Learning the Walton-Verona Way…

Walton-Verona Independent
School District
Superintendent Entry Plan
Dr. Matt Baker

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 “Building on the Tradition of
WALTON- Excellence at Walton-Verona…”
VERONA
Introduction
INDEPENDENT
The following plan illustrates specific strategies that I will
ENTRY PLAN employ when I am offered the position of Superintendent of
Leaders must the Walton-Verona Independent School District. It will be
“first seek to critically important for me to obtain as much information
about the district and community as possible in order to
understand, begin making informed decisions. This plan is a sample of
then to be various strategies I will use in order to open a meaningful
understood.” dialog with the community, district employees, and students.
Much of this plan is focused on listening to and learning from
Dr. Steven Covey the many constituencies in the Walton-Verona Independent
community in order to build and strengthen the relationships
necessary for student success. Basically, I plan to “hit the
ground learning.”
With this in mind, I am aware that it is imperative that the
school district continue the initiatives that are working, and
refocus our efforts in other areas. Building on the strong
work to date, we must nurture the existing relationships
between the district and community. Great care must also
be given to build relationships with administrators, Board
members, and community members to sustain your
“students first” culture.
Implementing this plan will provide me with the time and
opportunity to gather critical information quickly about the
needs of children, staff, the school system, and community.
During this process, I will complete a comprehensive review
of existing programs, initiatives, services, student
performance, and fiscal conditions in order to assess the
district’s strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats.
This process will also enable me to identify critical issues and
make adjustments while honoring the work already in place.

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Through direct conversation, group discussion, observation, surveys and document
reviews, I will immerse myself in learning about the Walton-Verona Independent
School District and accelerate my learning curve in order to effectively lead the school
district. This effort will also help me make the connections necessary to establish a
presence in the community and begin building the critical relationships and networks
that will help us continue the advancements our students and staff members deserve.
Upon accepting this position, I will be in the Walton-Verona Independent community
on several week days and weekends to meet with various groups and begin
implementing this plan. I will not wait until July 1st to begin gathering input from
stakeholders.
As I implement this plan, I will update the Board of Education each month with a
“Superintendent’s Progress Report.” This monthly report will contain a summary of
my activities, and a synopsis of my findings, thoughts, and preliminary conclusions.
This type of visibility, and consistent, transparent communication with the Board will
be a hallmark of my tenure.

TIMETABLE:
This entry plan has three phases:

Phase 1 Phase 2 Phase 3

Transition Entry Development of
Pre-Entry to first day of First 100 days Next Steps
school of school

Listening and learning sessions with individuals, small groups, and larger gatherings will
dominate Phases I and II. These sessions will consist of numerous meetings with board
members, internal leadership groups, principals, staff, employee groups, students,
parent groups, community organizations, community members, business partners and
faith leaders.

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GOALS:
1. Build strong, collaborative and trusting relationships with key stakeholders,
including students, staff, families, community supporters, business partners, faith
leaders, elected officials and media representatives and establish two-way
communication channels.
2. Ensure a smooth and orderly transition of leadership.
3. Develop processes to listen and learn about the Walton-Verona Independent
School District and community in order to develop a deeper working knowledge and
understanding of the school district, its culture, traditions, history and
expectations.
4. Establish an effective working relationship with the members of the Walton-
Verona Independent Board of Education and solidify a cohesive board-
superintendent leadership team focused on meeting the needs of all students and
on creating an environment where staff members are supported and respected.
5. Assess the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats of the Walton-
Verona Independent School District with an eye toward the development of a new
strategic plan in the spring of 2019
6. Recognize the service and accomplishments of students, staff, community
leaders, and publicly celebrate attainments of benchmarks and goals.

KEY VALUES:
 All decisions must be based on what is best for students.
 Every child deserves an excellent and equitable education.
 Everything rises and falls on leadership.
 Individual strengths are to be respected, developed, and celebrated.
 Interactions must be conducted with truth, transparency and collaboration.
 Employees must be engaged in order to capitalize on each person’s individual
talents and experiences.
 Parents and community members must be asked on a regular basis if they are
satisfied with the services that the Walton-Verona Independent School District is
providing.

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CORE COMPONENTS:
Throughout my tenure in Walton-Verona Independent, I will actively engage in a
purposeful effort to listen to the community, learn, discern and develop action plans
for the future, in collaboration with all stakeholders. The following activities will be
core components of my entry plan. Please note that completion of these activities will
occur simultaneously and are of equal importance.
• Cultivation of a strong working relationship with the Walton-Verona Independent
Board of Education.
• Meetings, interviews, community forums and school visits designed to build
collaborative and trusting relationships with key stakeholders while gathering their
insights on the school district.
• Regular interaction with the public and news media through existing
communication channels while exploring new ways of sharing information and
receiving feedback.
• Data analysis, information gathering and document review.

