During a State of the Schools address today, new Springfield Schools Superintendent Dr. John Jungmann outlined the top ten things he’s learned so far about the district. Jungmann has been on the job since July 1st. KSMU’s Michele Skalicky has more.
The number one thing Dr. Jungmann says he’s learned about the Springfield Public Schools is that the district strives for excellence. But he told the crowd gathered for the Good Morning, Springfield breakfast at Jeffries Elementary that the community shouldn’t be satisfied with the status quo. He plans to hold a listening and learning tour soon at various locations in Springfield to get input from the community about what’s most important when it comes to education.
He says he’s a big believer in personalized learning. One way to work toward that, according to Jungmann, is through choice programs. He pointed to programs that already exist—including gifted education, the WOLF program and the Academy of Exploration, but he wants to hear from the community on what new programs might be needed.
"Because it can't just be teachers and educators coming up. We need to talk to business and industry. We need to talk to our parents, and we need to talk to our kids about what is a relevant learning experience," he said.
Other things Jungmann says he’s learned are that Springfield is an evolving community, it has great community support and that technology is progressing. But he says the district is lacking in that area. He’s like to see a shift to a more mobile environment.
"We have a significant number of big devices that sit in front of kids on desks and take up a lot of space and don't represent the world that our kids are going to be walking into where the technology is carried with them on a day to day basis," he said.
He says more than 3000 of the district’s desktop computers are older than five years and need to be replaced.
During his speech, Jungmann also praised the district’s 3400 employees—1702 of whom are teachers.
He pointed out that safety is critical and says he’s pleased with the upgrades being made to intercom systems at entrances to the district’s schools. He says they’ll continue to look for any weaknesses that might exist.
On the issue of poverty, Jungmann says the district isn’t sticking its head in the sand. He’s pleased with the ongoing conversations about how to meet the needs of kids on free and reduced lunches in Springfield Public Schools.
Jungmann came to Springfield from Liberty, MO, and before that he worked as superintendent in Monett. He says having worked in two other districts puts him at an advantage.
"The biggest thing that I will bring from other districts is the ability to ask questions about how we did it in other places and is it a better way here? It may not be. We may be doing it in a much more effective way here, but when you're only in one system your entire career and don't see other perspectives, it's hard to ask questions about what's possible and other options and strategies," he said.
He says he’s still learning how everything works and knows it will take a while longer before he has a good understanding of Springfield Public Schools. He says his goal is to be sure the district has a systematic way to guarantee high quality education.
