Brower Unveils Transition Team at First School Board Meeting

During her first school board meeting, Superintendent Dr. Sandra Brower presented her transition plan and unveiled her transition team.

“Transitions are periods of opportunity,” Brower said. “They’re periods of time where we take just stock of the vulnerabilities that one, as a leader particularly coming into a new district might face.”

that focus on listening and learning and eventually leading. The purpose of the plan is to ensure her goals are aligned with the school district's, to create opportunities to learn about the district and to build a solid understanding of the district, she said.

The plan will provide structure into the relationships, activities and understanding the culture of the school district, Brower said.

Part of Brower’s plan includes mobilizing a transition team that will assist in developing a learning plan, she said.

Her team includes high school Athletic Director Karen Hughes, Principal Eric Fiedler, teacher Darlene Price, parent Cathy Rapsas and Assistant Superintendent Vanessa Clark.

“One of the core charges that I will ask them is to help me identify the blind spots, help me see the things that I might see as quickly as maybe somebody would want me to,” she said.

The transition team will be meeting the first week in December and monthly to start. Later, they will meet as needed, she said.

“I’m looking forward to new ideas, continuing great implementations that are already in place and making the Lacey school district the best district it can be,” Clark said.

Many have showed interest in joining Brower’s transition team so she is considering developing sub-teams, she said.

Resident Tim O’Connor welcomed the new superintendent and thanked the school board for listening to the people of Lacey.

“They went way out of their way to accommodate the requests of the people when we had open meetings into the selection process of the superintendent,” O’Connor said. “I’ve got to say she complies with about 85 percent of what we were talking about, and I don’t think you can do much better than that.”

O’Connor expressed his concerns with inequity as last years payroll for the top six administrators was $915,000 and $3 million for the top 22.

“We have cafeteria workers working for $13,000 a year. There’s something wrong with that,” he said.

O’Connor also pointed out to Brower his concerns for the payout of sick time, overbonding for the solar panel project, transparency in the budget and the demand for vocational schools.

“Your transition is excellent,” said O’Connor, who used to be an auditor. “I see the direction that you’re going in. You’re assessing the situation.”

He did ask Brower to eventually develop five- and 10-year goals.

“It’s something that will stimulate thought,” O'Connor said. “It’s just an avenue to down the road to where we might change and improve.”

Since then, she has and has attended a Parent Teacher Organization Meeting.

“It gave me a great opportunity to see the kinds of things that are happening in a particular school. It sort of feeds to the personality,” Brower said.

In the upcoming weeks Brower will be setting up meetings with “stakeholders” such as students, parents, teachers, staff, members of the community and the Board of Education.

To follow Brower’s experience as the new superintendent as well as the school district’s progress, read her “Learning About Lacey” blog.