By Dr. Al Roberts
Superintendent of Clarkston Schools

This past Monday, it was my privilege to address the Clarkston Rotary Club. I was asked to discuss the “state of the schools.” Knowing how much this group cares about the young people of the community, it was a pleasure to prepare this particular presentation. My first thoughts centered on some basic questions:
· What would the membership of this organization want to know?
· How could I provide them with a genuine snapshot of our district’s “state”?
· Would I be able to share accurate information in a way that explained our challenges without whining?
This week’s column is designed to answer these questions for readers. I hope you will ‘develop’ your own image of the school district based upon the facts and framework provided.
What do Clarkston citizens want to know about their school district?
In my opinion, residents want to know that their schools are providing high quality instruction in a fiscally responsible way. Community members expect school officials to be accountable; and they want us to communicate frequently. They want the schools to work cooperatively with other entities to promote positive public engagement; and they want us to meet the challenges of funding and facility use in a reasonable, yet prudent fashion.
Now, I realize my view of the “district snapshot” is shaped by thousands of pieces of information and the column’s length is somewhat limited. So, rather than tell readers how successful we are, I ask them to judge for themselves based upon commonly held indicators. Our snapshot is found in such data as:
1. Graduation Rates
2. Participation Rates
3. Course Offerings
4. Grades
5. Test Results
6. Percentage of Budget Set Aside For Instruction
7. Financial Audits
As you might guess, the Clarkston Schools do very well relative to performance on virtually all of these indicators. For example:
· Approximately 85% of our budget is set aside for instructional purposes.
· The district’s graduation rate for the 2001-2002 school year was 98.6%.
· More than 1,000 high school students take part in clubs and student organizations.
· We offer 14 Advanced Placement Courses at CHS this year and plan to offer 15 such courses next year.
· Eighty-six percent of our youngsters at the high school level maintain a Grade Point Average of C or better.
· Our elementary youngsters continue to score well above the state and county averages on the MEAP test.
· For the third consecutive year, our district has been awarded the Certificate of Excellence in Financial Reporting.
Yes, there is much good news. We also have challenges, most of which are very common amongst our neighboring school districts. We need to:
· Find a way to provide the facilities necessary to carry on our program for increasing numbers of students.
· Create a sense of intimacy in schools that have large enrollments. Our high school is currently serving 2,400 students!
· Offer students, parents and community members the types of learning opportunities and activities they deserve, and do so within a limited budget ? Clarkston is among the lowest funded school systems in Oakland County.
· Help the public understand school funding and assist them in understanding the complications involved in mandates and parent expectations. For example, many citizens have little knowledge of the “strings” that are attached to state funding.
· Deal with new laws that are conceptually sound and desirable, but impractical and not funded – No Child Left Behind legislation is one such example.
Facing such challenges is a real problem in most places and solutions will not be easy. Nonetheless, I believe our community has a real advantage in the ‘sense of family’ that exists here. Together, we can meet any challenge. Perhaps our own mission statement says it best. After all, we do challenge all to exceed their own expectations!