Better Schools Spring 2021

CLXXIV | SPRING 2021

Fundamental Resources and Editorials for School Administrators

POSSE:

EARLY INTERVENTION SUMMER PROGRAM 08

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ESSER... OH, MY! HELPFUL QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS

FUTURE FOCUSED SCHOOL BUDGETING

26 STUDENT INFORMATION: AUTOMATED SPECIAL EDUCATION RECORDS

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CONTENTS CCOSA Executive Committee Justin Mann CCOSA Chairperson OMLEA Past President Principal, Washington Middle School, Washington Public Schools Dr. April Grace CCOSA Vice Chairperson OASA President Superintendent, Shawnee Public Schools Kyle Reynolds OASA President-Elect Superintendent, Woodward Public Schools Dusty Throckmorton OASSP President Assistant Principal, Guthrie High School, Guthrie Public Schools David Beiler OASSP President-Elect Principal, Jenks High School, Jenks Public Schools Jonathan Atchley OMLEA President Principal, Irving Middle School, Norman Public Schools Rob Mills OMLEA President-Elect Principal, Dewitt Waller Middle School, Enid Public Schools Donna Boles OAESP President Principal, Perkins-Tryon Intermediate Elementary, Perkins-Tryon Public Schools Ashley Hoggatt OAESP President-Elect Principal, Kirkland Elementary School, Putnam City Public Schools Melisa Kifer ODSS President Special Services Director, Stillwater Public Schools Teresa Golden ODSS President-Elect Special Services Director, Kingston Public Schools Dr. Gregg Garn Higher Education Liaison Senior Associate Vice Provost of Digital Learning, University of Oklahoma

07 Words From the Director

By Dr. Pam Deering, CCOSA/OASA Executive Director

18 Future Focused School Budgeting

By Derald Glover, Assistant OASA Executive Director

20 State Department of Education Blended Learning Resources

By Dr. Aaron Espolt, State Department of Education

22 Legislative Update

By Dr. Jeanene Barnett, CCOSA Education Policy and Research Analyst

24 POSSE: Early Intervention Summer Program

By Jim Parrish, Executive Education Director, Choctaw Nation & OASA Executive Committee Member

26 Student Information: Automated Special Education Records

By Andrea Kunkel, CCOSA General Counsel & ODSS Executive Director

32 Looking Ahead to Growth in 2021-2022

By Will Parker, OASSP/OMLEA Executive Director

34 The Power of your Employees

By Bob Noyed, APR, Vice President, CESO Communications

36 TeleLEAD: Learning and Leading Together

By Glen Abshere, OAESP Executive Director and Will Parker, OASSP/OMLEA Executive Director

42 Developing Awareness, Adaptability, and Flexibility as School Leaders

By Eric Fox, Associate Principal for Teaching and Learning, Jenks High School

ASSOCIATION UPDATES 46 OASA 52 OAESP 48 OASSP/OMLEA 54 ODSS

S P RI NG 2021 S P RI|NGbetter 2021 |sch bet o otls er sch5o o ls

CARES ESSER I, CARES Incentive Grants, CRRSA ESSER II, ESSER II Statewide Set-Aside, ARP ESSER III, ARP E-Rate!

OH, MY!

By Kathy Dunn, CCOSA Federal Programs Consultant

Pages 08–16 09 Consortium Q&A 13 Maintenance of Effort & Maintenance of Equity in the ESSERs 14 LOCAL (LEA) Level Maintenance of Equity (MoEQ) in ESSERs 16 Q&A: Maintenance of Effort (MoE) & Maintenance of Equity (MoEQ) CCOSA Staff Dr. Pam Deering CCOSA/OASA Executive Director Derald Glover OASA Assistant Executive Director William D. Parker OASSP/OMLEA Executive Director Glen Abshere OAESP Executive Director Andrea Kunkel CCOSA General Counsel ODSS Executive Director

Dr. Jeanene Barnett Education Policy & Research Analyst & TLE Coordinator

Lynne White OAESP Executive Assistant & Assistant to the TLE Coordinator

Elyse Maxwell Director of Communications

Laura Crabtree Membership Coordinator ODSS Executive Assistant

Cynda Kolar Business Manager Charlotte Murphy OASSP/OMLEA/CEC Executive Assistant

Holliann Burnett Marketing & Communications Executive Assistant

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Words from the Director

It’s a Crazy Legislative Year and It’s Not Over Yet! Dr. Pam Deering, CCOSA/OASA Executive Director deering@ccosa.org At the beginning of this legislative session, we knew that education had endured enough with the pandemic. We were hoping that it would be a quiet legislative year for education and had some affirmation that it should be a quiet year. We all know that there are always many bills introduced that impact education in some way, but through the process we are able to work against bad policy.

What we have learned this session is that there is a new game in town and a new definition for a “quiet” legislative year for education. Some legislators had warned us to be prepared for some education reform.

Normally, when we think of education reform, we immediately go to quality classroom teachers, smaller class sizes, fewer mandates, and innovative practices.

CCOSA provided a list of these reforms, as requested, because they stand the test of time for student achievement. However, we quickly learned that our reform list, did not match the list or as I call it, the “script”, for what key legislative leaders were after this year.

So far, this is what education reform and a “quiet” education year looks like: ■■ SB

783 Open Transfers

■■ HB

2078 State Aid Formula—loss of 2nd High Year

voucher and tax credit expansion bills filed and heard in committee

What have we learned?

■■ Legislative

strategies to push through legislation coupled with the pandemic and limited time face to face at the Capitol with legislators have created a new sense of autonomy away from listening to you on key education legislation.

■■ Parents

unhappy about not having in-person learning in some districts have complained the loudest and they have been heard.

■■ Advocacy

work has changed--fewer face to face meetings, little time to alert or know language of bills have created a sense of us not being together as an education community in support of public education.

What do we do going forward to finish this year and beyond?

■■ Know

the legislative issues and meet with your legislators to let them know where you stand; ask them where they stand.

■■ Involve

the parents in your district, build their knowledge, ask them to engage with legislators.

■■ Did

I say meet with your legislators?

■■ Start

early before the session starts to build these relationships.

■■ Multiple ■■ The

State Board of Education approved a Resolution to re-write school funding laws and the Constitution for charter schools and now bills have been filed to fix or deal with this issue.

■■ The

Governor replaced and appointed State education board members before terms were finished.

■■ New

legislative language dropped into bills, changed during the late afternoon or evening, committee meeting times changed, agenda items fluctuated

■■ A

scathing report from the State Auditor on Epic’s business practices, also highlighted by the State Board of Education and the Statewide Virtual Board, generated no legislative action to date to address their issues.

With the end of the session coming in May, we can’t breathe a sigh of relief just yet. We still have the state budget, impacts from the State Board of Education Decision for Charter schools, and much more.

Let’s take advantage of the state opening back up to meet, strategize, and plan for the year and ultimately for the future of public education.

With love and support from all of us at CCOSA, Dr. Pam Deering and the CCOSA Team ■

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ESSER

CARES ESSER I, CARES Incentive Grants, CRRSA ESSER II, ESSER II Statewide Set-Aside, ARP ESSER III, ARP E-Rate! ……..OH, MY! A compilation of the most frequently asked questions and the best answers available at this time

By Kathy Dunn, CCOSA Federal Programs Consultant Since March of 2020, Oklahoma public schools have been called upon to deliver instruction inperson, in a blended learning model, and in a fully virtual model. Schools have also been called upon to deliver meals in-person, in a bag, and on-wheels. Fortunately, Congress has realized what an unprecedented feat the nation’s schools have been asked to accomplish, and money has been appropriated to help schools meet the

challenges of educating during a pandemic, meet the social and emotional needs of students and staff, and continue to provide the student supports needed, all while weathering the economic downturn the pandemic has created.

The graph below gives a timeline for the use of the federal COVID relief funds that have been appropriated, with the exception of the American Relief Program

(ARP) E-Rate funds which are held until final guidance has been written on the use of those funds.

Normally in a grant program months or years might be spent writing specific guidance for the use of the funds; however, in the midst of the pandemic Congress wisely appropriated the funds to meet the immediate needs of schools, students and staff. It has at times felt like we are building the airplane while in flight!

Consortium Q&A The compilation of questions and answers in this article represent the most commonly asked questions received at CCOSA and the best-known answers available at this time while the airplane is still in flight. Guidance could change, and Oklahoma educators will adjust our “turn and bank” instruments to right the flight when more guidance is released!

1. What are the allowable uses of ESSER II funds?

The allowable uses of ESSER I, II, and III are the same with the exception of the CARES Incentive Grants which are a bit more prescriptive.

