G.S.C.: With the State In Charge Of Our Schools We Need An Exit Plan
After one year of the State’s takeover of our school system citizens are uninformed about progress if any Mr. Blankenship made toward restoring our system back to local control.
Mr. Blankenship’s failure to systematically report progress is hindered by a lack of a formal plan, with task completion dates and progress tracking mechanisms for achieving timely restoration.
Therefore, to promote transparency, accountability, and efficiency with Mr. Blankenship’s assignment, the Coalition drafted the following exit plan strategy for the State’s consideration.
Tentative Project Management Plan For Reinstatement of Gilmer County Schools To Local Control
A structured, trackable process is used in the private sector and elsewhere for the successful management of complex, multifaceted projects to complete work by a specified time.
Accordingly, a project management process for reinstatement of the Gilmer County School System, is proposed to the State of West Virginia to include:
1) agreement on a final objective and the completion date for reinstatement,
2) agree on specific tasks which must be completed to achieve the objective,
3) complete tasks with maintenance of a formal project management tracking system to ensure that they are completed with quality outcomes, timeliness, and in necessary priority,
4) continually monitor project progress to keep it on schedule and to determine need for unanticipated project modifications, including the necessity for new tasks, to achieve the reinstatement objective within the specified time, and
5) after reinstatement occurs implement and maintain continual post-project monitoring to ensure that the system operates properly while being vigilant for opportunities to achieve greater efficiencies.
1) Objective. Return Local control of Gilmer County’s School System by _________as a WV model for k-12 education excellence.
2) Specific Tasks. OEPA’s documentation of school system deficiencies for correction prior to reinstatement will be reformatted as specific tasks to complete.
A) For each category of tasks, the State’s superintendent will list specific tasks in priority order for completion. Obviously, some tasks could be worked on simultaneously.
B) After completing 2-A the State’s superintendent will submit the document to appropriate State officials for review, final revisions, and afterwards the document will be resubmitted to the superintendent.
3) Project Management Tracking System.
A) After completion of 2-B the State’s superintendent will design a project management matrix to include entries (planned completion date of each task, date of initiation for each task and % completed at designated time increments, date each task is completed) to permit progress to be evaluated at any time by appropriate officials. When the project tracking system to account for all tasks is completed, the superintendent will resubmit the document to appropriate State officials for final approval. After official approval is granted, the final document will be the County’s project management plan.
4) Monitor Project Progress.
A) After completion of 3-A the State’s superintendent will commence work on the project to include tracking task completion progress by making entries on the project management matrix, and after completion of each task, close monitoring will continue to ensure that accomplishments for that task are kept current to prevent deficiencies from reoccurring.
B) Monthly reviews of the project’s progress will occur with involvement of members of the Gilmer County School Board, the public and appropriate State officials.
5)Post-Project Monitoring.
A) Institute and maintain a continual, proactive, quality control program to ensure that the County’s K-12 school system functions as a WV model of excellence.
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