Page 5 - The Edge - Winter 2017

A MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT

BY KEN HICKS

Blessed Are We — for All the Amazing

ings We Do to Improve Education

Here’s hoping everyone had a Happy Holiday season. I know
I have said this before, but I am very thankful for all that
you do. Public education in Arizona is challenging and
difficult and there are amazing things happening
every day. This occurs because of everyone, not
any one person, but everyone.
In the last few weeks, I have seen an
amazing student “Winter Wonderland”
production, heard the best version of the
“12 Days of Christmas” I have ever heard
(Great job Cactus High School), I have
seen a women’s basketball game where
one player helped up the other team’s
player, I have tasted culinary delights
from students, made an appearance
on a student-hosted and produced
television show, helped to judge a
student’s capstone project and talked
to student body presidents at seven
high schools about how they create an
inclusive environment for all students.
I could go on and on about the
amazing things that happen in our
schools every day, but I won’t. I will just
say: THANKS!
Most people who talk to me normally hear
me say that I am doing great, couldn’t be better
or that I am living the dream. I truly believe that.
We should all believe that.
We have challenges, personal and professional. The
capital funding cuts have been unbelievable. Current year
funding is still bad. Proposition 301 is coming to an end. Adjacent
Ways sounds like it is more of a mess than ever before. Rural districts are hammered with increased transportation expenses.
Prop. 206 and the new minimum wage laws will put a huge strain on schools and divert money out of the classroom in perpetuity.
I am sure that failed bills from last year’s Legislature will be repackaged and presented this year. I believe in adding a poverty
weight, all day kindergarten, restoring capital and conducting a special education cost study. This all seems daunting. Shawn
Achor, author of “The Happiness Advantage,” says: “One of the most powerful forces in human nature is our belief that change
is possible.”
So, even though we live in challenging times, change will happen and we should do what we can to make it the right change.
Abraham Lincoln (and Mike Barragan) have said: “The best way to predict the future is to create it.”
I would like to ask you all, what have you done recently to create a better future? We can all influence a process or procedure
or a bill or a community member. Self-reflection, to me, is one of the most powerful motivators around. I believe in lifelong
learning and continuous improvement, but am I acting with those beliefs? What have I done to improve myself, my department,
my district, my community, my state, my country?
Thank you to everyone for all the work you put in to making our students in our state be the best that they can – and have a
Blessed New Year.

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