Cobleskill-Richmondville is one of 150 school districts across the nation that will take part in conference on labor and management next week.
To be held in Denver, the conference will focus on administrators and teachers working together for student success.
C-R attendees will be Superintendent Lynn Macan, school board President Bruce Tryon and teachers’ union President Tracy Smith.
The whirlwind trip––leave Tuesday morning, return Wednesday night––is hosted and paid for by the US Department of Education.
Representatives from about 35 New York school districts are attending, but C-R appears to be the only one from this region.
According to the Education Department, 34 percent of the districts attending are from cities, 34 percent from suburbs, eight percent from “towns” and 24 percent from rural areas.
Pleased to be going, Ms. Macan is looking forward to the trip and C-R has some success stories to tell on the subject matter.
C-R brings teachers into the loop when the district targets student performance, she said.
“The people doing the work often have the best suggestions,” Ms. Macan said.
Also, C-R invests in additional training––professional development––for teachers, and teachers respond.
“With professional development, everyone recognizes that kids will benefit,” Ms. Macan said.
But there’s another reason to look forward to the trip: Meeting with administrators, teachers and board members from other states.
“It’s intriguing to me to meet people from other states. They think differently,” Ms. Macan said.
“For instance, we’ll hear from states that don’t fund education through property taxes [as New York does] and see how innovative they are in a tough economy.”
Besides the Education Department, other sponsors include the American Federal of Teachers, National Education Association and National School Boards Association, among others.