2. Can you pay for employees’ salaries with ESSER funds?

Yes and No: ■■ You

can pay existing employees from CARES I (788) and from ESSER II (793) funds.

■■ You

cannot pay existing employees from CARES Incentive Grant funds (789).

■■ You

can pay for new positions that are hired in response to the pandemic from all coronavirus relief funds within the guidance of each grant to prepare, prevent, or respond to COVID-19.

3. Must an employee paid by ESSER funds be listed in the School Personnel Report (SPR)?

Yes, before a district can claim a salary or stipend in ESSER funds the employee must be listed in SPR and coded to the ESSER project code 788, 789, 793, 794, or 795.

4. If paying employee salaries from ESSER funds, is the Federal Matching Contribution required for Oklahoma Teacher Retirement?

Salaries with funds through either the FFCRA or ESSERs I, II and III are required to remit the statutory retirement contributions to TRS on these salaries (if you pay teacher retirement for that employee). This includes the Federal Matching contribution due for salaries paid by federal funds or external sources such as grants. OAC 715:10-137. Matching funds.

5. Can we pay teachers a stipend from ESSER funds?

Yes, stipends may be paid to compensate teachers for additional duties that are a result of the pandemic, or stipends may be paid to recruit and retain staff as a response to COVID-19.

Considerations: 1. The stipend would go through payroll, and it would be subject to the Federal Matching Contribution.

individual salary lines except for the Object Code.

Stipends for certified staff would be coded to 170 and non-certified would be 180.

5. Make sure employees understand this is onetime money, not to count on the increase in the salary schedule, if that is true.

6. Are ESSER-paid employees required to keep Time and Effort records?

Yes, time and effort records are required; however, there is new guidance for federal programs. Now if an employee works in a single cost objective, for example a paraprofessional who works full-time as a paraprofessional, that employee may be listed on a spreadsheet with other single cost objective employees and kept with the federal programs records. The spreadsheet does not require signatures, nor is it turned in, except in a federal monitoring. For ESSER stipends, a printed report from SPR records would document the stipends.

7. If salaries for substitute teachers and tutors, or stipends for professional development are paid from ESSER, does the district need Time and Effort records?

No, Time and Effort documents would not be required for substitutes, tutors, or professional development stipends. The district would send the typical documentation with the claim such as timesheets, sign-in sheets, and agendas with notation that the activity was either to prepare, prevent, or respond to COVID-19.

8. Can ESSER funds be used to replace old, outdated computers? Are there procedures that must be followed to dispose of outdated computers or other technology that was purchased with federal funds?

Yes, ESSER funds can be used to replace outdated technology as needed to respond to COVID-19 by mitigating the learning loss, delivering instruction in distance learning, and responding to instructional challenges caused by COVID-19.

■■ Basically,

follow your district’s policy for disposition of supplies and equipment when you can show that supplies and equipment are no longer needed in the program for which it was purchased.

2. An established plan for the additional compensation must accompany the claim for stipends stating what employees will receive it and what amount of compensation will be paid.

■■ Keep

3. Keep documentation and justification for all expenditures.

■■ Know

4. OCAS Coding: All of the stipends for these additional pay purposes would be coded like their

records of the disposition for 3 years or more until any audit of the purchases or program would be completed your EDGAR Section 200.313 and 200.314 for specific information about disposition of supplies and equipment, less than and more than $5,000.

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ESSER . . . Oh, My! continued

ESSER

9. Is Maintenance of Effort (MoE) required for the ESSER funds?

No, but MoE is still required under IDEA and ESSA laws at the time of this writing. See the information on page 13 in this issue of Better Schools for more detailed information about the MoE and the new requirement for Maintenance of Equity in ESSER III. 10. Can we use ESSER funds to create an outdoor classroom space?

Yes, creating an outdoor classroom prevents the spread of the virus by increasing the space for social distancing, and there is research that an outdoor environment reduces the transmission of the virus.

11. Should school districts expect a monitoring process or audit of these ESSER funds?

Yes, the ESSER funds are subject to the Single Audit Act requirements if a district’s total expenditures in all federal programs meet or exceed $750,000.00 for a single year. The ESSER funds may place some districts above $750,000.00 for the first time. Contact your auditor to discuss the difference in cost and manpower involved in the single audit process. Audits/monitoring by USDE and OSDE are also a possibility.

12. Can buses be purchased with ESSER funds?

■■ Yes,

yellow route buses - full-size school buses, handicapped-equipped buses, and compact buses are allowable to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

■■ Activity

buses are NOT allowable in these funds.

■■ Vehicles

for 10 passengers or less are allowable for running Homeless routes and for delivery of meals and learning packets into neighborhoods in response to COVID-19.

13. Can we pay off our two “lease to own” agreements for buses leased to provide more social distancing on bus routes?

Yes, lease payments for buses that are an approved expenditure in the current fiscal year may be paid with ESSER funds for continuity of services in response to COVID-19 and to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

14. May we repair a leaking roof with ESSER II funds?

Yes, roofs may be repaired to improve the air quality and create a healthy learning environment in response to COVID-19.

15. May we repair or replace HVAC systems with ESSER II funds?

Yes, HVAC systems are allowable to improve the air quality and create a healthy learning environment in response to COVID-19.

16. May we replace or repair broken windows and doors with ESSER II funds?

Yes, new windows and doors are allowable to improve the air circulation and create a healthy learning environment to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

17. Can districts continue to pay Verizon for our students’ Hotspot connectivity after the contract is expired?

Yes, enabling students to have internet access at home to close the homework gap is allowable in response to COVID-19.

18. Can districts claim Administrative Costs and IDC in ESSER II? Yes, districts may claim both, but you cannot claim administrative salaries in both. IDC would be reduced by the amount of administrative salaries claimed in Administrative Costs. You also cannot claim equipment or capital expenses over $5,000 in IDC. 19. In general, what documentation should we keep for the ESSER II claims?

■■ Function ■■ Object ■■ Site

Code

Code

(Prek-8=Elementary; 9th-12th=Secondary)

■■ Detailed

Expenditure Description

■■ Amount

Claimed

■■ Upload

Local Expenditure Report with Supporting Documentation

20. Do we contact our program specialist for questions about ESSER II? No, the contact person for ESSER II is: Michelle Dunn, Executive Director of ESSER Funds Michelle.Dunn@sde.ok.gov 405-521-4514 21. Will paying teachers out of ESSER funds affect comparability?

No, ESSER funds will not impact a district’s Title I Comparability Report.

22. Do salaries and equipment have to be preapproved?

2 CFR 200.439 requires preapproval from the pass-through agency before purchasing Capital Expenditures & Equipment over $5,000.

23. What items that might be over $5,000 already have preapproval from OSDE? Preapproved ESSER List for single items over $5,000: ■■ Yellow Route Bus for social distancing ■■ HVAC Unit replacement for better air quality ■■ Air purification system for better air quality ■■ Sanitization equipment for cleaning ■■ Server upgrade due to distance learning ■■ Copier due to distance learning packets ■■ Security Camera systems for contact tracing ■■ School building sound system ■■ Industrial Floor Cleaning Machine ■■ Suburban, Pickup Truck, or Car for delivery

of meals, distance learning packets, books, computers to students ■■ Window replacement for better air quality ■■ Utilities such as electricity and water due to COVID-19

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■■ Property/Liability insurance due to COVID-19 ■■ Replacing carpet with tile for better cleaning

24. What are some tips for preparing an ESSER claim?

■■ Claim

dates must begin with the first day of the first month claimed and end with the last day of the last month claimed.

■■ Claims

may be submitted no more than 10 days prior to the end of the month.

■■ A

Purchase Order must pre-date a purchase or service, and an invoice date must be on or after the date of the purchase or service. The warrant (check) must be paid after the purchase or service is complete.

tables apart. The library is being moved into the previous STEM Lab which is the next largest room in the building. The STEM Lab is being placed in an available classroom. were purchased to prevent the spread of COVID-19 by increasing available space for PE classes to social distance while dressing before and after class.

■■ Lockers

were widened to prevent the spread of COVID-19 by increasing air flow and socialdistancing. Unneeded lockers were removed, and walls repaired. All textbooks were purchased in the online version for students’ Chromebooks to mitigate the learning loss in response to COVID-19; thus, eliminating the need for lockers.

■■ Hallways

■■ Outdoor

learning spaces have been created with covered areas and walk-ways, greenhouses, fitness stations and playground equipment to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

25. What are some unique and dynamic uses of ESSER funds that have been approved? district is repurposing space to prevent the spread of COVID-19 by social-distancing and upgrading flooring to prevent the spread of COVID-19 with a better surface for sanitizing.

