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Granite School District > Superintendent's Office > Sup’s Vlog > Employees

Employees

End-of-Year Message to GSD Employees

Hello all,

 A couple of weeks ago I was looking at the calendar and hoping this last week of school before the break would be quiet and uneventful.  As we all experienced, Monday and Tuesday were not particularly calm.  I was touched, however, with our maintenance folks who rose up in dramatic ways.  Early, and that would be before 3:00 am, Monday morning the folks from all of our shops were getting in trucks with plows and salt and headed out to clear snow.  When I say “from all of our shops” I mean it.  The plumbing shop, the electrical shop, the paint shop and others – all of these people put down their regular tools (pipe wrenches, lineman’s pliers, brushes, or whatever else) and started clearing snow.  Because the storm hung around for a while, they stayed with those snow-moving tools, frankly, as long as it was legal to stay behind the wheel without a break.  Technically they were not doing their “jobs” or following their job descriptions, but were absolutely committed to their roles in keeping our schools up and running so kids could come there and be safe and learn.  The transportation folks were right with them and the list goes on.  In addition to our district support personnel, school custodians, teachers, administrators, secretaries and others were all there too, because you are all committed to your roles.  I thank you sincerely. 

 I want to take another minute to brag about all of our teachers specifically!  In a very real way, everyone not in a classroom is support personnel for our teachers because teaching and learning is what we are all about and why we exist.  I love that all our district vehicles prominently display that we have “Great Teachers,” Most Options” and “Best Education.”  I hope you’ve seen them driving all over, promoting how I believe our teachers should be acknowledged.  Perhaps you’ve seen the banners off of I-15 with similar messages.  I believe this and am in awe of the dedication and effort our teachers – really all of our educators – demonstrate every day.

 In October our board of education hosted a conference in our district – board members and superintendents from across the country visited many schools and programs in the district.  I was with a group that spent time at Kearns High, Granite Park Jr. and Monroe Elementary.  A board member from St. Charles Parish Louisiana – right outside of New Orleans – pulled me aside and with tears in his eyes told me that while he was born and raised in Louisiana, he had never seen diversity like what we have here and how moved he was by the great efforts of so many people, and how surprised to see everyone, regardless of title, engaged in supporting the focus.  I agree, I can’t overstate how proud I am to work with such wonderful people, all you wonderful people.

 I wish I could know all of you personally, I try to shake as many hands as I can, and to say “thank you” as I visit schools.  I can’t do this enough.  I’m sometimes saddened by things I hear attributed to me, so please know how much I value all of you, how much confidence I have in all of you and, consequently, the hope I have for kids whom we serve because they’re privileged to be taught by you and learn in schools beautified and maintained and staffed by you.

 All of which is to say, my heart is full as I reflect on a calendar year winding down and a new calendar year beginning.  I hope you feel as do I, that our lives are richer and more full because of those with whom we work, and because of those whom we serve through our work.  As I’ve perhaps shared before, in my home we celebrate Christmas and so from my home to yours, I wish you a Merry Christmas.  However you celebrate or recognize different celebrations in the next few weeks, I wish you peace and joy in your hearts and between you and your family and friends. 

 Martin

Question –

Superintendent Bates – I have noticed, especially the last few weeks that many teachers have had a difficult time finding substitutes to cover their classes while they are away, especially if it is an emergency and they put a sub request in the morning of the absence. Is there a way to help with this? I know there are many substitutes available that are not taking jobs. I also know several people who have tried to apply for a job as a substitute, but were told they cannot because they do not possess a college degree. Why is this? Why do the teachers have to come to school when we are sick or our family members are sick because we cannot find a substitute? It does not make sense to me that the district is turning away people who do not possess a college degree, but many teachers cannot get their classes covered when they need it? Are there any plans to help change this?

Response – Thank you for your question. Last spring the decision was made to lower the degree requirement from a bachelor’s degree to an associate’s degree in an attempt to attract additional substitute teachers. We currently have approximately 900 substitute teachers, but still struggle filling classrooms, especially when the substitute is requested the morning of the absence. Principals may recommend the hire of emergency substitute teachers for their school only. Emergency substitutes work in only one school and do not have a degree requirement. Please check with your principal to see if your school has a list of emergency substitute teachers.

Thanks to the Human Resources Department for their assistance in responding to this question.

https://www.graniteschools.org/superintendent/2015/11/1556/

Winding Down

Hi everyone!

