Great Start to 2007-2008

Thank you to all the staff of AISD for an exemplary beginning! During the summer, we often have people say, “Oh, what do you all do up there in the summer? I thought you were off?” Those are almost fighting words for some of us! For many of the support personnel at AISD, summer is the busiest time!

At the Central office, summer is the time when we work to balance and prioritize the budget. Dick Walker and Karen Moss work steadily to make sure that our money is allocated wisely and that we are getting the most “bang for our buck.” It isn’t easy. (See my other article entitled School Finance is NOT Fixed.) The Board adopts the budget at the August Board meeting. Becky Evans, our payroll clerk, spends many hours enrolling new personnel and explaining the benefits that AISD offers. Sheri Edmonds, our accounts payable clerk, finishes up the purchase orders for 2006-2007 and processes purchases orders for supplies needed to begin the 2007-2008 school year. Kim Swope, Superintendent’s secretary, spends her time preparing for the year to come. Staff development plans are made and executed, mail-outs to staff are processed, and new personnel records are checked. It is a most busy time. Thank you Central Office!!!

Our custodial, maintenance, and technology staffs are three staffs that carry an especially heavy summer burden. We have an outstanding custodial staff that works tirelessly in the summer to clean and prepare all the buildings for the arrival of students. At AISD, all 13 custodians are pulled together as a team. They literally attack the buildings like a swarm of ants. You will find them on ladders washing walls, in the halls stripping and waxing the floors and all over the buildings replacing pencil sharpeners and light globes. They were under a time crunch that was especially difficult this year because they could not move into the elementary to clean while the new air conditioner was being installed. When they did move in, they had to work in a building without windows and no air as they prepared our facility. Thank you Custodial Staff!!!

Our maintenance department had a heavy load to bear this year because we were unable to secure anyone to address much needed press box remodeling. So, the staff took up the challenge and worked most of the summer addressing the problem. While they were working on the repairs, the work orders did not cease coming in from all over the district. Jim Felice, Juan Velma, Donnie Morgan, and Ron Copper are to be commended for all that they were able to accomplish and all that they are still addressing. Thank you Maintenance Staff!!!

Our technology staff did not take vacations at all this summer. In fact, they worked most Saturdays and many Sundays reworking our network servers, reworking student labs, and addressing technology work orders across the district. Thank you Richard Barnhart and Terrica LaFour!!!

While the rains came, and came, and came, our grounds keepers fought to stay ahead of mowing and maintaining the grounds. Thank you Chester Linares and Jackie Hodges!!!

Also in the summer, the Principals and their staffs work many hours finishing up summer school while planning for the New Year. Handbooks are rewritten, schedules are produced, plans are made for staff development and new initiatives for improvement are addressed. It is a very busy time and school would literally not start without their efforts. Thanks you Campus Administration and staffs!!!!

Not to be forgotten are the preparations that transportation and cafeteria personnel must address in the summer. Dick Walker doubles as Transportation Director and under his leadership our transportation department is well organized and functions properly. Willis Cormier is a master at routing the busses and making sure that the first day of school finds over 700 children getting to the right school and home at the right time! It is quite a feat. Thank you Willis, Richard Griffin, and Dick!!!

Finally, Karen Moss and her cafeteria crew see that our students are properly fed and that come that first day of school, the beans are on the table! Thank you Cafeteria folks!!!

After all this preparation, the big day arrived on August 27, 2007. Children streamed into the buildings. As I made the rounds from campus to campus, I observed something almost unbelievable! We were not having problems! Every campus was running as smooth as glass. By 8:10 a.m., there was no backup of traffic at elementary, every teacher in every room was organizing children and teaching procedures. At high school, the halls were clear, students and teachers were in the rooms getting down to business, and the principals were starting to go over rules for living at high school this year. At middle school, the halls were filled with students all observing the new dress code. My, did they look spiffy! All this went off so smoothly because teachers and aides spent many hours before the first day preparing and getting ready for our students. Thank you Teachers and Aides!!!!

What an awesome start! Again, thank you to all who helped to make this one of the smoothest starts I have seen in all my years!