The cafeteria seating was expanded into the remodeled library with greater room to spread

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summer programs have been planned with programming to mitigate the learning loss, accelerate learning, provide socialemotional learning activities, and reclaim the school culture in response to COVID-19. instruments have been purchased to prevent the spread of COVID-19 by not sharing instruments.

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Maintenance of Effort (MoE) & Maintenance of Equity (MoEQ) in the ESSERs ■■ None

of the ESSERs: Contain a Maintenance of Effort requirement at the local level.

■■ All

of the ESSERs: Contain a Maintenance of Effort (MoE) requirement at the state-level. (MoE for SPED and ESSA for LEAs has not been waived at this time, 3-25-21.)

■■ ESSER

III: Contains a new Maintenance of Equity (MoEQ) requirement which applies at both the state and local level, with *certain exceptions at the local level.

Local Level Maintenance of Effort (MoE) in ESSER, SPED, and ESSA ESSER I, II, III

SPED

ESSA

There is no Maintenance of Effort in any of the ESSERs at the local level.

For SPED: The LEA must maintain 100% the level of expenditures from State and/or Local funds spent on special education and related services in EITHER the total expenditures of the LEA for special education and related services OR the per capita amount (state and local) spent on children receiving special education services (using the measure most favorable to the LEA). There is no waiver for SPED MoE, but an ”appeal” may be filed based on unusual exceptions.** There is no penalty assessed until MoE is not met in two consecutive years.

For ESSA: An LEA must maintain effort by spending a minimum of 90% in EITHER the combined State and Local fiscal effort per student OR aggregate expenditures (using the measure most favorable to the LEA). Penalty issued IF the LEA fails to meet MoE in the current year AND ALSO failed to meet MoE for 1 or more of the 5 preceding fiscal years. [ESSA, Section 8521(b)] A waiver may be requested through the OSDE to the USDE. USDE may waive MoE (1-year waiver) for an LEA under certain conditions.

Impact Statement: While there is no required Maintenance of Effort at the Local Level in the ESSER laws, how the ESSER funds are expended could impact your Maintenance of Effort requirements in existing SPED and ESSA laws.

Possible waivers for ESSA MoE and possible exceptions for IDEA MoE are listed in the bottom chart.

ESSA Possible Waivers for the LEA ■■ Covered

ESEA programs @ 90% MoE:

(Title I, Parts A & D; Title II, Part A; Title III, Part A; Title IV, Part B; Title V, Part B, subpart 2; and Title VI, Part A, subpart 1 – ESEA sections 8101(11), 6118(c), 8521(a).)

■■ USDE

might waive based on:

1) exceptional or uncontrollable circumstances; 2) precipitous decline in the revenue of the LEA; or 3) change to the organizational structure of the LEA. LEAs work with SEAs to apply to USDE for waivers if available.

SPED Possible Waivers for the LEA ■■ IDEA,

Part B @ 100% MoE:

■■ USDE

cannot Waive, but may grant Exceptions under these conditions:

1) a precipitous decline in revenue; or 2) a decrease in a high-cost expense 3) a decline in enrollment of students with disabilities LEAs work with SEAs to apply to USDE for waivers if available.

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LOCAL (LEA) Level Maintenance of Equity (MoEQ) in ESSERs *(excludes some LEAs) High-Poverty Schools’ Allocations In FFYs 2022 and 2023 LEAs cannot reduce the per-pupil allocation of state and local funds to high-poverty schools more than the total reduction of funds to all schools divided by the total number of students enrolled in all schools

High-Poverty Schools’ Staff Allocations In FFYs 2022 and 2023 SEAs cannot reduce the per-pupil full-time equivalent (FTE) staff in highpoverty schools more than the total reduction of FTE staff in all schools divided by the total number of students enrolled in all schools.

High-poverty schools are the 25% poorest schools in the LEA based on their percent of economically disadvantaged students. *This requirement does not apply: ■■ To

LEAs with less than 1,000 students,

■■ To

LEAs with one school or one school per-grade span, or

■■ If

the Secretary of ED determines the LEA has demonstrated an exceptional or uncontrollable circumstance**

** FFY = Federal Fiscal Year; State Fiscal Year is stated as one year ahead of FFY. Example: Federal FFY 2021 = OK FY 22

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Q&A: Maintenance of Effort (MoE) & Maintenance of Equity (MoEQ) 1. How will a new position such as a Director of Special Education affect Maintenance of Effort?

A new position for a Director of Special Education could be paid using ESSER funds without affecting Maintenance of Effort (MoE). The district would need to consider a plan for sustainability when the ESSER funds are expended.

2. Where would districts find the per pupil expenditure that OCAS calculates to determine Maintenance of Effort?

The MoE statistics for previous years are on the Oklahoma State Department of Education website: ■■ Go

to the Financial Accounting page

■■ Select

the blue box on the right, “OCAS – School District Financial Reports can be found on the SDE Transparency Website.”

■■ Select

view

■■ Click

the year you want to

District Reports.

■■ Select

your district

■■ Scroll

down to see the Reports available.

3. Will these federal fund expenditures include ESSER fund expenditures?

Yes, ESSER expenditures will be included in the total amount of federal expenditures used to determine if your district will be required to have a Single Audit. Go to the District OCAS Reports as described in the question above and select the Federal Determination Letter. Page Two of the letter will tell you how much money your district spent last year in federal allocations. If that number PLUS the amount of ESSER money you spent will put your district over the $750,000 threshold, then you will likely be required to have a Single Audit. Contact your auditor for more information.

The single audit process would exceed the amount of money you have paid for an audit in the past if your district spent less than $750,000 in one fiscal year.

4. Is that just federal money spent in a year or federal money allocated or both?

The Federal Determination for a Single Audit is calculated based on the amount of federal money spent in your district.

Page Two of your district’s Federal Determination Letter lists the federal funds included in the calculation.

5. Where can I find the list of Auditors that are approved to audit Oklahoma school districts?

■■ https://sde.ok.gov/

sites/default/files/ SchoolAuditor2021%20 %281%29.pdf

6. Can you give us the OCAS Codes that are being pulled for the OCAS Maintenance of Effort Check Page - ADA? Yes, the OCAS codes used in MoE calculations for both SPED and ESSA are located in the back of the OCAS book in the Policies and Procedures section on pages 52-53.

7. If we supplant ESSER funds by claiming expenditures in ESSER which had previously been paid in the General Fund, it is very likely we will not meet ESSA MOE. If we meet the 90% local expenditures for one year does that become our new baseline for the next year?

While we cannot say whether you would or would not meet ESSA MoE based on your district taking advantage of the ability to supplant ESSER funds, we encourage you to keep in mind as you use future ESSER funds that MoE and MoEQ should be considered.

We cannot predict if there will be blanket waivers from the U.S. Department of Education.

At CCOSA we have encouraged districts to be cautious about decreasing the amount of state and local funds that you spend from year to year, particularly if your district did not experience a precipitous decline in revenue. A district who fails to meet MoE may file an appeal through the Oklahoma State Department of Education to the U.S. Department of Education. We encourage districts who do not meet MoE to file an appeal regardless of whether they are in a position to be assessed a penalty. If a district does not meet ESSA MoE in the current year AND did not meet ESSA MoE in one of the last five years, the district would then be assessed a penalty if no waivers are approved. The causes for seeking a waiver would be: ■■ exceptional

or uncontrollable circumstances;

■■ precipitous

decline in the revenue of the LEA; or

■■ change

to the organizational structure of the LEA.

Not meeting ESSA MoE at the 90% threshold does NOT change a district’s baseline for meeting MoE. The baseline returns to the point where it was when the 90% was not met. However, if a district does NOT meet the 90% expenditures, but DOES meet the per capita (pupil), then the base changes to the amount of expenditures in that year.

For any questions on ESSER funding, contact Kathy Dunn at federalprograms@ ccosa.org. ■

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Future Focused School Budgeting

By Derald Glover, Assistant OASA Executive Director “If you fail to plan, you are planning to fail.”

—— Ben Franklin

Oklahoma school financial officers have always faced challenges of the unknown when it comes to available revenue.

That unknown has always centered around the state aid allocation and the potential for cuts. While that challenge is still there, schools now have a new and different challenge.

It is the challenge of budgeting a series of three federal stimulus packages over the next four years knowing that after September 2024 all of that money is gone. That is a refreshing challenge that schools haven’t dealt with since the AARA stimulus in 2010.

So, what should you consider in budgeting these new funds?

The first thing to do is use the funds to stabilize your budget.

