19
By Michael Chamness
IASA Director of
Communications
As I was going through my
normal morning routine of checking
on
more
than
20
online
newspapers to compile IASA’s
Daily News Briefs content for our
website, I recently came across an
interesting story in the Champaign
News-Gazette. The newspaper had
printed a blog written by Urbana
District 116 Superintendent Dr.
Donald Owen detailing the decision
process he used to call off school
during one of January’s polar
vortexes.
The story struck me as
interesting from a few perspectives.
First, I always had wondered how
superintendents made that decision
when there wasn’t something
obvious like a foot of snow. I also
was intrigued by the fact a school
superintendent communicating with
the public would make headlines. Is
it really that rare? Finally, I was
curious about the feedback Dr.
Owen had received.
Here, reprinted with his
permission, is Dr. Owen’s blog
about closing school during one of
those frigid days. By clicking
you can also read the resp
from the public at the end of his
blog; most of them were from
appreciative parents, and a few
said they never had really
understood what went into those
types of decisions.
In a future edition of
Leadership
Matters
, we will explore the topic of
school superintendents reaching
out to communicate with their
communities in a variety of ways.
Included will be a column by Dr.
Owen about why he started his
blog, what topics he blogs about,
and how he handles public
feedback to his blogs. In the
meantime, here is his blog from
January 22:
View from Here
I am an educator and educational leader who is
passionate about public education, equity, and
excellence. This blog represents my thoughts on
educational leadership in the context of a small urban
community committed to educational excellence. The
posts are my own and do not constitute policy or
administrative function in my district.
So what goes into a school-closing decision anyway?
Dr. Donald Owen
