From Warren to Rochester
Robert Shaner, the new Rochester Community Schools superintendent, has been on the job since March 1. While the school year is close to an end, spring offers many opportunities for Dr. Shaner to experience school-related events. He has been visiting schools and meeting staff.
Superintendent Shaner’s background and experience can be reviewed in Rochester Media’s preview of the hiring by reporter Annette Kingsbury.
Meeting with Parents
The new superintendent will continue to meet with parents at monthly “community coffee” events, such as the last meeting on April 10. About a dozen proactive parents attended the meeting with passion. They raised issues personal to them and their children.
Some of the concerns mentioned at the morning meeting were the loss of students in the music programs, requesting foreign language instruction begin at earlier levels and ways to improve testing out of certain classes.
One parent suggested that music programs are down by 50 percent in recent years and she would like to see it reversed. Currently, foreign language instruction is available starting in grade seven and another parent believes it should be much sooner. Dr. Shaner has asked the legal department to offer an opinion on how new state legislation may interfere with students building a personal curriculum and testing out of certain classes.
Give and Take
“Value judgments” and “limited funding resources” need to be considered to serve the needs of the district, said Shaner. He explained how if you add something, you need to take something away.
Dr. Shaner wants to involve all the stakeholders of the community to design a strategic plan moving forward. “Focus groups” and “surveys” will help structure a community vision.
The public is encouraged to participate in the strategic plan. One way is to check the district’s website for information about the next “Community coffee” by going to www.rochester.k12.mi.us and attending the meeting. Days and times of the meetings will be vary month to month.
Michael Dwyer is a freelance writer and travel columnist. Michael writes about happenings in the Rochester area, travels across Michigan and destinations around the world. Contact him at Michael@RochesterMedia.com