Many schools have lost students and are now getting them back, causing instability in funding. For another year, we still have the two-year look back on WADM to help give schools time to adjust.

Once the budget is stable, you should identify and prioritize the most impactful improvements that can be put in place to optimize your services for students. How can you transform your educational opportunities in the next four years?

CCOSA’s federal program consortium is identifying many of the strategies, services, and programs that schools may consider.

As you identify these student impact budget items you have to project your budget out through fiscal year 2025. The federal funds are one-time dollars and if you don’t plan you can find yourself in a budgeting bind once those dollars expire. The CCOSA Budget Short Form is a long range projection tool that takes your FY2020 budget, plugs in anticipated increases and decreases in both revenue and

expenditures, and projects your fund balance over the life of the federal ESSER funds. It allows you to see the impact if you supplant the ESSER funds, if you spend it all on one-time needs, or if you do a blend of the two.

Most importantly, it allows you to have an intentional plan to spend the money to maximize student services.

CCOSA developed the Professional School Budget Framework so schools could plan and prepare a usable professional budget filled with information and data supporting the budget.

The CCOSA Budget Short Form does not replace the professional budget. It is a tool to project the impacts of future changes on the budget which in turn will assist the budgeter in being more accurate and more confident in the school’s ability to fund the school improvement priorities that have been identified. ■

For more information about either the CCOSA Budget Short Form or the CCOSA Professional Budget Framework contact Dr. Pam Deering deering@ccosa.org or Derald Glover glover@ccosa.org.

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State Department of Education Blended Learning Resources

By Dr. Aaron Espolt, State Department of Education

Maya Angelou once said, “Do the best you can until you know better. Then when you know better, do better.” Oklahoma school administrators pride themselves for always doing the best they can, but they were tested this past year. School leaders have been trying to maintain a high level of excellence under extreme circumstances that no one could have imagined. But the pandemic hasn’t just brought on challenges and hardships. We have also learned new skills, challenged previous mindsets, and developed a knowledge base greater than ever before.

Now heading into the next school year, our mission is to take our knowledge, skills and mindsets and apply them to create more innovative and attentive school systems by providing expanded opportunities aimed at meeting the diverse needs of our students and staff. That’s why the Oklahoma State Department of Education (OSDE) developed A Blueprint for Successful Virtual/ Blended Learning Environments.

Due to the urgency and uncertainty of the pandemic, almost every district now has the experience of offering a virtual or blended program. Today, coming out of the pandemic, we need to follow Ms. Angelou’s advice more than ever. Since we

know better, we must do better.

OSDE worked with our Region 13 Comprehensive Center, WestEd, and took the available research and best practices from across the nation and compiled them all in one place, the blueprint.

CCOSA was also very supportive of this work and collaborated with us from the beginning sharing their knowledge gained from the CCOSA Blended Learning Framework to develop a unified approach of support we offer districts.

We at OSDE understand that many district leaders do not have the time or capacity to comb through countless research articles or specialize only in the area of virtual/blended learning,

so we did it for you. A Blueprint for Successful Virtual/Blended Learning Environments is broken down into seven areas of focus: Equity, Positive Relationships, Climate and Culture, Instruction, Instructional Materials, Professional Learning, and Leadership.

These focus areas were chosen not only because they set the foundational building blocks of a strong program, but also because they were the areas where the greatest amount of growth needs to occur. The aim of the blueprint is to give a 10,000 foot view of the necessary conditions that allow for a high-quality experience for students and staff within a virtual/blended learning environment, while still allowing

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for the autonomy needed to conduct an examination of your individual practices against the indicators. We believe that no two districts are alike, as such, no two virtual programs will be alike either as each must fit within the context of your individual communities. The blueprint gives you the space to ensure that happens.

A Blueprint for Successful Virtual/Blended Learning Environments was designed as an experience, not a document.

OSDE will use its Professional Learning Community, Network of Learning, as a support structure to guide districts through the entire continuous improvement process, beginning with a self-

evaluation all the way through creating individualized action steps for improvement. However, you do not have to be a part of the Network of Learning to use the blueprint effectively. You can use it on your own or continue partnering with other support organizations, such as CCOSA, for specific improvement steps, as we are all working collaboratively to ensure a high-quality learning experiences are brought to the virtual/blended learning environment.

What is most important is now that we know how to deliver a more engaging, equitable, and academically appropriate virtual/ blended learning environment, we are professionally responsible

to do so. Thank you for everything you have done this past year to make learning possible for students and please know we are here to support you as we all move forward.

A Blueprint for Successful Virtual/ Blended Learning Environments is set to be fully released soon.

If you are interested in joining the Network of Learning, please contact aaron.espolt@sde. ok.gov or karen.leonard@sde. ok.gov. ■

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Legislative Update

By Dr. Jeanene Barnett, CCOSA Education Policy and Research Analyst Governor Stitt outlined two education reform priorities very clearly in his state of the state address. The first two education-related bills that he signed fulfilled his priorities.

HB 2078: Funding Formula Change

Total Amount of General Fund Collections, Excluding Previous Year Cash Surplus as of June 30

HB 2078 by Rep. Kyle Hilbert, R-Depew, and Sen. Zack Taylor, R-Seminole changes the basis for state aid funding. Instead of using the highest weighted average daily membership from the current year or two prior years, districts can only use the highest weighted average daily membership from the current year or prior year. This new mode of calculating school funding goes into effect in 2022-2023. It also changes the percentage allowed for General Fund Balance, as shown in the table at right.

Amount of General Fund Balance Allowable

Less than $1,000,000..................................................... 40% 48% $1,000,000 - $2,999,999............................................... 35% 42% $3,000,000 - $3,999,999.............................................. 30% 36% $4,000,000 - $4,999,999.............................................. 25% 30% $5,000,000 - $5,999,999.............................................. 20% 24% $6,000,000 - $7,999,999.............................................. 18% 22% $8,000,000 - $9,999,999.............................................. 16% 19% $10,000,000 or more...................................................... 14% 17%

SB 793: Open Transfers SB 783 Sen. Adam Pugh, R-Edmond and Rep. Brad Boles, R-Marlow, requires each school district board of education to adopt an open transfer policy for the school district which specifies its criteria and standards for approval of transfers of students who do not reside in the district.

Additional details include: ■■ Students

can transfer at any time during the year with ■■ no

more than 2 transfers per year and

■■ can

re-enroll in district of residence at any time.

■■ Transfer

requests can be denied for lack of capacity based on grade level for each school site within a school district (defined in local policy), excessive absences (ten or more unexcused within a semester), and suspensions (as described in current law).

■■ Local

board of education must develop a policy by January 1, 2022 to address reasons for denying.

■■ Each

quarter, the local board shall:

■■ establish

capacity,

■■ publish

the capacity study in a prominent place on the website, and

■■ notify

the State Department of Education (SDE).

■■ If

transfer requests exceed capacity, the bill requires students to be enrolled in the order that the transfer applications are received.

■■ If

a transfer request is denied, parents can appeal the local board of education’s decision through the state board of education.

■■ The

local board of education must submit a report to the state board of education by June 30 annually providing the number of transfer requests approved and denied with reasons provided for those denied.

■■ Office

of Educational Quality and Accountability (OEQA) shall audit 10% of districts each year to make sure districts submit accurate documentation.

■■ If

OEQA finds inaccurate reporting of capacity levels by a school district, the Office shall set the capacity for the school district.

■■ Districts

are required to accept the following students, regardless of capacity:

■■ A

foster child living in the home of a student on a transfer.

■■ A

student whose parent is a member of the active uniformed military services of the United States on full-time active duty status and for whom Oklahoma is the home of record and students who are the dependent children of a member of the military reserve on active duty orders.

■■ A

student of a teacher in the district.

■■ If

a student’s grade is not offered in his or her home district.

■■ It

repeals all emergency transfer language.

It has been a busy legislative session, with a flurry of activity that began before session opened. It is expected to remain the same through sine die, May 28, 2021.

CCOSA will bring an update of all the new legislation at Recharge: CCOSA Annual Summer Leadership Conference on June 8-10. We hope to see you there. ■

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The Math Divide

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POSSE: Early Intervention Summer Program

By Jim Parrish, Executive Education Director, Choctaw Nation & OASA Executive Committee

Chief Gary Batton works on a STEM project with a student in POSSE’s 2019 Summer Learning Program at Durant ISD.

ee Member

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The Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma (CNO) has a firm commitment to education as shown in its Partnership of Summer School Education (POSSE) Program.

