERY SUBJECT TESTED.

Since I am an incumbent, I have a record and a history. I think the best way to describe my accomplishments on the Board is to look at where the district was eight years ago when I was first elected and compare that with where the district is now.

Eight years ago, the Bakersfield City School District was in turmoil for numerous reasons. Most notably, the district was embroiled in a bitter lawsuit with Panama-Buena Vista over funding. The lawsuit had already cost the district approximately $1,000,000 and there was no end in sight.

The lawsuit was, in my opinion, the most obvious sign of the problems the district was facing. The Board was extremely political and was involved in many matters and with many issues that had little, if anything, to do with a quality education. The Board and the District were being constantly bombarded with issues and suggestions spawned by their political activities.

There was no superintendent. In my opinion, there had not been an effective superintendent in quite some time. The Board was involved in every management aspect of the district. There was no leadership. There was not an effective management team. There was no focus on education or student achievement.

Educational programs would come and go. Some would die for lack of support but would not go away. Principals and site administrators were told to make improvements and left to fend for themselves.

In short, the district was wandering aimlessly.

Consequently, there was no unity within the district. It was everyone for themselves. Everyone was working very hard, yet few people had what they needed to work intelligently.

Knowing this scenario, I'm sure you'll understand that negotiations with our employee groups were not a pleasant task.

Compare and contrast this image with where the district is today.

Within six months of my election to the board, the lawsuit was settled and we recovered our costs.

Today, the district has no time for turmoil or distractions. The district is now focused on increasing student achievement. The district and its employees have purpose. And, the district is beginning to assume its rightful role as an educational leader.

The Board members have good individual relationships and operate in the best interest of the district as a solid, unified body. This does not mean that there are no disagreements. There are. But, the disagreements center on philosophy, program implementation, and other educationally focused issues. And, once a decision is made, no matter the disagreement, the entire Board stands firmly behind the decision.

When it was time to search for a new superintendent, we went out into every segment of the community to listen to their concerns. The top three concerns were: a superintendent with local ties or roots that would remain with the district for an extended period of time; a superintendent experienced with urban, diverse districts; and, a superintendent with a history of success.

When we hired Dr. Jean Fuller, we hired a superintendent that met or exceeded each of those three priorities. Dr. Fuller has demonstrated leadership and reinforced the focus, purpose, and direction of the district.

We have successfully implemented new and long overdue educational programs such as:

After school tutoring;

Doubling the available enrollment for summer school;

A new junior high and middle school reading program; and,

Piloting an extended kindergarten academic program.

Each of these initiatives failed to win approval when first presented to the Board. I requested that they be reconsidered and was an advocate for their passage. Each measure passed at the next board meeting.

Students enrolled in the new reading program showed substantial growth at the end of the first year. Students in the extended kindergarten program scored a minimum of 30% higher than students in the regular kindergarten program.

However, the district does not function on education programs alone. As a Board, we have demonstrated our appreciation of district employees and balance of priorities by rewarding our employees with the highest total percentage wage increase of any of the neighboring districts over the past seven years.

The district is now more united than ever. It is beginning to function as a team. There is a feeling of camaraderie that I have not seen before.

The true results of our progress are CONSECUTIVE YEARS OF SUBSTANTIAL GROWTH IN STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT AT EVERY GRADE LEVEL AND IN EVERY SUBJECT TESTED.

I hope this shows you that I take the duties and responsibilities of this position very seriously. I am proud of my accomplishments over the past eight years and look forward to the opportunities of the next four years.

Once again, thank you for taking the time to review this information. If you would like to see the direction of and the successes in the Bakersfield City School District continue, then I would appreciate your vote.

Sincerely,

Ken Weir