Listen

Execute Learn

Plan Share

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 STRUCTURE:
PHASE I: PRE-ENTRY
During the months prior to the start of the start of my
contract, I will spend numerous days working in Walton-
Verona Independent to enable a smooth transition to
officially becoming Superintendent effective July 1st.
Additionally, I will attend several board meetings and
some evening activities such as professional learning
sessions, athletic contests, and arts performances.
“Good is the While in Walton-Verona Independent, I will take non-
enemy of contract or personal days from Greenup County.
My time during this pre-entry process will be spent on
great.” the following activities, although this list is not all-
-Jim Collins inclusive:
• A minimum of one meeting with each Board member
individually.
• A minimum of one meeting with Dr. Storer.
• A minimum of one introductory meeting with each
central office administrator and principal.
• An anonymous survey of all administrators in Walton-
Verona Independent dealing with their opinions and
thoughts on the districts strengths, weaknesses,
opportunities for improvement, and threats.

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 PHASE II: ENTRY
During my first 100 school days as Superintendent, my work will revolve around the
following three core components. Although this work will take place in concert with
the day to day operations of the school district, I will rely on existing senior staff to
maintain the daily operations of the district to give me time to focus on accomplishing
the entry plan objectives, which will provide a foundation for the future success of our
school district. Here are more specifics about how I will approach the core activities in
the entry plan.
CORE COMPONENT: Establish an effective and collegial working relationship with the
members of the Walton-Verona Independent Board of Education and solidify a
cohesive board-superintendent leadership team.
1. Schedule a meeting with each board member to discuss a format and agenda for a
possible board-superintendent training/retreat.
2. Schedule individual meetings with each board member for one-on-one time to
discuss expectations, roles and needs.
3. Establish individual and district goals that the board can use when evaluating me.

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 CORE COMPONENT: Build and enhance meaningful, positive and
authentic relationships with all facets of the Walton-Verona
Independent Schools community, which includes students, staff,
families, community supporters, business partners, faith
leaders, elected officials and media representatives. To be
successful, relationships must be built in the spirit of
transparency, honesty and collaboration. To be sustainable,
“Everybody effective channels of two-way communication must be mutually
can be great agreed upon and utilized regularly.
because A. School and Classroom Visits
anybody can Based upon the belief that spending time in schools and
serve.” classrooms provides the foundation for learning about the district
as well as relationship building, I will visit every classroom in the
-Dr. Martin Luther
district by the end of December. Additionally, I will occasionally
King, Jr.
accompany principals as they visit classrooms.
A second round of visits will span January through May and allow
me to spend at least one day in every school. During this full-day,
I will ask the school staff to schedule time for each staff member
to meet with me on an individual basis. This “10 Minutes with
Matt” event will enable me to meet all staff members, and
provide an opportunity for all staff members to offer their input
on the strengths and opportunities for improvement. This event,
“10 Minutes with Matt” will occur regularly each year, and will
allow me to stay up-to-date on employee concerns and
engagement.
In order to truly see the various operations of the school
district, I will ride school buses with students, eat in district
cafeterias, and attend staff meetings in every school. I will
regularly attend school and community functions, including
student performances, recognition events, and athletic contests,
co-curricular and extracurricular events.
B. Meetings and Interviews
In order to hear from students, staff, families, community
supporters, business partners, faith leaders, elected officials and
media representatives, I will conduct a series of meetings and key
informational interviews centered on the following six questions:
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1. Name three things that are going well in Walton-Verona Independent that you do
not want to see changed or eliminated.
2. Name three things in Walton-Verona Independent that you think we should
consider changing or eliminating.
3. When you first heard that there was going to be a new superintendent in Walton-
Verona Independent, you thought, “I certainly hope that he or she does what?”
4. When you first heard that there was going to be a new superintendent in Walton-
Verona Independent, you thought, “I certainly hope that he or she doesn’t what?”
5. What existing communication channels are most effective and do you have
suggestions of other ways we can maintain a two-way dialogue?
6. What other general advice and expectations do you have for me?