Beth Bean, Summer Learning Program Principal at Durant ISD noted that Chief Gary Batton once said, “Investing in our children is investing in our future.” This quote exemplifies the spirit of the Choctaw Nation’s Partnership of Summer School Education, also called the POSSE program.

Each summer 86 public school districts across the Choctaw Nation are provided the opportunity to participate in the POSSE Summer Learning Program. POSSE is an early intervention program that focuses on reading and math for students in kindergarten through third grade. Due to increased time out of the classroom, caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and challenges that students have faced recently, the 2021 POSSE program will be expanded to the fourth, fifth and sixth grades. This will allow students the opportunity to attend the program and continue practicing important skills they have learned this past school year.

Students attending the program receive 23 days of classroom instruction with mornings devoted to reading and math, and afternoons to enrichment activities, such as STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Math) physical education and field trip or guest speaker experiences.

This summer the POSSE program is excited to have 48 host sites and more than 30 satellite sites (districts sending students to host sites for the program) participating across the Choctaw Nation. In 2019 the POSSE program served 3,788 students. This year numerous school districts in our area have reported they expect a significant increase in the number of students who will qualify and attend the program.

POSSE serves all qualifying students regardless of tribal affiliation.

The school districts we partner with have made efforts to keep students in the classroom this school year, while at the same time ensuring a safe work and learning environment. Our school leaders know what works well for their districts and this summer our host sites will follow the protocols they have in place to help maintain a healthy summer program for students and faculty.

POSSE is designed to keep students at a 10:1 student-to-teacher ratio for morning classes and afternoons are based off a 20:1 ratio in the summer.

This allows students to receive more one-on-one instruction compared to the regular school year where class sizes can reach between twenty to thirty students.

This summer, it has been approved to allow sites to keep classes smaller in the afternoon if they choose.

Smaller afternoon groups would require additional teachers on staff, which opens the opportunity for additional positions to be filled.

Teachers working in the Summer Learning Program will receive a day of professional development credit that counts toward required hours for the year by attending the Professional Learning Conference hosted by the Choctaw Nation Education Department. This conference is also open to other early childhood educators and administrators of all public schools within the Choctaw Nation.

While in previous years educators attended the conference at the Grand Theater in the Choctaw Casino & Resort in Durant, this year we will offer the conference through a virtual format. This conference is offered with no registration fees for participating educators and is designed to bring nationally and globally renowned presenters to the Choctaw Nation to provide an incredible learning experience. ■

To learn more about the Professional Learning Conference, visit www.choctawprofessionallearning.com.

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STUDENT INFORMATION:

Automated Special Education Records

By Andrea Kunkel, CCOSA General Counsel & ODSS Executive Director OSDE’s Special Education Services Section continues to work with partners to fully integrate local student information into EDPlan, the state’s special education record-keeping system. Contractors anticipate that the integration project will be fully implemented around May 1. Information about the project and its impact is important to superintendents and other operational leadership, special education directors and student information system (SIS) administrators.

This work is expected to create a more automated system that provides more timely transfer of special education records, reduces data entry and results in cleaner data, both for the state and for district use. The primary expected benefit is a reduced workload across the state at all levels. From a district perspective, this means that school staff members who’ve had to devote significant time to manual data entry may have additional time to spend on other tasks. The project should also deliver an almost fully automated update and transfer process, personal details in EDPlan that match the SIS record and enrollments and exits that process in a more timely manner in standard cases.

From a special education perspective, the primary challenge is that dependence on SIS data entry will increase.

Employees entering data will have an even greater obligation to make sure student and parent information is correct since mistakes may have significant consequences. Just for example, Student Testing Numbers (STNs) must be accurate in EdPlan or special education records may be transferred to the incorrect student file.

advantage to the new district that would address the preenrollment transfer issue. But if the student is still going to attend school in the “former” district and didn’t plan to begin attending classes in the new district for six weeks, it would disadvantage the “former” district, which still needs the records. Interested district stakeholders will need to discuss the options before a final decision is made, to make sure it provides the greatest benefit and causes the least harm.

From a local perspective, the biggest challenge may be that pre-enrollment transfers will be limited. When a new student moves into a district, manual transfers of documents will not likely happen. So the situation in which a new district with an earlier start date is awaiting the transfer of records from the former district with a much later start date will be challenging. The SIS/WAVE/EdPlan integration will not release the student from the former district until it starts school unless someone from that district enters into their SIS that the student has withdrawn – a solution that requires manpower.

Although much is known about how this integration will work, there are still some unknown areas. And with any major change, there is always the small possibility of unexpected negative consequences. School personnel can best prepare for implementation by taking advantage of the resources OSDE-SES has developed.

Links to the Full SIS-WAVEEDPlan Integration Guidance document and the recorded SIS-WAVE-EDPlan Integration Informational Session can be found at https://content. govdelivery.com/accounts/ OKSDE/bulletins/2ca45db.

The OSDE-SES data team has several ideas to address this issue. Just for example, if the system automatically exited the student from the former district and sent records to the new district as soon as the student enrolled there, that would be an

For further information about the integration project, contact a member of the OSDE-SES data team. ■

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DISTRICT LEVEL SERVICES Essentials for School Leaders & Their Professional Teams JOIN NOW FOR 2021-2022!

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DISTRICT LEVEL SERVICES MEMBERSHIP BENEFITS Cost: $1,500-$4,000 Paid by district (purchase order)

Advisory Consultation with CCOSA Attorney & Directors for ALL school leaders and their teams

NEW!!

School Leadership consultation and monitoring support for:

Professional Learning (free registration available up to five registrants per district per training/unlimited for Zoom)

XXSpecial

XXFederal

XXSchool

Education Law and Issues XXSchool Finance : Budgeting & Projections XXEducation Policy and Research XXSchool Climate and Culture XXBlended and Virtual Learning XXSchool Leadership XXSuperintendent Contract

Programs XXIndian Ed and English Learners XXStudent Accounting/ Student Information XXGifted & Talented Program & Plan XXReading Sufficiency Act (RSA) Program & Plan XXProfessional Development Program & Plan

NEW!!

Look for upcoming notifications about additional Professional Learning Opportunities to be included this year in District Level Services.

Law for Administrators XXFall and Spring XXAdvocacy XXOASA Legislative Conference XXTouch Bases Zoom Networking XXSchool Budget Development & Training: Budget Preparation, Estimate of Needs and School District Budget Act Budget Bootcamp 1 (Basics of Building a Professional Budget) Budget Bootcamp 2 (Using the Budget Framework Template and Tools) Budget Bootcamp 3 (Planning for Next Year’s Budget)

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Oklahoma School Assurance Group Welcome to the OSAG 2020-2021 policy year! We are excited to welcome new Oklahoma school district members to OSAG, bringing total 2020-2021 OSAG membership to 496 school district members! As a member of OSAG, you are an important part of the largest provider of workers' compensation services to our Oklahoma public schools. Your district will participate in receiving many FREE BENEFITS simply by being a member of our organization.

FREE Member benefits include: Four Loss Control & Safety Training Seminars held annually at NO COST. OSAG provides these training seminars to OSAG members in the fall & spring of each policy year. **Due to the current COVID19 situation, the OSAG fall 2020 seminars are on hold. Please watch for future announcements.

Online safety training video program with 800+ videos at NO COST. This video library is located on the OSAG webpage at www.okschoolassurancegroup.org. Login credentials and instructions are included in your 2020-2021 OSAG Welcome Packet. New videos are continuously added to the OSAG library, including COVID-19 safety training. This electronic training tool is especially useful during the current pandemic situation. If you need district login credentials, please call the OSAG office at 800-6995905.

On campus safety visitations at your convenience! OSAG contracts with the safety department of CompSource Mutual Insurance Company to provide this in-service to our membership at NO COST. **Due to the current COVID-19 situation, onsite visitation has been paused. The CompSource Safety Team has created several alternative training options to choose from, again all FREE OF CHARGE. See below: • • • •

Zoom/Team meetings with a CompSource Safety Team professional Virtual walkthroughs as requested via FaceTime PowerPoint pre-recorded training. This presentation can be provided through email & distributed to district staff for individual or group training.

Live virtual training with a CompSource Safety Team professional

Potential for performance dividends! Since inception, approximately $16,113,689 has been awarded to qualifying OSAG member schools! Continued safety & loss prevention training, and management of workers' compensation claims, will help your district to qualify.

Discounted membership with Oklahoma Safety Council!

OSAG member districts can join the Oklahoma Safety Council for a discounted membership fee of only $99! This is a tremendous savings to our schools, as typically membership fees are based on number of employees within the district. Take advantage of this OSAG benefit!

Email twamsley@okschoolassurancegroup.org to begin your membership process.

