Schools revving up their engines

Education columnist

The Clovis Municipal Schools are revving up the engines, getting ready to begin again.

At the same time that teachers and other staff members are starting back and students are getting ready to return, many staff members have continued working throughout the summer: the operations, finance, instruction, maintenance, human resources, federal programs, and food services departments, along with the superintendent’s office, have remained busy throughout the summer, making preparations for a new school year.

For many of these departments, workloads intensify during summer months, when teachers and students are absent. A great deal of planning and preparation is required to keep the district up and running in general and compliant with current laws and legal requirements.

The operations department oversees construction and maintenance, and this year has been particularly busy. The summer months saw a wide range of activities, from standard cleaning and repairs at all school sites, to grounds maintenance, to larger projects, such as re-doing the Clovis High School parking lot and, the pièce de résistance: a brand new James Bickley Elementary school, whose staff is elated with the new, state-of-the-art school.

The finance department spends countless hours managing the complexities of school finance. Human resources spends the summer months organizing staff, drawing up contracts, preparing for new and returning staff, and many other activities.

Food services is immersed in wrap-up of the previous school year, and planning for the upcoming; planning and menu preparation for over 8,000 students is no simple task.

Federal programs oversees summer programs and works on a wide range of projects that greatly impact the entire district.

The instruction department tackles the heart of school business: making a multitude of preparations for educating our students and ensuring that incoming and returning staff are well prepared and that instructional resources and materials are available. This includes meticulous planning and preparation for new and returning teachers and other staff; training and curriculum writing; preparation for continuing education offerings, and many more tasks.

As teachers begin to return to work, there is noticeable excitement in the air. Many teachers return long before their official start dates to get their classrooms ready. All manner of colorful teaching materials can be seen heading to classrooms to create rich learning environments. There’s always a sense of “family reunion” as colleagues re-connect and exchange news.

The week before students return are filled with trainings and workdays, culminating in the district’s convocation (this Friday), where all Clovis schools personnel come together at Marshall Auditorium amidst great excitement to kick off the year. This is followed by a massive staff luncheon, generously prepared by Central Baptist Church.

It’s a wonderful time of year with a variety of activities, this year with activities not only for school staff but also for the public. For example today is the open house for the new James Bickley Elementary; drop by between 2 p.m. and 6 p.m. today to tour the new school.

As John Dewey noted, “Arriving at one goal is the starting point of another.”

Cindy Kleyn-Kennedy is the Instructional Technology Coordinator for the Clovis Municipal Schools. She can be reached at [email protected]