R. Roger Rowe Elementary and Middle Schools make up the excess-taxes, Rancho Santa Fe School District. This public school which has 450 students at the elementary, K-5 level, and 225 at the middle school 6-8 level, is well situated with an endowment fund and separate parent foundation fund, enjoying the leadership of two principals and a new superintendent. The school board is aggressively responsive to parent criticisms, and demands that the school SBAC test scores lead the forty school districts in San Diego County.
This year all adult stakeholders, including staff, parent body, and community, are excited about leadership that while steadfast in its pursuit of excellence, is more transparent and accessible. The district’s strongest trait and its Achilles heel is its flexibility and its ability to go from standing to sprint, from idea to implementation, in no time flat. In a larger district, too many considerations need to be accounted for, like funding, a union, teacher training, etc., that make decisions more conservative. It can be exciting and frustrating in equal quantities to be a part of decisions.
The organizational chart places the Superintendent at the top, reporting, of course, to a five member school board. Below him sits two principals and the director of special education, who in large part are responsible for certificated staffing decisions. On equal par, in that he reports directly to the superintendent, is the director of technology, who in turn manages three technology specialists and a data specialist (largely in charge of the student information system, SDOL). These leaders comprise Cabinet, playing a critical role in all significant decisions of funding and philosophy at Rowe School. No published education plan or technology plan is accessible through the school website. The SARC does list the following: “Vision and Values We first and foremost remain committed to being a “School of Choice” within our community, and we believe the following report supports our resolve in this area. In turn, we have developed an overarching Vision for our District—to provide a unifying goal behind our ambitions and commitment. “Inspiration through Revolutionary Education” Simply stated, we are devoted to preparing our students for the world that awaits them—a world of scientific discovery, ever-shifting paradigms, and increasingly competitive markets.” (RSFschool, 2016) It is difficult to think of developing a technology plan without considering the educational plan; quite frankly the value and content of one informs the other. Currently at Rowe School, the IT director reacts to the needs of the teaching staff. His decisions are based upon feedback of teaching staff; investigative visits to credible, like districts to observe best practices are part of the decision making process. However, a systematic integration of the technology would exponentially increase the worth of the investment. The disruption of new technology would be better accommodated by teachers more motivated to exploit the apps and laptops with focused and reinforced professional development. Teachers would be more motivated as measured by value of and confidence in incorporating the new technology. In that light the district education plan and the tech plan should exist as separate documents, however like a spreadsheet cell referred to in another cell formula, a change in one should not occur without consulting the other.