The primary goal of these meetings will be to actively listen and gather input from
each stakeholder. My hope is that these interactions will be a foundation for authentic
relationships and collaborations to benefit students and staff. I need to hear firsthand
from our stakeholders to understand the priorities and needs of our community and its
schools. Before the close of each meeting, I also hope to have established some
routine communications protocols with the different groups and individuals so that the
conversation continues beyond our first discussion.
Meetings or informational interviews will include, but are not limited to the following
list. The stakeholders mentioned in this plan are in no way a comprehensive list of all
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community organizations. If a district stakeholder group was inadvertently omitted,
please call me at 606-465-9886 or email me at matt.baker@greenup.kyschools.us.
Additionally, I am committed to meeting with any individual who wants to meet.
• Students, such as existing student advisory and leadership groups, recent
graduates, and recent dropouts.
• Families, such as district and school-level Parent Teacher Association leaders,
parents who have children with special needs, booster groups, School-Based
Decision Making parent representatives, families with children enrolled in the
school district and those who do not have children in the Walton-Verona
Independent School District because their children are too young
• Staff, such as existing employee advisory councils, and employees from various
departments and job classifications in the school district.
• Government partners, such as elected officials at the city, county, and state levels,
local housing and health agencies, safety and emergency management officials, and
departments within city and county government.
• Educational partners, such as the Northern Kentucky Cooperative for Educational
Services, Northern Kentucky University, retired educators, and community groups
committed to educational programming,
• Business partners, such as the Board of Realtors, and Chamber of Commerce.
• Media partners, such as reporters, editors, and publishers of various media
organizations

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CORE COMPONENT: Information gathering, document review, and data collection
and analysis.
A. Review studies, documents, reports, surveys and audits, such as:
• Agreements with surrounding
school districts
• Facebook, and Twitter postings
• Initial Children’s Law Center
complaint and Kentucky
Department of Education findings
• Newspaper articles, television
news stories, editorials
• Special education compliance
audits
• TELL (Teaching, Empowering,
Leading and Learning) survey data
• Administrative evaluations
• Advanced Placement enrollment
data
• Assessment calendars
• Budget documents
• Comprehensive District
Improvement Plan
• December 1 Child Count
• District facilities plan
• Dropout and graduation rate data
• Employee handbook
• Financial projections and budget
processes
• Job descriptions
• Legal proceedings
• Local Educator Assignment Data
report
• Middle and high school athletic
handbooks
• Organizational Chart
• Personnel procedures
• Professional development plans
• Professional Staff Data and
Classified Staff Data reports
• Safety and emergency plans
• Salary schedules
• Sampling of School Based Decision
Making council meeting minutes
and agendas
• School board meeting minutes
• School Board Policy and
Procedures manual
• School Improvement Plans
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 • Student assessment results • Student code of conduct and
including: K-PREP score reports, student handbooks
ACT scores, Advanced Placement • Teacher evaluation data
(AP) scores, and College/Career • Technology plan
Readiness data

B. Operational awareness:
• Evaluate key programs and major initiatives.
• Review major responsibilities and initiatives in each central office department.
• Review the operations of each central office department in the context of how they
support teacher and student needs.

PHASE III: DEVELOPMENT OF NEXT STEPS

This Entry Plan will afford me the opportunity to listen, observe and learn the “Walton-
Verona Way” from a variety of community members while gaining an understanding of
the local context of the city and the school system. Through this process I will begin to
formulate ideas and frame strategies to improve our school system so that we increase
student achievement for all students while simultaneously closing the achievement gap
and ensuring success for every child.
In the spirit of continuous improvement, the information I hear, read and observe during
this entry plan process will culminate with the development and presentation of a
Summary Report. In this report, I will formally share my findings, observations and initial
thoughts about next steps with our Board of Education, employees, students, families and
community. This Summary Report, along with continued input from staff, students,
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families, community partners, and Board of Education members will then be used to
inform a new Strategic Plan for the Walton-Verona Independent School District. My
experience and expertise in designing and implementing a strategic plan will prove
extremely beneficial in this process. Once this new plan is approved, it will serve as the
roadmap for building upon the Walton-Verona “tradition of excellence.” Then, through
regular quarterly updates, the Board can use progress made on the initiatives outlined in
this strategic plan to inform my evaluation as superintendent.
Through my interactions with so many stakeholders, I hope to energize our school district
and community about the focus and direction of Walton-Verona Independent Schools. Our
first step is to renew our collective commitment to continuous improvement and
excellence in everything that we do, and a willingness to engage in the change we need
when necessary to serve our students at the highest levels. Then we can build upon your
existing tradition of excellence and identify and execute the new Strategic Plan for our
school district. Collaboration, honest discourse, and a focus on students will guide our
work.
Through a commitment to excellence, we will raise expectations for ourselves and our
students and ensure the elimination of achievement gaps and higher achievement for all
students and continue your well-documented tradition of excellence!

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