About two dozen parents, community and school staff members joined in the Schenectady High School Black Box last night to meet John Harrison, the first of three final candidates vying for the position of associate superintendent.  The post will be vacated by Gary Comley who is retiring at the end of June.  District visits and parent forums are being arranged for Helen Anne Livingston and Henry Kaiser.

Harrison, principal of Mercer Island High School, a school of about 1400 students in a suburb of Seattle WA, spent the day meeting students, teachers and administrators.  He spoke last night about his one-day visit to Schenectady High School and then fielded questions regarding  his philosophy and experience on a  variety of topics including student achievement, graduation rates, teenage issues, attendance, discipline, the size of the high school, parental involvement, expectations and high school scheduling.

“I love what I do,” Harrison told those in attendance.  “Every school has strengths and challenges.”  He added, “This place looks fascinating,” referring to Schenectady High School and his visit on Monday. 

Harrison, born and raised in Vancouver, is married and has four children.  He served as principal of a number of schools in Canada after working as a vice-principal and teacher.  “I led four pretty diverse schools, suburban, rural and urban schools,” said Harrison.  “I have a varied background.” 

He answered questions ranging from how he perceives the school, its strengths and challenges to his leadership style and priorities.  Parents and community members were also curious about his approach to building school rapport, spirit and community involvement. 

“Student achievement is always number one,” said Harrison.  “Our goal is to graduate students so when they go on they have options.”  He emphasized the importance of addressing graduation and drop out rates.  Harrison said that he led a connotative process on the issue as a high school leader.  “It culminated in a plan to the board of education in which the board implemented some of the changes,” he explained. 

“The number one way to get kids to school is through teachers,” he said.  “Give kids a good reason to come to school.”    He suggested that students who are chronically absent have something else going on in their lives like poverty or mental health issues.  He also said that suspending students for not being in school is not a solution.  “We have to work with kids to make them want to come to school.” 

Harrison noted that the size of Schenectady High School, which includes more than 2400 students, is a challenge.  “Kids do identify with their house,” he observed.  “But, any school as large as this is a challenge.”  One observation he made was that there is not a space big enough to fit the entire school population at one time.  Jokingly, he suggested that he could get all the students together on the bleachers by athletic field. 

He said when he met with students to answer their questions earlier in the day, Harrison found many of them were interested in why he would want to come to Schenectady High School.  The parents were curious about how he answered that. 

“There is a lot of good stuff going on that’s not getting celebrated,” he said.     “The kids need to feel good about school.”  He stressed the importance of working with the students to celebrate what they have.  He commented on the 150 year of history and vast array of programs offered in the district.  “There is a lot to feel good about,” he said. 

Harrison spoke about issues familiar to urban schools including drugs, alcohol, depression and family problems.  “These issues are everywhere,” he said. “Students need to feel safe, secure and have options and opportunity,” he added.  He said that students drop out because they are disengaged.  He also said sometimes students don’t feel respected.  “It’s hard to be specific without knowing the context,” he said speaking about Schenectady High School.  He noted that the school is moving in the right direction and that it has been taking strides. 

Harrison spoke about the importance of transition and noted the district K-12 model.  “Freshmen year is pivotal as to how successful the high school experience is,” he said.  “We’re large but small enough to do effective job of K-12 continuum. The capacity to do good transition is there.”  Harrison stressed the importance of middle school and high school teachers working together, working with middle school parents to prepare students for the high school journey, respecting students and concentrating on the grades they are in.   

“Rapport is important,” Harrison said in response to a parent who asked the principal to rate his rapport with teachers.  “It’s always been very high,” he said.  “Staff needs to feel that you appreciate them,” he said.  “They also need to know that you are prepared for issues raised.” 

Harrison addressed a parent’s question regarding the high school master schedule and continued by explaining that it is important to periodically review the master schedule during tough budget times.   

“The teacher in the class makes the difference, not the schedule,” said Harrison.  “Kids like the current schedule because that’s what they know,” he added referring to Schenectady student opposition to changing the schedule.  He explained to the parents that the master schedule is where the students and staff are brought together.  “Scheduling a school of 2400 students, that’s complex,” he said.    

A few parents were interested in knowing how the candidate will make parents feel welcome and part of the school.  Harrison explained how that is always a challenge at the high school level.  “This is not the time to step back but the time to step up,” he said. “We need to broaden the definition of parental involvement.”  He suggested that parents talk to their teens about homework, ask them to show what they’re doing and express an interest in their work.    

Harrison said the key to getting parents involved is to hook them into the school community by getting them involved in their areas of interest like band and PTSA.  “The more you can do to bring parents in, the better you can do to solicit support and partnerships,” he said.    

“Schools have become high profile,” said Harrison.  “There are high expectations for schools aside from academics.”  He suggested that schools are sometimes expected to do parenting.  “It’s a partnership,” he added.  “High school parenting is not stepping back, it’s stepping up,” he emphasized over and over.  

Harrison explained that he is familiar with the International Baccalaureate (IB) program.  “The IB program is big in Canada,” he explained in response to a parent question.  “It’s a great curriculum and I like forcing kids to be well-rounded and to develop analytical, deeper higher order thinking skills,” he said.  “I am aware of it and I’m a big fan of it.” 

Harrison said that over the years he has worked closely with Boys and Girls clubs and has worked with park and recreation departments and police on various programs.  “Police are another organization that works with youth,” he said.  “Get them involved in a positive way.” 

Harrision expressed excitement about the opportunity at Schenectady High School.  “There’s been a lot of change for the right reason,” he said.  “It’s exciting to know you have a district that is committed to kids’ success.”  He said he was excited about what he saw at the high school.  “The kids seem happy and friendly,” he noted.  Harrison also observed the students interacting with Comley.  “The kids love him,” he said. 

“I work hard at what I do,” he added.  “I love what I do.”  

Visits are currently being arranged for Helen Anne Livingston and Henry Kaiser also finalists for the position of associate superintendent.  The schedule will be announced as soon as possible.

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