Cover Letter

October 11, 2020

Dear Members of the Verona Area School District Hiring Team,

It is with great enthusiasm that I write to you to express my interest in the position of Superintendent for the Verona Area School District. As my resume demonstrates, I have over twenty-two years of educational experience, with fifteen of those years in leadership roles. My years of administrative and teaching experience, combined with an unapologetic stance on racial equity and social justice, have grounded my beliefs and afforded me the opportunity to build and implement innovative systems that challenge the status quo and create equitable opportunities for students and staff.

Some of my leadership experiences that have led to the creation of, or adjustment to, systems include: intentional examination of data to create access and close opportunity gaps; the utilization of data to develop and implement school improvement plans; the hiring, support, and retention of quality and diverse staff; the creation and implementation of community partnerships at the school level; and my continued effort to meaningfully engage stakeholders in order to develop and expand upon partnerships at the District level.

As an instructional leader, I have embraced the unique challenge of rethinking education in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. During this process, I have held firm to the core value of prioritizing the health and safety of our students, staff, and their extended families when decisions are made. In addition, to this priority, I have worked collaboratively with a team to redesign instruction that is engaging in a virtual setting, accelerates learning in multiple settings, intentionally embeds social emotional learning, and supports mental health. A key component of this educational redesign has been a focus on not recreating inequitable systems that promote the status quo and lead to continued disproportionate outcomes.

Professional Responsibilities

In the Madison Metropolitan School District, I have served as the Chief of Schools at both the secondary and elementary levels, including my current role as Chief of Elementary Education. In this role, I am responsible for the multiple tiers and functions of our elementary system including the supervision of fourteen principals. My responsibilities include the design and implementation of the school improvement planning process; design and implementation of the integrated system of school support; cross-functional teaming and consultation for strategic framework priority projects; principal professional development design and execution; principal evaluation and coaching; principal and assistant principal screening and hiring; school budget and allocation; systems thinking, strategizing, guidance, and principal coaching on resource alignment; charter school review approval and bridging; curriculum and resource guidance in conjunction with the Department of Curriculum & Instruction; and serve on and provide strategic updates to the Senior Leadership Team and Central Office Leadership Team on school performance.

While serving as a building Principal in the Madison Metropolitan School District, I expanded my professional responsibilities to provide leadership and service at the District level. I served as Principal Coach and mentor for principals that were new to MMSD. In addition, I was appointed as facilitator of the Superintendent Advisory Council, principal representative for the District strategic framework committee, principal representative for the employee handbook development committee, principal representative to the human resources department for administrator and teacher hiring redesign, principal representative for the recruitment of high quality teacher and administrative candidates to Madison, and principal representative for District-wide English as a Second Language (ESL) and English Language Learner (ELL) redesign committee.

Equity Systems

My equity journey is on-going and strengthened by my internal need to engage in deep race work. During this journey, I have worked to deepen my understanding of the intersectionality among race, language, culture, gender, ability status, and sexual orientation. This understanding helps me in the examination and disruption of systems and practices that have often served to marginalize and protect the status quo. More important to my personal and professional growth has been my continuous reflection and understanding that I must be diligent not to assimilate to a culture of education that was designed to marginalize. My goal is to promote and design systems that allow students to grow without losing their own sense of self.

I have extensive experience in strategically developing educational based racial equity systems while fully including family and community stakeholders. Some of these experiences include the implementation of opportunity gap closing strategies, the creation of a school based equity team, the creation of diverse parent focus groups, the recruiting of diverse staff, the promotion of diversity in honors and advanced placement courses, and the development of Latinx and African American student organizations at the building level.

Prior to and during my Doctoral research, I had the opportunity to explore and immerse myself into the causation and remediation of the racial achievement gap, which we now know to be an opportunity gap. My continuing research, as well as my leadership as a practitioner, at both the building and District levels, has promoted an increased breadth of knowledge of not only the root causes of the achievement gap but also the systematic implementation of effective programming that has been proven effective in promoting success for all students. In addition to my Doctoral Degree, I also hold a Master’s Degree in Teaching/Leadership and a second Master’s Degree in Curriculum and Instruction. This educational background allows me to view curriculum design and instructional strategies through an equity lens and ensure culturally relevant pedagogy.

Beyond my years of education, I continue to engage in professional learning opportunities that enhance my ability to impact the closing of gaps for our most marginalized students and families. Additionally, I have had the honor of presenting my research and professional practice strategies in multiple forums. My presentations have included but are not limited to: Re-mediating School Cultures with Local Stakeholders (AERA); Test Bias and Minority Achievement (Aurora University); and Educating for the Future (National Black Student Union Conference).

Leadership Responsibilities

Effective leadership requires frequent strategic collaboration as a means of engaging with stakeholders and collectively implementing meaningful change. As a leader who promotes 21st century instruction and innovation, I strategically redesigned the instructional delivery framework of a middle school which previously utilized a delivery model that no longer supported inclusive practices for students of all backgrounds. With data showing a continuous annual increase in incoming Spanish dual-language immersion and English Language Learner students, it was necessary to reorganize instructional delivery groupings that had been in place for decades. This redesign required me to garner support from families, staff and community stakeholders in order to allow for a new system that provides equitable instructional and non-segregated practices.

Instructional Leadership

Throughout my career, I have demonstrated leadership in designing and implementing professional development at both the building and district levels. My instructional leadership is grounded in the philosophical approach that district leadership must develop and maintain a cohesive working relationship with building staff to develop a curricular belief that is embedded in culturally and linguistically relevant practices. Based on the implementation of building wide instructional strategies, students experience linguistically appropriate literacy instruction where the facets of reading, writing, speaking, and listening are implemented across the curriculum. Furthermore, in leading students to college and career readiness, I have worked collaboratively with educators to establish instructional strategies that promote higher-level thinking and allow students to make meaning of their learning. I am a firm believer in, and will continue to promote, literacy as one of the greatest student tools for social justice, as it provides a vehicle for student voice and deeper context in addressing our societal injustices.

Interpersonal Relationships

My communication style in a leadership role leaves people with the understanding that education is a team effort. The ability to communicate collaboratively is not just saying one’s own thoughts, it is also having the ability to listen to others, so those individuals understand that their input is appreciated and valued. I pride myself in enhancing community partnerships and strengthening the bond with stakeholders with the ultimate goal of increasing student outcomes.

While committing myself to being the best that I can be in my current role as Chief of Schools - Elementary Education, I internally maintain a strong desire to utilize my knowledge and experience as the Superintendent for the Verona Area School District, a position that would truly be a “dream job.” I have had the opportunity and taken the initiative to immerse myself into the data and culture of the Verona Schools in order to deepen my knowledge and situate myself within the historical context of the Verona community. In doing so, I am well- positioned to formulate a vision that serves every student and family in Verona within the confines of the strategic plan. I hope for the opportunity to share this vision with you.

Sincerely,
Tremayne Clardy
Dr. Tremayne L. Clardy