果酱视频

Tragically, during my time as superintendent of 果酱视频 Public Schools, the district has lost 192 young lives due to violence or crime. The number is larger than the enrollment of several of our current schools. That is 192 too many.

As I leave the superintendent position and a new superintendent takes over, I leave with one final request. I pray that we as a community come together to better support our young people so we don鈥檛 read or watch the news that more young persons have lost their lives. We can and must do better.

Think of all we have accomplished by working together during the past 14 years.

We expanded early childhood education and doubled the number of pre-kindergarten seats in the district. By working together and doing this, we now provide critically needed access to high quality teachers for three and four-year-olds in 果酱视频.

Together we passed two bond issues and a tax levy that provided much-needed funding for technology, safety and security, air conditioning, facility upgrades, competitive salaries for staff and continued no-cost early childhood offerings.

We built relationships between 果酱视频鈥� business community and our schools that didn鈥檛 just provide support to buildings. They were not just volunteers. They became family.

Working with both appointed and elected boards of education and the entire community, we achieved what many thought was impossible, regaining and maintaining full accreditation. This accomplishment was achieved due to the incredible hard work of our staff, our students, and our parents.聽聽

We came together as a community to face a pandemic that shut down the world. It was not easy, but we persevered, and our students are now more resilient than ever in their quest to learn and prepare for their futures.

If we can overcome a deadly pandemic, rise from the academic ashes to restore pride and confidence in our schools, and join forces politically to place our school system on solid financial ground now and into the future, there really is nothing we cannot do.

As I look ahead, I am heartened to see the Citywide Plan for Education becoming a reality. This community partnership is dedicated to improving the educational outcomes for all young people in 果酱视频. This is a great first step towards a very bright future indeed.

果酱视频 Public Schools, along with charter schools and parochial and private schools, have joined together for the Educators for Gun Safety program. This cooperative initiative was launched to turn grief into action to address the issue of gun safety in the 果酱视频 community. This is a positive step in the right direction.

However, there is still so much more to do. Educators and parents cannot do it alone. 鈥淚t takes a village鈥� is not just a catch phrase, it is a mandate.

It is not a time to look back. It is a time to look at the present and into the future. The work for the young people of 果酱视频 must continue.

While it has been my honor to serve as superintendent of 果酱视频 Public Schools, and I will never forget how blessed I have been to be welcomed into this community, it is now time for me to join my fellow 果酱视频ans in supporting our children.

I call on the business community, our elected officials, grandparents, neighbors, adults without children and all who read this to put aside any differences that may exist between us and come together to end the violence and the lack of resources in marginalized communities that haunts our children.

We can and must do better.

Kelvin Adams, Ph.D., is retiring as the superintendent of 果酱视频 Public Schools.