We’re getting really close and I’m starting to believe that the light at the end of the tunnel is something other than a train. Frankly though, I don’t truly breathe freely until the morning after graduation when all the graduates appear to have made it home safely after their celebrations.

I did a snapshot a couple of weeks ago where I talked about watching my son run the mile at a meet over at Taylorsville High – how during the first three laps the kids seem to be running at an impossible pace and then they speed up even more for the last lap, and then collapse after crossing the finish line. I know that’s how many of you (us) feel, that we kept an impossible pace going all school year long and then ratcheted it up into an all-out sprint for this final quarter. I sincerely thank you for the races you’ve run.

As I’ve thought about how far the metaphor can be stretched, I’d like to tug it a bit further. After he ran the mile, I watched my son limp over to the tree where the rest of his team was. There were hugs and high-fives all around, then he sat down and guzzled some water and ate a snack of some kind. After that he kind of collapsed and covered his face with a smelly t-shirt for a bit and I think he may well have been sleeping. After a long while he popped up and called on a couple of team members so they could warm up in preparation for the 800 meter run.

I’m extremely hopeful, as the next 72 or so hours pass, that we’ll give beleaguered and wearied hugs and high-fives to each other and then go crash for a while, doing whatever it is that fills our own personal buckets (or sharpens our saws etc.). For most of our teachers, eight to ten weeks from now you’ll hunt up some peers and start warming up for the next race. Many of our support staff have a much shorter turn around as they jump into deep cleaning, refurbishing of facilities and equipment and other kinds of preparation activities – I hope all of you take the time to stretch tired muscles and have time to really refresh. You deserve it.

I think most of you know by now that once ratification is complete, Granite appears to have the best settlement of all the districts in the state. The board of education really stepped out to do right by employees. Thanks to the associations for all their great work as well. For the many of you whom this affects, we’re likely going to be able to have a reduction in the number of district assessments next year as well (with your participation and feedback this past year we think we will be able to modify the tools to get the information needed to inform teachers, parents and students in a better format, more quickly and with fewer administrations than in the past). I’m also greatly pleased that in virtually every category our SAGE scores improved significantly over last year, your efforts and focus – and I mean everybody’s efforts and focus – really have paid off. The game changed rules and we’ve all made adjustments to compete and win in the new context. You all deserve all the credit and I couldn’t be prouder!

Thanks for all you do – have a great summer and we’ll see you in the fall!

Martin

Superintendent Snapshot – Happy Thanksgiving

Welcome to the latest Superintendent Snapshot. To submit a question, send an email to supsblog@graniteschools.org.

 

Superintendent Snapshot – Two Employees Save the Day

Welcome to the latest Superintendent Snapshot. To submit a question, email supsblog@graniteschools.org.

Holiday Greetings

The following message was sent to all Granite School District employees on Thursday, December 19, at 10 a.m.

Hello All!

I went to bed last night planning a holiday greeting to send out this morning. When the phone rang at 4:00 AM, my thoughts turned another direction.

I left the house much earlier than usual, chipped ice off my windshield, dropped my two elementary kids off at school (the high school kids were long gone already) and drove at a crawl the rest of the way to work. We have two schools with power out, the one with exterior windows we’ll be able to keep open half a day – following a late start – so they don’t have to make it up in April. The other, without exterior windows, we’re getting the word out to close now.

I do want to express my thanks to the transportation fleet, the grounds crews – and all those who don’t usually wield shovels or drive snow plows – who’ve jumped to help provide a warm, safe, supervised, warm-meal day to the children in this community we serve. My thanks absolutely include our teachers who really do the hardest work in our whole organization day in and day out.

As we’ve approached this holiday season, my thoughts have turned to family and Christmases past, including thoughts about my dad who battled cancer, ultimately losing the fight nearly 14 years ago. Paradoxically, he took every opportunity to say that for him, an advantage of cancer was that “it gives the chance to say the things you were too dumb to say before you got sick.” With that counsel, although hopefully not that situation, I encourage all of us (including me), to take the opportunity in the next couple of weeks to initiate repair of bridges in our personal lives and affirmatively let our loved ones know that they are, in fact, our loved ones.

In my own home we celebrate Christmas, so from my home to yours, I wish you a Merry Christmas! I also know many of us approach this season differently and to you, I wish heartfelt Happy Holidays! I’m proud to work with so many great people who dedicate their professional lives, and much of their personal lives, to building our community’s future by serving children directly and indirectly both in our schools and in support of our schools.

I thank all of you!

Martin