The official start of school is just around the corner for New Albany-Floyd County Consolidated School Corp. and that means it’s time for teachers to get back into the groove before students arrive.

It’s tradition for the corporation to hold a welcoming back ceremony with a speech given by the superintendent. This year was no different; however, it was the first for Superintendent Bruce Hibbard, who started work immediately after being hired on Aug. 3.

Hibbard told the audience of hundreds of teachers and some administrators that filled the auditorium Monday at New Albany High School that he was excited to take on his new endeavor — so much so that he woke up at 2 a.m., not being able to sleep.

He talked to the crowd about his entry plan, which is to listen and learn about NA-FC schools. He said he wanted to learn the rhythm of the organization so that he doesn’t end up like the person in a video clip he then played.

The short clip showed a new Coast Guard listening as a boater radios in, saying, “We’re sinking!”

The Coast Guard answers, in broken English, “What are you thinking about?”

He also showed a clip from the movie “Toy Story,” where the toys are upset over possible change when their owner has a birthday party.

Hibbard told the audience he isn’t coming in to change everything, saying that the answers for what NA-FC needs are right in the auditorium — meaning the teachers and administrators.

Though he did say that change is always needed in education, pointing out that the top 10 most in-demand jobs in 2010 did not exist in 2004.

“[Teachers] are preparing kids for jobs we don’t know exist yet,” he said.

After the meeting, Hibbard said he hopes that people understood that the answers to helping NA-FC succeed really are in that room.

“We just have to collaborate with one another,” Hibbard said. “No one will get points for being really effective without sharing with one another.”

He said he hopes to implement short-cycle assessments that are the same for each school that will measure whether a student mastered that portion of the curriculum. The idea is to find out which students are falling behind early enough to get them caught back up through a program called Response to Intervention.

He said if many are falling behind, it’s a sign to evaluate the core teaching. He said teachers can collaborate with one another to help come up with ideas to help make sure students master the lessons.

He added that each school will remain a little bit different, since each teacher and administrator would still be able to be creative.

He also said his experience with school improvement plans in the past has shown that there’s room for many to revise their focus.

“The school improvement plans ... have way too much on the agenda to actually get something done,” Hibbard said of ones that he has seen before. “I would definitely want to simplify those plans so that everybody is on the same page and working toward the same improvement of student achievement.”

As for other changes, Hibbard said he needs to talk to those in the corporation and find out where NA-FC is before making any decisions.

Hibbard added that he’s looking forward to school starting Thursday, saying that the teachers and administrators did a good job getting everything ready even though they did not have a superintendent.

Hibbard plans to go to as many elementary schools as he can on the first day so that he can meet students, teachers and administrators at the various buildings.



SO YOU KNOW

• The first day of school at New Albany-Floyd County Consolidated School Corp. is Thursday, Aug. 13.