“We are taking it one day at a time to create a great educational environment for the students,” This was one of the comments newly appointed Fairfield ISD Superintendent, Joe Craig, made during a sit-down interview for The ‘Times’ this week.
He was asked questions that have become hot topics in the country in recent months as follows:
Q. How much do you feel parents should be involved in the school?
A. It is critical for the success of the school and the student. I think of it as a three-legged stool with school, parent, and student being each leg. Just like a stool cannot stand when one leg is missing, all three are critical to FISD success.
Q. Bullying seems to be in every school these days, how will you handle bullying at FISD?
A. Bullying is in the nature of kids as it is in the nature of adults. Adults are just as bad, just look at social media (for examples). Children mimic adults they see. We will work with both the bullied and the bully.
Q. How would you handle gender identity should it become an issue, especially regarding girl’s bathrooms?
A. Opposite (biological) genders will not use the opposite bathrooms. Boys will use boy’s bathrooms only.
Q. Campus gun massacres have been all too many in recent years, including Texas. How do you plan to keep the students safe?
A. I am just learning about FISD campuses. I know there is one police officer at each of the four campuses. Also, basic mandatory training for all Texas teachers is in place.
Q. More and more undocumented individuals are entering Texas, which includes children, many of whom do not speak English. What plans do you employ for supporting these kids?
A. We will love on them first. We are required by law to teach them the how to speak English while teaching them regular subjects.
Q. What funding challenges do you perceive?
A. The only way we can get new money is to get new students. We are restricted by the government as to how much tax money we are allowed to keep – referred to as the Robin Hood Bill. However, tax money can be taken into consideration when planning for bond programs.
Q. With State teacher salaries being among the lowest for educated individuals, how do you plan to keep and retain quality teachers?
A. When hiring we always look for the best candidate. We try to be competitive with surrounding schools in salaries. Most importantly however, we will maintain a great work environment.
Q. In your resume, you mentioned that Rogers ISD, where you came from, went from a minus 82 to a plus 298, above state average, including outperforming the state in 78% of the tested categories: Approaches, Meets, and Masters. What is that, and how did you accomplish it?
A. These are the components of the STAAR Test. We made it a priority. However, test scores do not always show up as to the student’s real abilities. We foster an environment that includes these students to help them succeed. I will look at where FISD is and where we can improve.
Q. Any other issues you would want to address?
A. The voucher program – how private schools are not held to the same accountability as public schools. For example, they are not required to do state testing.
Q. Any other comments?
A. I am willing to talk with anyone. Come by and visit. If I am not available at the moment, I will get back to you. We don’t have to agree on everything, but we have to respect each other as people.
On a personal note, I want to thank Superintendent Craig for taking time out of his very busy day to answer these somewhat tough questions.
Mary McDonald, Freelance Reporter & Photographer
