The following is adapted for Marion County Public Schools with NSPRA permission from David Luther, retired Public Relations Officer for Jefferson City Public Schools in Missouri.
We humans often have a bad habit. We sometimes focus on the negative things in our lives and fail to recognize the positives. Media and social media do not help much in this regard. Bad news is typically more likely to get published, broadcast, and shared, and as much as we might not want to admit it, we hear, read, watch, and share these stories. Reporters will sometimes use the terms “soft” or “fluff” for positive stories. That’s a shame, because some of these stories are the most remarkable.
Thursday was the first day of school for 39,418 students in Marion County Public Schools and things ran amazingly well. However, some students were not registered. Some students never showed up. Some buses ran really late. Some students had medical conditions requiring immediate attention. Carlines were crowded, and traffic crawled in some areas. No doubt almost every student, parent and teacher had something go wrong. But what about the other side of the story? What went right?
- 39,418 students showed up for face-to-face learning – over 88% of the 44,487 we anticipate.
- 21,000+ students had a safe bus ride to and from school. Most of our buses showed up on time or within the first few minutes of class. Those riding the bus enjoyed dependable service with a smile. Our 254 buses cover an average of 31,806 miles every day. Our district is a big one – 1,650 square miles, larger than the state of Rhode Island. Our bus drivers, aides, and transportation folks do tremendous work!
- Exactly 242 seventh graders could not attend class because they showed up for school without state-required immunizations.
- Exactly 2,847 children and their parents benefitted from Marion Afterschool Programs (MAP), an 11% increase over last year. At this time, all MAP sites are filled to capacity, and 451 students are on waiting lists.
- Our cafeteria workers served 10,593breakfasts and 27,047 lunches in our school cafeterias – surpassing last year’s opening day by nearly six percent. There were healthy choices available (although more than a few doughnuts and cookies were eaten, too). About 65 percent of our students are eligible for free and reduced meals – nearly two out of every three. For some students, these were the best meals of their day. For some students, these were the only meals of their day. Our Food Service workers are amazing!
- Over 3,500 teachers, principals and other instructional and support staff greeted students, helped them find their classes, began the teaching process and in general did an exceptional job. This includes 308+teachers brand new to Marion County Public Schools. This did not happen by accident. Most teachers and school personnel spent much of their summer preparing for the new school year so things started right. And we still have 150teaching positions open as of today!
- Schools were clean and grounds were manicured. Our maintenance workers and nearly 290 custodians spent the summer renovating buildings, reworking cafeterias, putting down new carpet, pulling up old floor wax, making sure windows were fixed, roofs were repaired, 3,800+ air conditioners were working properly, floors were swept, and, in general, getting schools ready for staff and students. MCPS includes 607 buildings and covers 7.1 millionsquare feet of space on more than 1,600 acres so this is a daunting task completed with incredible effort!
- Secretaries, receptionists, and other office staff greeted students, and we all know as the year goes along, these people handle thousands of jobs, and virtually every one of these jobs impacts students in some way.
- Our Payroll Department is delivering paychecks to 3,755 teachers, non-instructional staff, substitutes, administrators, and district support personnel this first week of school.
- District administrators, principals and School Board members spent much of their time making sure the district remained focused on doing what is right for students and helping every student succeed.
- The coordination of 44,487 expected students, nearly 6,200 full- and part-time employees,417portable classrooms, and 51 schools does not happen by accident, and it won’t happen at all if someone doesn’t mind the switch.
- Even many carlines were freshly efficient on the first day of school – something parents and administrators rarely say!
I believe this will truly be another great year for MCPS! Look, I’m a Public Relations guy, so I know people will say, “Well, he’s paid to put a positive take on everything.” True confession: my day was stressful, too. I spoke with six media reporters, coordinated multiple media school visits, took hundreds of photos, dealt with curious parents and others, and participated in a late-afternoon wrap-up meeting before sharing the day’s success with more than 75 local media reps.
Here’s what I discovered once again: this is a wonderful community in which we live, and we have great schools, great teachers and great students! Are there problems? Absolutely. Are they insurmountable? Absolutely not! (Though some are tougher to solve than others.) The main thing we must do is keep our eyes on the target, and for MCPS this means always doing what is right -- for students. Every minute of learning matters now more than ever.
Please share your own “what went right” perspective with others from time to time. When teachers and other staff do a great job -- tell them (this goes for all of us: parents, families, colleagues, bosses, etc.). When your kids experience success -- celebrate! When you see something that needs to be improved – tell those involved and be part of the solution, not the problem.
Here’s to a wonderful 2023-2024 school year!