OSAG is governed by a five-member board of trustees, all serving as superintendents of Oklahoma schools. The OSAG motto is "to provide the most efficient and economical workers' compensation services to Oklahoma public schools." We stand by that motto, and will strive to provide the best service to each and every member of our organization.

Contact the OSAG office at 800-699-5905 to enroll in any of the above listed member benefits.

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EMERGENCY CONNECTIVITY FUND (ECF) $7.171 BILLION AVAILABLE SUMMER 2021 Funding available to eligible schools and libraries for eligible equipment or advanced telecommunications or information services (includes Internet Access) for purchase during the COVID-19 emergency period beginning January 27, 2020 and ending June 30 after the pandemic ends.

For use by students and staff of the school at locations that include locations other than the school and in the case of a library, for use by patrons of the library at locations other than the library.

Contact K&S to apply this summer for reimbursement on prior purchases or new services: Eligible Equipment Eligible Services Wi-Fi hotspots Advanced telecommunications and information Modems services.

Routers Includes Internet Access for off-campus use Devices that combine a modem and router Connected Devices – laptop computer, table Funding amount is 100% reimbursement computer or similar end user device May be capped per student Sec. 7402 of the American Rescue Plan Act https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/house-bill/1319/text

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Looking Ahead to Growth

By Will Parker, OASSP/OMLEA Executive Director

If you’re like most educators, you are already marking your school calendar for the coming months with many activities and to-do’s.

As your calendar fills, do not miss out on time for professional growth — for yourself and for your education team members! Here are some of CCOSA’s professional learning opportunities* to keep in mind as you plan ahead: Tulsa Model TLE Trainings For those who evaluate teachers and other certified employees, Tulsa Model New Admin and Tulsa Model Recertification trainings will be available throughout the summer in both in-person and virtual options.

Whether you value sitting around the table face-to-face or prefer to learn from the convenience of your computer, these trainings will prepare you for observations, evaluations and important feedback for guiding strong instruction and student outcomes.

McRel Trainings You and your administrators deserve the opportunity for improving outcomes in the three target areas of the McRel evaluation tool: Managing Change, Purposeful Community, and Focus on Leadership. The McRel New Admin and McRel Re-cert trainings will be offered with both in-person and virtual options, beginning September 14.

First Year Superintendents Beginning July 20-21, first year superintendents meet monthly to cover the essentials for budgeting, goal-setting, distributive leadership, and compliance with local, state and federal mandates involved in leading successful school districts. You will learn from CCOSA Directors and veteran superintendents for a great start to your first year.

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in 2021-2022

New Principals Academy

Creating Uplifting Classrooms

For new principals or those who want a re-fresh in priorities for school leadership, join principals from across Oklahoma once a month for sessions in school culture, accreditation reporting, school security, collaborative leadership and more! Join veteran principals and education experts for ideas, feedback and tangible solutions in your mission as the Lead Learner in your school community.

Emergency certified, alternatively certified or early-career educators will benefit from this professional development which is a partnership between the University of Oklahoma’s K20 Center and CCOSA. K20 Center facilitators guide participants through two days of intensive practice in lesson planning, classroom management, and collaboration. A third day of training involves teachers along with their building administrators. Help your newest teachers have the best resources for a great school year!

Principal Mentoring: Coaching & Supporting Leaders If you are a veteran education leader, whether as a principal, director, or central office administrator, you will benefit from the research and practices necessary to mentor, support and coach principals. With guidance from NAESP Certified Coaches, you can join this cohort to learn the latest strategies, tools and resources necessary to grow the capacity of other leaders, retain strong leaders, increase the leadership pipeline and reduce turnover. This cohort meets three times in the Fall Semester.

*Check out the CCOSA Professional Learning calendar at ccosa.org. ■

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The Power of your Employees: Effective Internal Communication and Engagement is the Foundation for Every District

By Bob Noyed, APR, Vice President, CESO Communications

There is an old saying in school communications that notes, “If you only had a dollar to spend on communications, you should spend 95 cents on internal communications.”

1

When designing an internal communications program for your district, here are a few “must haves” that will make your internal communications effort more effective: ■ Consistent

& Regular: communication happens on a schedule and it is expected of the leader ■ Expected,

Not Optional: each staff member needs to understand that being informed is part of their job ■ Organized

& Concise: regular communication is organized in a concise package so it is easy to read and understand ■ Clear

& Purposeful: staff members clearly know what they are supposed to do or know after consuming the communication ■ Effective

& Efficient: staff members should be better informed while also reducing the number of emails and other clutter they receive ■ Informative

& Engaging: along with sharing information, there are regular opportunities to solicit input from staff

A well-designed and implemented internal communications strategy not only helps to maintain a positive culture with school employees, it also establishes a foundation for communicating with parents and other external stakeholders. An effective internal program can help to create a culture where staff members serve as positive ambassadors for the district.

One of the most important tips from this list is to create a culture where staff members understand that being informed is part of their job. To be the most effective ambassadors for your district, staff members need to know a little about a lot of things happening in the district. They don’t need to be, nor should they be, the experts about everything, but they should be well informed so they can share information with parents and other external stakeholders.

2

The most effective internal communication effort focuses on addressing the following goals:

■ To

more effectively communicate with district staff members ■ To

reduce the amount of email sent by district leaders and principals to staff members ■ To

help district leaders and principals plan ahead and look out to what to communicate ■ To

streamline how information flows to and from staff members ■ To

increase staff member accountability to stay informed about school and district issues, events and activities

School employees are typically seen as highly credible by the public.

When employees understand their role in communicating, strong connections are created with parents and families. In addition, well informed and engaged staff members can reduce concerns and increase loyalty to the district.

3

Internal communication is essential but it does not have to be complicated. To assess the effectiveness of your internal communication effort, start by answering the following questions: Do you have: ■A

regular newsletter or some other way to connect with staff?

■A

documented process for providing information to frontline staff so they can share it with others?

■A

new employee orientation to provide information on the brand, culture, vision and overall direction of your district?

■A

program(s) to recognize staff (e.g. years of service, staff shoutouts or profiles, etc.)?

■A

process to regularly seek input and feedback from staff members?

■ An

understanding among staff that they are expected to be informed?

Building a solid internal communications effort will reap benefits, and, help to create a sustained culture of communication in your district. ■

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TeleLEAD

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Learning and Leading Together

By Glen Abshere, OAESP Executive Director and Will Parker, OASSP/OMLEA Executive Director

TeleLEAD ECHO is a partnership with OSU Center for Health Sciences Project ECHO and OSU-Tulsa. TeleLEAD provides opportunities for leaders at the school level to learn from one another, share best practices and collaborate on issues facing Oklahoma school principals.

Each TeleLEAD session is facilitated by Glen Abshere, OAESP Executive Director and Will Parker, OASSP/OMLEA Executive Director and includes a deep dive into a case study that has been submitted. Participants and hub team members can ask clarifying questions about the case study, then offer any recommendations or suggestions for the principal to consider in resolving the issue at hand.

Each TeleLEAD concludes with a short didactic that is presented by principals or practicing professionals.

Here are a few takeaways from this year’s didactics:

1

On March 3, 2021, we discussed a case from a principal who had a parent complaint about discussing racism in its school curriculum. Dr. Stephen Collins, Professor of Political Science at Oklahoma State University, joined TeleLEAD to present on When Politics Meet the Classroom: How to Address Controversial Topics. He reminded educators of the importance of establishing environments of trust and respect. He also explained several practical ways to lead discussions, including: allowing points and counterpoints; soliciting the opinions of parents; encouraging children to discuss these issues at home to eliminate the idea that schools are secreting children to indoctrinate them; and using current events as an ice-breaker. Dr. Collins reminded education leaders that we have a responsibility to model how to have these important conversations by focusing on facts while modeling civility.

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TeleLEAD: Learning & Leading Together, continued

Here are a few takeaways from this year’s didactics:

2

On November 4, 2020, TeleLEAD examined a case study in which a library book had been removed from the library circulation without any evidence of a review process. Liz Garden, a well-known national principal from Massachusetts, gave the didactic on “Leading with Reading.” Liz gave a great presentation on selecting books that are culturally responsive and diverse that includes main characters that are representative of the children we serve.

She gave great suggestions of books that school libraries and school classrooms should include.

3

On January 4, 2021, participants discussed a case involving a new principal who was having difficulty finding buy-in from teachers and staff. Kristy VanDorn, Deer Creek Middle School Principal, provided a presentation on Communication and Shared Leadership. During her time as principal, she has invited teachers into a shared leadership model. By establishing a guiding coalition at her school, she has been able to focus on stronger professional learning communities.

