MIDDLETOWN — The Middletown Unified School District Board of Trustees approved a new contract for Superintendent Korby Olson Wednesday night during its lone July meeting.
The board carried this item over from its June meeting to allow more time to look over the superintendent”s evaluation. The superintendent is required to undergo two evaluations per year and meet with the board to discuss them. After reviewing the evaluation, the board unanimously approved the new three-year contract for Olson.
The board spent some time going over district goals. A teacher petitioned the board to let him improve his instruction skills by taking college classes, known as a personal growth initiative (PGI). This led the board to discuss ways of improving learning for all teachers and students in the district.
The PGI is an individual way for teachers to learn new engagement and instruction strategies in the classroom. Some board members wanted to see teachers who have their PGI approved in the future to share with as many teachers as possible the strategies they have learned.
Board member Lynette Carrillo asked the teacher to find a way to share with the board and the district what he learned. Board member Jay Albertson agreed with Carrillo and said he wanted to see all students in the district benefit from the PGI.
Shelly Tan, principal at Cobb Elementary, asked the board for a way to have all the teachers in the district to get together to present and share teaching strategies. Olson said the district has some days planned for things such as this but they are only at each individual school site.
Albertson said teachers who are approved for a PGI have a responsibility to share what they have learned with the board and district. He said this responsibility should be part of the PGI to benefit as many students as possible.
Board member Sandy Tucker said she liked the idea of having teachers who go through the PGI process to share what they learned in a seminar-like setting. She said there should be a day where all teachers in the district can get together and share these strategies.
The board unanimously approved the teacher”s PGI.
Olson updated the board on the district core values and how they might translate into expenditures. He listed off a few goals, such as keeping the district student-centered and ways to keep the district innovative, and listed some possible ways they would translate into the classroom.
Olson said the district core values are not finished yet. Board member Yvette Sloan said the earlier discussion of teachers sharing instructional strategies should be included in the values. Olson said he will continue to refine the values and asked the board to contribute any ideas.
Kevin N. Hume can be reached at kevin.n.hume@gmail.com or call directly 263-5636 ext. 14.
