The Morning Journal (Lorain, OH)
CEO to diagnose problems
Lorain City Schools CEO plans to get ‘under the hood’
With a full week logged as chief executive officer of Lorain City Schools, David Hardy Jr. said Aug. 1, he intends to diagnose underachievement of the district.
Hardy flew in from St. Louis to be at the district for 24 hours. He must meet with community stakeholders within a month.
And from his meetings and diagnosis, a plan will flow that is due within 90 days of his appointment, he said.
“I just think it’s important that I’m here and I get to see the needs of schools,” Hardy said, adding he’s getting a good vibe from the city.
“Wonderful, absolutely wonderful,” he said. “I think this is honestly a city where, you know how people forecast and say, ‘We can make change and all the epithets and aspirations people set out with.’
“But here, it’s legitimate. I honestly think
there’s a lot of people who care and want to do right by kids. The size is right to make changes that are necessary if they are necessary. I’m still learning.
“We can make it happen; we honestly can,” Hardy said. “And that’s what attracted me to here. Bigger systems are untenable in the length of time to make changes. We can make changes here.”
Hardy said he has studied the existing Lorain Academic Recovery Plan.
“It was very thorough,” he said. “I thought it was very detailed on what we need to do and what is missing. I think what jumped out to me was the six areas of focus: having a committee centered around cultural competency; having this push for stronger curricular, more rigorous curricular understandings. I think it’s powerful.
“What I’m so interested to learn more is what are we thinking right now. I can’t wait to talk to (Lorain Schools Superintendent Dr. Jeff Graham) to get a better understanding of what is on the plate. What are we looking to do in the short term and how is that going to create long-term outcomes from kids.”
Executing a plan
Though Graham removed personal items from his office at the administration building at 2601 Pole Ave., he has not yet resigned, Hardy said, adding they intend to open the new school year together.
“I’m excited for him to be our superintendent,” Hardy said. “We had a conversation a week ago about that. It was very clear that he has a plan. I said, ‘Jeff, go execute it.’”
They’re making sure they start the school year off strong, Hardy said.
“We’re making sure we have the best and brightest teachers in front of our kids, and making sure our team is ready to win for kids,” he said. “And with his leadership, we will.”
Evaluating the district further is difficult to see without seeing children and teachers in classrooms, Hardy said.
“I have to look pretty critically at what does good teaching and learning look like in our classrooms right now? What doesn’t it look like?” Hardy said. “What kind of curricular resources do we have in front of our kids? From what I understand there was a challenge even having curricular resources in front of our kids, and that is just the basics.”
Hardy said he intends to learn before making judgements.
“We’re in the middle of identifying a partner to help do a deep diagnostic of the district of our community of our programs and everything in between, I will get a better sense of what actions I want to take in the next 90 days and beyond,” he said.
Engagement partners
Hardy said four potential community engagement partners include Powerschool, TNTP, Burgess and Burgess, and the Turnaround Group.
“I’ve identified those based on some rudimentary metrics of how deep and how fast can they go, because there’s a state mandate that I must convene stakeholder groups within 30 days,” he said. “And their depth and breadth of their work locally and nationally.
“And their ability to help trigger our strategic planning process. I’ll make a decision by the end of this week.”
Hardy lists the finalists on the Lorain Schools website at https://www.lorainschools.org/CEO.
Even though state statute does not require public announcements about changes and firms he intends to hire, Hardy said, he chooses transparency.
In the next week at a community meeting, the group he chooses will present their outline to approach community engagement.
“As I enter, I want to spend time with community members, focus groups,” Hardy said.
Surveys of students, parents, staff and others will begin soon and will continue through the process, he said.
“It won’t be a one-stop shop,” Hardy said. “It will continue throughout my time here. There are going to be many avenues for people to engage because I can’t do this alone.
“Dr. Graham and I can’t do it alone. I’m in a place of trying to understand everything before I seek to be understood. I will spend a lot of time trying to find out.”
The next 90 days
Hardy said he intends to post next week his first 90day plan and timeline so everyone in the city will know where he is.
‘I just want to do what is right for kids,” he said.
The wellspring of taking care of youngsters was fashioned in Hardy through lifelong examples in his hometown of West Chester, Pa.
He said his grandfather worked as a foreman in a steel mill.
“I remember going to see him,” Hardy said. “I was supposed to be in bed, but I wanted to go see Pops. And he was just getting up getting ready to go to work at nine or 10 o’clock at night.
“Hard work lives in our family, and perseverance. If you work hard and do good work, then good things will follow.
“I come from a very big family, especially on my mother’s side. There were very few conversations we didn’t have. And we operated from a place of trust and love, and because of that, we were able to tell each other the truth.
“Fast forward to my high school career, my basketball career. I was a basketball player. I had one of the best coaches, I think, in America. Probably every player says that of their coaches, well, most of them say that about their coach.
“Regardless of the fact I was the all-time leading scorer, he didn’t treat me any different than the 12th man on the team. And he told me when I wasn’t doing the right thing.
“And that level of trust and care for me just said, ‘That’s how I need to operate. I don’t need to operate from a place of dishonesty or politics or positioning or diplomacy. I need to do what is right.’ So take my big family, my brutally honest coach, and my passion for kids. You will find that mixture makes me driven to make sure young people don’t allow adults to get in the way.”
Settling in Lorain
Hardy said his father is a veteran teacher in Tredyffrin Eastown School District. His aunt has been an English teacher for 32 years, and his grandmother served as a teaching assistant.
“I was also fortunate my mother and father were there every step of the way,” he said. “I may not have always gotten what I wanted but I always got what I needed. I was fortunate in that sense.
“West Chester is a pretty good, middle class neighborhood, and I just happened to go to a really good school district. And I have really good parents, and people who looked out for me to make sure I was able to be as successful as I could, and I’m humbled by everything they’ve done.”
Hardy, his wife and two boys ages three years and five weeks are moving to Lorain, he said, adding he intended to look at houses Aug. 1.
“She is more than ready,” he said. “Her father is a chemist by trade. They actually lived overseas for a bit because of his job. She lived everywhere from Singapore to China and other places in Asia.
“So, she has been around and she likes to travel more than me. I’m just a homebody. I like to be in one spot. She is open to moving here.”
For the district, “What’s next is what’s first,” Hardy said.
“Knowing and understanding the people around here, and having conversations so they know not only a name but a face and a voice,” he said. “Know that we’re going to learn about each other first. And know that we’re going to find times when we agree and when we don’t agree.
“At the end of the day, we’re going to do what is best by kids. All along the way, I will make sure I will communicate why this is best for kids.
“The nervousness of people I hope will diminish some,” Hardy said. “The next 30 days are critical to doing that. I’m cognizant of the fact that I have a statute sitting over me.”
The Lorain Academic Distress Commission last week appointed Hardy as CEO of Lorain Schools.