Her teachers help share the tasks of planning out goals and actions for each school year, including academics and activities.

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S P RI NG 2021 | better sch o o ls

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On January 20, 2021, we looked at a case in which a mom showed up to the school to pick up her child.

The mother had visible bruises and evidence of a woman being battered. Jacqueline Johns and Michelle Brown from Collinsville Public Schools gave a great didactic on how to help children cope with trauma. They gave great tips on how to create a safe classroom space along with tips for educators on how educators can support students that live in a household with trauma. ■

TeleLEAD Join CCOSA for the OSU TeleLEAD bi-monthly virtual meetings for discussion on best practices for elementary and secondary principals. TeleLEAD’s last session for the 2020-2021 school year was in April, but will pick back up next school year on the first and third Wednesdays of the month.

TeleLEAD ECHO Hub Team members include: ■■ Julie

Bloss, Principal, Grove Early Childhood Center

■■ Eric

Fox, Associate Principal, Jenks High School

■■ Kas

Nelson, Principal, Vici Elementary School

■■ Stephanie

Williams, Executive Director of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, Norman Public Schools

Facilitators: ■■ Glen

Abshere, Executive Director, Oklahoma Association of Elementary School Principals (OAESP)

■■ Will

Parker, Executive Director, Oklahoma Association of Secondary School Principals (OASSP) and Oklahoma Middle Level Education Association (OMLEA) ■

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DEVELOPING AWARENESS, ADAPTABILITY, AND FLEXIBILITY AS SCHOOL LEADERS

By Eric Fox, Associate Principal for Teaching and Learning, Jenks High School

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How did you start off this semester?

Was it a reset, relaunch, reboot, or redux from the fall? Whatever structures were in place during the first semester as our schools offered in-person learning on campus at reduced capacity, remote or distance learning, or a hybrid of those approaches, we already know more than we did before about how to engage students and families, how to support staff, how to work toward the social-emotional needs of all stakeholders, and even how to practice self-care as leaders on our campuses. So what are we doing to capture the lessons we’ve learned, make any needed adjustments, keep our focus centered on student needs and move ahead during the spring of 2021?

In School Leadership That Works (2005), Robert Marzano describes 21 different responsibilities of school leadership, using meta-analysis to correlate those responsibilities with student achievement. Three of the responsibilities with the greatest potential impact include Situational Awareness (.33), Flexibility (.28), and Relationships (.18). Here’s how I am thinking about applying each of these responsibilities to be a more adaptive, aware, and flexible school leader.

1. Situational Awareness and Flexibility Marzano defines situational awareness as being, “aware of the details and undercurrents in the running of the school” while using, “this information to address current and potential problems.” Flexibility is defined as when a leader, “adapts his or her leadership behavior to the needs of the current situation and is comfortable with dissent.”

So how are you becoming aware of the undercurrents, adapting to needs and showing comfort with dissent? Do you have listening mechanisms in place to capture sentiments and ideas? Do you have a sounding board or a leadership group that provides insight or shares information?

If you have these structures in place, are they present for all stakeholders or just from your faculty or even a subset of faculty?

Are you hearing from both certified and noncertified or instructional and noninstructional staff?

2. Seeking Authentic Insight I like to send out a short survey on a routine basis. Sometimes it’s a check on the effectiveness of a collaboration meeting or asking for input for upcoming professional development needs or even feedback on my own performance in interactions with staff. It’s quick and easy to see the information, but I always try to share the results of the survey.

Low survey responses can indicate levels of mistrust or feelings that findings won’t be used for improvements, so if you use surveys, you need to be willing to share the findings—both good and bad—as well as any insights you gained from what is expressed. I also try to set the surveys up for anonymity and I’ve had some very pointed criticism come my way, but at least I’ve asked and I bring to the surface what most likely is already discussed—whether I’m aware of it or not.

Besides gathering input from surveys, I attempt to have multiple conversations or checkins. It can be as simple as a text or email asking how things are going, but it has to be authentic and not a generic pleasantry. I also endeavor to make several classroom visits, drop by the

lunch area, and check in during planning periods just to be visible and present. We long for authenticity and transparency and, in those moments, I try to also be genuine about any concerns I have as well. I try to model “real talk” with colleagues.

It isn’t always heavy, but it should always be honest. If someone is frustrated or upset with a practice, I have to turn off my “persuading brain” and turn on my “listening ears.”

I try to practice the Stephen Covey principle of “seek first to understand, then to be understood,” and I don’t have to rationalize my actions at that moment. For me, I have to take the feedback and let it roll around a bit in my head to sort through it all and watch for common themes.

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Developing Awareness, Adaptability, and Flexibility as School Leaders, continued

The Importance of Relationships

3. Being Present With Students I also try to be present with students. Sometimes we’re surrounded by them but aren’t truly with them. In the dining hall, at a concert or sporting event, or out in the community, I want to be approachable. As I walk across campus, I try to gree each student I can just to say something as simple as good morning, have a good day or your concert was great last night!

We all want to be seen and noticed, and students are no different. I have to remind myself of this when I’m walking to a meeting and thinking about the agenda or I’m preoccupied with an earlier challenge. If I walk by a student without acknowledging them, they don’t know what’s going on in my head. They just know a staff member passed by without saying anything.

If you open yourself up to intentional, purposeful interactions with students,

they will be great providers of insight into your school. They know which staff members truly demonstrate care and concern for them on a regular basis. They know what is and what isn’t working with remote learning. They can be very blunt in their assessments, but they are the reason we are there, so we have to capture their insights. Again, you can use surveys, step into classrooms and ask their opinions or just ask a group sitting in a common area or waiting for a bus.

Marzano’s meta-analysis listed relationships last with an effect size of .18 on student achievement, but he defines it as, “[demonstrating] an awareness of the personal aspects of teachers and staff.” In my practice, building and maintaining relationships is the “tool” I continually pick up to practice responsibilities like situational awareness, flexibility, affirmation, or communication. Although the research may not indicate as strong an effect on student achievement, to me it is central in being able to do our jobs effectively.

I try to be intentional in seeing each stakeholder, whether a staff member, student, parent, or community member, as an individual with aspirations and anxieties, hopes and fears, and all sorts of emotions in between as we work through this second semester.

Let’s lean on those in our building to give us good feedback and insight, as well as those educational leaders we are networking within our state and around the country who are giving their best for the students in their schools this spring.

Our students and communities have great needs, but together, as educational leaders, we have a wealth of compassion, resources, and insight to meet these challenges head-on.

Thanks for taking on that job for kids. ■

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ASSOCIATION UPDATES

OASA

Dr. Pam Deering, CCOSA/OASA Executive Director Derald Glover, OASA Assistant Executive Director What a difference a year makes! At this time last year, we were dealing with a new thing called COVID-19, this year we are dealing with some of the most challenging legislative issues we have ever faced. OASA members have always been the gatekeepers to minimize the effects of negative legislation. We stand in the gap for all kids, but especially those who may be negatively impacted by decisions made at the state or federal level.

Our effectiveness lies in our unity as an organization of professional school leaders. When we speak as “one voice” we impact decisions.

FY21 is proving how important our professional organization is to our members. OASA Touch Base zoom meetings, weekly legislative briefings, and timely legislative alerts are just a few ways OASA has stepped up to provide communication and up to the minute information to its members.

What a challenging year it has been!

Besides providing a constant flow of important communications, OASA staff and board have focused on key legislation around school budgets, open transfers, tax protests, voucher and scholarship expansion, unfunded mandates, and charter schools. We have also sought to expand and grow our membership. Currently 93% of Oklahoma school superintendents are members of OASA. That percentage is truly a sign of strength and unity of purpose which may be more important now than ever.

The federal ESSER funds are a great shot in the arm to struggling schools, but the rules surrounding the funds is complicated and confusing. CCOSA’s Federal Program Consultant, Kathy Dunn,

leaders. If you haven’t checked them out already go to our CCOSA website and look through the Blended Learning Framework, Professional Budget Framework, and the Energy Efficiency Framework.

OASA is committed to assisting schools with strategies to maximize the ESSER funds to truly transform education in Oklahoma. Once again, we plan to use the expertise of our members and sound research as a guide for our schools.

has provided current and accurate guidance on ESSER to central office administrators. The consortiums of federal program, Indian education, and student information personnel that she leads is filling a communication void that has existed for years. These meetings have been heavily attended and it is anticipated that many of these staff will join and make OASA even stronger in size and influence.

If school leaders don’t provide quality programs and solutions, someone else will do it for us.

