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Message from our Superintendent,
Dr. Terry Bishop
One Main Objective
 I have served in District 11 since 1997, when I was hired to implement over $50
million in technology enhancements that the taxpayers had approved through a
bond. At that time, District 11 was changing, and I wanted to be part of that
change. This community has since become my life, and I am ready to embrace the
opportunity that serving as superintendent provides.
I’ve served in almost every
capacity you can in a school district: math teacher, history teacher, tennis
and basketball coach, administrator in finance and operations and
superintendent.
I’ve never known a single
student educated in the superintendent’s office. Ideas and decisions generated
in the superintendent’s office must be sound,
with plenty of input, and they must make it to the classroom, where they
can help teachers and students be successful.
We are in the process
of creating a document that lists major initiatives that I believe will take
District 11 in the right direction. Each initiative is aligned with the Board
of Education’s emphasis on increasing student achievement as well as with the
district’s strategic plan, created collaboratively in 2003 by employees of the
district and members of our community. These initiatives are research-based and
have proven to be successful in other districts throughout the country.
District 11 principals, teachers and support staff have been preparing for these
initiatives for three years. We’ve collected the data and analyzed it; now it’s
time to take action and use what we’ve learned to improve teaching and learning
in D-11. We are committed to giving our schools the support they need to be
successful, and we will solicit input from individuals who know firsthand what’s
happening in our classrooms. We’ll ask them to challenge our ideas and help us
make them better.
We have one main
objective – to provide D-11 students with the best education in Colorado. We
are focused on students’ individual needs and what it will take to make each one
of them successful. The Board of Education and the superintendent set the
direction for the district by approving initiatives, programs and policies, and
it is the responsibility of the superintendent and staff to carry them out
successfully.
My belief is that if
you designate a leader from within your organization who can create a team and
get everyone headed in the right direction, your chances of being successful are
great. I am proud to have been selected to serve in that role and to report
that we’re already experiencing some success. For the first time in three
years, our Board of Education met as a group in a retreat setting. Remember, we
don’t have to all agree; we need good discussion and problem solving and then
good decisions to move us forward. If everyone in an organization agrees on
everything, someone is not needed.
The work
we have done and continue to do in District 11 challenges me, and I’m energized
by the changes I’ve seen happen and the changes I see coming. I am looking
forward to serving as the superintendent of Colorado Springs School District 11.
Dr. Terry Bishop
Superintendent of Schools
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