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Fixing Schools

August 16, 2013

Our fall sports have begun and, as usual, our good coaches are focusing on fundamentals during these early weeks of practice and play, especially if they are trying to bounce back from some losing seasons. Meanwhile, I’ve been thinking about the fundamentals for fixing schools themselves.

If we really would get serious about a comeback season, we would . . .

  1. Equip the best teachers to work in the worst places.
  2. Provide the highest pay to the teachers working in the lowest grades.
  3. Emphasize   teachers more than technology,
                          pre-Kindergarten more than college prep, and
                          smaller more than larger.
  4. Encourage   fight over flight,
                          tutors over transfers,
                          school improvement over school choice, and
                          investment over vouchers.
  5. And, for Pete’s sake, we would allow public schools to start classes as early as they see fit, even next Monday, not two weeks and a day later as state law mandates. Longer is better than shorter.

And sooner is better than later for putting these fundamentals into our game plan for education.

Second Half by MHSAA

Resilience

November 8, 2011

Several seasons ago, University of Florida Men’s Basketball Coach Billy Donovan was asked what, after a necessary amount of player talent, is the key to a successful season.  Coach Donovan responded:  “Resiliency.”

Building on that, Harvey Gratsky, publisher of Association Convention and Facilities magazine, wrote:  “Resilience, flexibility, persistence and the wisdom to take lessons learned and apply them are all characteristics of successful people.”

Mr. Gratsky continued with broadened remarks:  “Resilient associations that dig deep and find ways to leverage the new normal have been rewarded.”  He added, these organizations show “a real sense of urgency to reinvigorate . . .”

This publisher was addressing associations and the convention business that depends on healthy, vibrant associations; but he could have been describing the MHSAA these past three years.  For even before the recession’s effects on associations generally, the MHSAA was dealing with a potentially lethal fee judgment in the sports seasons litigation.

But in what could have been our bleakest years, we’ve had our best.  We accelerated our learning and expanded our services.  Expenses went down and revenues went up, without increasing our basic tournament ticket prices.

We were resilient and felt urgency to reinvigorate our operations and programs; and we’ve been rewarded with the best three years in the organization’s financial history, poised now to serve our constituents in unprecedented ways.