OASA’s “Quality School Frameworks” use both research and our own members’ expertise to provide truly professional solutions for school

OASA leaders have led schools through the most challenging year ever experienced in public schools.

This should be recognized and celebrated! We plan to do just that at our CCOSA summer conference.

We will celebrate our OASA Administrator of the Year as well as our Central Office Administrator of the Year and Lifetime Achievement winners. We hope you will join us. OASA is your professional organization, and our strength is through engaged members.

Stay active, stay engaged, and remember to ride with the OASA brand! ■

S P RI NG 2021 S P RI|NGbetter 2021 |sch bet o otls er sch47 o o ls

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ASSOCIATION UPDATES

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OASSP / OMLEA Will Parker, OASSP/OMLEA Executive Director

Principals have done extraordinary work this year serving school communities throughout the pandemic. As conditions improve, more schools have opened more events for students and families, including proms and graduation ceremonies. Thank you to secondary and middlelevel principals for the determination, creativity and patience you have modeled this school year!

Awards & Recognition

Jennifer Patterson

Laura Bullock

Melissa Barlow

Secondary Assistant Principal of the Year

Middle Level Principal of the Year

Oklahoma High School Principal of the Year

Secondary and Middle Level Administrators across the state were nominated for Principal of the Year Awards for 2020-2021. Finalists were interviewed by committees of former award recipients, and three administrators have been announced as OASSP/ OMLEA awardees.

On December 3, 2020, OASSP/OMLEA announced Jennifer Patterson as this year’s Secondary Assistant Principal of the Year. Ms. Patterson is Assistant Principal at Dewitt Waller Middle School, Enid Public Schools.

NASSP recognized her award in a nationally broadcast virtual webinar on Friday, April 9, 2021. On March 10, 2021, Laura Bullock of Idabel Middle School was named the Middle Level Principal of the Year. On March 11, 2021, Melissa Barlow, Principal at Yukon High School, was named the Oklahoma High School Principal of the Year.

Each principal will be recognized at the Cooperative Council for Oklahoma School Administration (CCOSA) Summer Leadership Conference this June. You can read more about each award winner at the CCOSA website news page: www.ccosa.org/index.php?newsdetail&category_id=8

S P RI NG 2021 | better sch o o ls

Membership As of April 5, 2021, OASSP’s membership included 807 active members. These members represent 487 High School or Middle School Principals, 256 Assistant Principals, 41 Directors, 16 Deans, 4 Counselors, and 4 Administrative Interns.

OMLEA’s membership includes 537 administrators.

These members represent 348 principals, 154 assistant principals, 15 Directors, 8 Deans, 4 Coordinators, 5 Superintendents and 3 Admin Interns. Thank you to principals across the state committed to secondary and middle level leadership. If you know other middle-level and high school principals who would benefit from OASSP/ OMLEA membership, invite them to join!

Conference The OASSP and OMLEA Executive Committees voted unanimously to cancel this year’s combined OASSP/OMLEA conference. Members are looking forward to the opportunity to meet again in person next school year. In the meantime, virtual regional meetings have been scheduled for principals to touch-base and share best practices.

Advocacy On February 4, Chris LeGrande, Guthrie High School Principal and NASSP Coordinator, represented Oklahoma in a national virtual panel discussing pandemic safety protocols for schools. March 31, OASSP and OAESP hosted a virtual Principal Day at the Capitol for updates on current state legislation. On April 20-21, OASSP officers Dusty Throckmorton, David Beiler and Chris LeGrande attended NASSP’s annual Advocacy Conference, which was also a virtual event this year.

Professional Learning Throughout 2020-2021, members participated in the twice monthly TeleLEAD virtual meeting on the first and third Wednesdays of the month at noon and averaged between 40+ participants for each session. We are grateful to the commitment and insights provided each time by our Hubteam members: Julie Bloss, Grove Early Childhood Center; Eric Fox, Jenks High School; Kas Nelson, Vici Elementary School; and Stephanie Williams, Norman Public Schools. The case studies and didactic presentations during each session allowed educators to discuss topics including developing guided coalitions, managing current events in curriculum, moving forward during decision-fatigue, effectively leading data teams, and more! ■

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LOOKING FORWARD: COVID-19 RECOVERY

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ASSOCIATION UPDATES

OAESP

Glen Abshere, OAESP Executive Director 2021 OAESP Mid-Winter Conference:

OAESP Elementary Principal of the Year/ NAESP National Distinguished Principal The NAESP National Distinguished Principal (NDP) program honors outstanding elementary and middle-level principals across the nation who ensure that America’s children acquire a solid foundation for lifelong learning and achievement. This year, we had 15 principals nominated for Principal of the Year.

We had some excellent principals nominated this year! The OAESP Elementary Principal of the Year selection committee has narrowed the field down to the top three candidates. The candidates are: ■■ Bill

Pierce – Surrey Hills Elementary School, Yukon Public Schools

■■ Reuben

Schools

■■ Mark

Bellows – Earl Harris Elementary School, Bethany Public

Lea – Stilwell Grade School, Stilwell Public Schools

We are excited to announce Mark Lea as this year’s OAESP Principal of the Year! Congratulations Mark!

The OAESP Mid-Winter Conference was held on February 10, 2021, and was presented in a blended format this year. Due to the winter storm that took place the day before, the majority of our attendees joined us virtually. Dr. Joe Sanfelippo gave an outstanding keynote. We were also joined by Kimbrelle Barbosa Lewis, NAESP President and Vic Eugenio, NAESP Zone 8 Director. Make plans to attend the 2022 OAESP MidWinter Conference on Thursday, February 10, 2022 at the Edmond Conference Center.

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT OPPORTUNITIES TeleLEAD: TeleLEAD, a partnership

with OSU Project Echo, launched on October 7th. TeleLEAD was held on the first and third Wednesdays at noon virtually. Julie Bloss, Kas Nelson, Eric Fox, and Stephanie Williams served as the hub team members. All participants were invited to share their thoughts.

Each session provided a case study in the life of a principal. We had a great year with TeleLEAD. TeleLEAD is now on break for the summer.

We will resume on the first and third Wednesdays of the month beginning in September. If you have a case that you would like to have presented, please reach out to me.

New Principals Academy: The

CCOSA’s New Principals Academy (NPA) is designed to promote an interactive discussion on topics

essential for participants to develop understanding and knowledge of the leadership role at the school level. The 2021-2022 New Principals Academy will kick off in September.

The dates for NPA next year are: September 16, 2021, October 8, 2021, November 18, 2021, December 9, 2021, and March 30, 2022.

Principal Mentoring Training:

The new Principal Mentoring and Coaching program has been developed and tested with a small group of administrators. The training has received high remarks from the participants. The purpose of this training is to provide training in the area of mentorship for those that either supervise principals or those that may be assigned as a mentor. This three-day training is focused on improving the skills of

leaders and to provide thoughtful feedback in how to mentor or coach a school leader. This new training will debut this fall. The tentative dates for this training are September 9, 2021, October 5, 2021, and November 9, 2021. If you are serving as a mentor, would like to fine tune some questioning techniques with those you are mentoring or are supervising principals or assistant principals, this professional development opportunity is for you. ■

Join OAESP! If you haven’t already done so, it is time to renew your membership for the 20-21 school year! If you know principals or assistant principals who are not members, please encourage them to become a member. You don’t want to miss out on member pricing for the Mid-Winter Conference or CCOSA Summer Leadership Conference! As always, please let us know if there is anything that we can do for you!

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ASSOCIATION UPDATES

ODSS

Andrea Kunkel, CCOSA General Counsel & ODSS Executive Director While we write this, ODSS is just a few days away from the deadline to submit nominations for its Maurice Walraven and Director of the Year Awards and applications for its Jimmie Prickett Scholarship. When you read this, we’ll have announced the winners.

For years, we took for granted the opportunity we had to spend time together in person. Although some of us may have the opportunity to attend the CCOSA Summer Leadership Conference in person, we’re hopeful we can all safely gather together, later this summer, perhaps, to catch up with our ODSS colleagues we’ve missed so much.

We’ve saved up lots of praise to heap not only on our award winners, but also on those colleagues who’ve worked so hard and so inventively over the past year-plus. The next celebration won’t be the usual, and it won’t be one we’ll take for granted.

We’re waiting to hear whether the November CASE national event will be held in person. The July Legislative Conference will, however, be held virtually.

We still anticipate holding an in-person ODSS Best Practices Conference in 2021-22, but our favorite venues aren’t taking reservations until they’re able to see that COVID no longer poses a threat. We hope to have more news about a date in late summer.

Looking forward to seeing you soon! ■

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