Superintendent Shelley Berman sends farewell message to 4J staff before June 30 departure
Dear 4J Colleagues,
As the school year draws to a close and I approach the end of my time in Eugene, I want to take the opportunity to thank all of our staff for your tremendous efforts and reflect on what we have accomplished.
These haven’t been easy years. Since I joined you in 2011, our district has faced continuing budget crunches, changing academic standards, new state mandates, and other challenges. District leadership has had to make some very difficult choices among imperfect options.
We have faced many challenges. We also have made a lot of progress.
We have emerged from the darkest days of recession-level school funding and hope soon to rise out of the austerity budgets that inadequate funding imposed. We’re already seeing significant strides toward returning to a more adequately sustained education system. I see these advances symbolized by the move to full-day kindergarten this fall, our community’s strong support of local school funding measures, and a state funding level that allows us to hold the line on class sizes and recover school days and provide salary and benefit increases for all of our hardworking staff.
We have maintained a laser focus on sustaining and improving the quality of teaching and learning. We’ve implemented the deeper, more aligned common core state standards and updated curriculum in several areas. We’ve focused on keeping students in class and learning; we have restored a nearly full school year, and more than three-quarters of our high school students now have full schedules, compared with less than one-third in 2011. We’ve re-envisioned and expanded programs to support students at risk and expanded the college-going culture for underserved students. We’ve enhanced our student-centered learning climate by expanding social-emotional learning and classroom community-building efforts. We’ve striven to strengthen parent-community-school relationships through outreach and communication. We’ve invested in professional development that is making a difference in the classroom.
And we are starting to see the tide turn on some key academic success measures as the result of these efforts and all of your hard work. Last year’s student assessment results held steady overall and showed a significant improvement in high school students’ math and reading achievement. Graduation rates improved across the district for the first time in several years and drop out rates declined. We saw some progress in closing achievement gaps at the high school level. As I watched students cross the stage at high school graduation ceremonies over the past week, I was moved not only by their individual achievement, but also by the knowledge that their success is a reflection of all of your efforts.
I am proud of your work and the progress we have made, in the face of steep challenges, to provide the best possible education for these students and those who will follow them. The successes we have seen offer testament to the hard work of every one of our 4J staff and the support of our 4J families and community. Together we have weathered a lot of storms and come through them still strong. It hasn’t been easy, but you have given your all and it has made a difference, every day and every year, for the students and community we serve.
Summer is coming. My hope for you is that it will be a time to rest and recharge, so you can return next fall reinvigorated for the work ahead. Next year will bring a new superintendent, as well as a new class of students to connect with, educate and inspire. Although I will no longer be in the district office or visiting you in schools, my thoughts will be with you, wishing you all the best as you carry out your critical work.
There are not words to fully express the gratitude and respect I have for all of you—for your commitment, your passion, and the unique gifts you bring to our schools and support services. You do noble work, and you do it well.
I have been honored to serve alongside you for the past four years. Thank you.
Shelley
Dr. Sheldon Berman, Superintendent
Eugene School District 4J
June 9, 2015
