Superintendent Bulson's Entry Plan          

Introduction

I am honored to be the next superintendent of Harford County Public Schools (HCPS) where the vision is to inspire and prepare each student to achieve success in college and career. Over the next four months, I will embark on an entry plan to learn about the strengths and values of the school system while building a foundation for trusting and productive relationships. This entry plan consists of two phases: Listen and Learn and Prepare for the Future. I expect to complete both phases by the end of October, when I will share my findings and recommendations for next steps with the community.



Phase 1: Listen and Learn

The Listen and Learn sessions are the centerpiece of the plan. They involve a deliberate focus on listening to voices that represent the diversity of Harford County. I have organized Listen and Learn sessions into three phases. In July, I will focus on system and community leadership including meetings with individual Board of Education (BOE) members, school system administrators, elected officials, and other community leaders. When 10-month employees return to our buildings in August, I will focus on schools and school employees. Once the school year begins in September, I will focus on parents/guardians and students along with other community groups.



Listen and Learn sessions will help me identify strengths and opportunities. I will develop an understanding of existing relationships between school system leaders and various stakeholder groups. I will be listening for how system leaders seek input, how stakeholders provide input, and how system leaders then process that information. I will use what I learn to build a foundation that establishes effective two-way communication with stakeholders throughout the county.

While the focus of individual meetings will vary, the system vision will be a common element in all meetings. I am interested in understanding how stakeholders think our schools inspire and prepare each student to achieve success in college and career. Defining the three key words—inspire, prepare, and achieve—for HCPS as a system is important while also ensuring we are working for each student.



Plan Detail: Listen and Learn
 
 






Phase 2: Prepare for the Future

Prepare for the Future is the second phase of the entry plan. As I collect information about the system during the Listen and Learn phase, I expect to receive suggestions about how to inspire and prepare students to advance achievement. During the second phase I will utilize the data I gather to identify priorities and determine the appropriate strategies to address them. Setting these priorities will assure the system has a clear set of goals moving forward and that the strategies we will use to achieve those goals are clearly delineated.



Plan Detail: Prepare for the Future





Closing

As the superintendent of HCPS, my goal is to hear from as many voices as possible over the next few months. I have set forth this aggressive schedule of Listen and Learn sessions to gather information from stakeholders. The system will use this data to create a path for future work on behalf of our students.

In October, I will present my findings to the community. This presentation will include sharing the themes that emerge in the Listen and Learn sessions as well as potential new initiatives and the strategies for considering those initiatives as we Prepare for the Future.



I sincerely believe a strong foundation of personal relationships will be necessary to meet the goals we have set for our students, our system, and our community. Together, we must do everything possible to inspire and prepare each student to achieve success in college and career.

Superintendent Bulson's presentation of findings