A New Team, We Kill ABACUS and Get Very Busy

In the fall of 1993, the business manager and superintendent both decided to retire. The board of education reluctantly accepted these retirements. They also accepted the recommendation to promote one of the “Chiefs” to superintendent to manage the final effort to merge with the neighboring district, Unit 5. They assumed he would accomplish this merger within two years.

The new superintendent had plenty of district office experience, but he lacked expertise is school finance. He had also never been a building principal and had no experience at the elementary level. He asked me to join him as Assistant Superintendent and to manage all educational programs. This included educational technology, but not the administrative technology which still operated on the VAX mainframe computer. 

Fortunately his was able to lure Robert Meeker back to the district from Clinton. I was thrilled that more former boss and I would be assistant superintendents in the new administration. Robert brought all of his excellent management skills, plus new knowledge in administrative software and specialty areas like insurance.

The former “Chief of Instruction” was to become “Director of Instruction” and she was assigned to report to me. The new superintendent’s plan was to move her out within a year. Her days of pushing ABACUS were numbered.

Part of the merger plan was based on a poor financial outlook for our district. This outlook existed in forecasts based on assumptions that we would increase spending, especially on the new computer software, and decrease revenue. The assumptions did not take into account that current fund balances were healthy and that we did not have to buy more of the ABACUS software license or computers to run it.

The first financial decision I recall was to cancel the lease on ABACUS software and cancel any major computer purchases. This decision allowed us time to avoid deficit spending while we focused on getting a merger vote on the ballot.

Robert began to develop five year plans for all aspects of the administration. These involved building maintenance and improvement, administrative technology including financial, payroll, and personnel, insurance, etc.

I began a five year plan for curriculum development and purchases, including revising the BEST tests, consolidating all grant funds to coordinate staff and equipment purchases, enrollment and staffing projections, and integration of educational technology using the learning center teachers in a leadership role. I also had to handle contract negotiations with the new program assistant union.

The superintendent made an arrangement to “lend” our newly demoted Director of Curriculum to a nearby university at the start of the second semester. This helped clear the way for the changes, but left me short handled to do all of the work. I decided to borrow help from two other administrators (community relations and special education) and we developed and implemented a plan to fix the tests and revise curriculum and text books.

While plans were developed and finances were brought under control, we were required to spend a great deal of time getting the merger vote on the ballot. This was not easy as Unit 5 decided to fight the placement on the ballot. This fight led to a hearing in which we had to present the case for merger, but that hearing took two years to happen. Fortunately by then our planning helped as we had a good idea of future enrollments, building space and financing.

Still the stalling tactics kept us preparing to answer immeasurable questions about the district. One of the tactics from Unit 5 was to push for “coordinating” every major aspect of the two districts, thus implying we could work together without merging. Our board still wanted the vote, but forced us into innumerable joint district meetings before we made any decisions. This doubled our work, and resulted in very little coordinated efforts, as Unit 5 would always do what they had planned to do anyway.

All of this work slowed technology implementation, but there was help on the way. The federal government was pushing for implementation of computer technology in all schools. Part of the push was to bring the internet to all levels and every school in the nation. This plan was to bring networks and wiring and internet connections everywhere. To fund this effort, was a new tax called “e-rate” which was attached to every phone and cable bill. To obtain e-rate funds, the district had to develop a comprehensive plan to bring computers on line in the classroom.

Someone had to write the plan. That someone was me.