Adam sat in his car trying to get himself together. He had a meeting scheduled with the school board to update them on how the first half of the fall semester was going. They were keeping him on a tight leash with respect to him getting the budget under control, and as much as this meeting mattered, he didn’t give a damn about it.
That wasn’t the complete truth. Of course he cared. He needed to impress the board to solidify his job at the end of the year. Heneeded to knock it out of the park every time he was in their presence if he wanted to drop the interim in front of his title.
Too bad his head wasn’t focused on numbers today. He was distracted and edgy because he wanted nothing more than to talk to Janae, but he couldn’t. Her cold shoulder act screamed loudly that she wasn’t interested in talking to him. Once he’d learned how low her ex had sunk when trying to keep her in a relationship, Adam refused to go against her wishes, even when they were unspoken.
“You can’t do anything about this right now, Adam.” He chided himself, trying hard to get his perspective back. “Time to put on your game face and make it do what it do in this meeting. When it’s done, you can go home and sulk.”
Satisfied with his promise to himself, he opened the door to his car, stood up, and pulled his suit jacket off the hook in the back of his car. Once on, he gave himself one more mental shake, and became Dr. Henderson.
He walked into the conference room, meeting each set of eyes that were locked onto him from the moment he’d set one foot in the door.
“Perfect timing, Dr. Henderson.” Dr. Brent’s greeting was matter-of-fact with so little warmth, he fought against the shiver the chill running through him tried to produce. “We’re ready to hear your updates.”
Adam refused to be rattled. Instead, he sat his briefcase down and took an empty seat at the long conference table. He pulled out his laptop and cued up his slide deck before connecting the necessary attachments to the projector sitting in the middle of the table.
Adam made it through his presentation based on nothing more than practiced professionalism. It certainly wasn’t because his heart was in it. But like much in life, even though he didn’t feel like it, he had to do the job he was given.
“So, as you can see, my office has made some significant cuts while still maintaining quality education. We’ve limited after-schoolclub hours, capped faculty overtime, we’ve also opened up rental hours in our gymnasiums, auditoriums, and park areas to bring in more revenue from the community. Finally, I’ve had success in encouraging several senior members of our faculty throughout our schools to take early retirement at the end of the school year.”
The members of the board where nodding at his numbers, yet Dr. Brent’s scowl still remained.
“Your numbers are impressive, Dr. Henderson. You’ve had a fantastic start. Yet, I do wonder if getting rid of our more senior teachers is a good idea. Won’t that hurt our kids in the long run?”
“Not at all. We’re not getting rid of all our senior teachers. Just those who have three years or less to retirement.”
The board nodded and he continued. “New teachers lack the experience of their seasoned counterparts, but many of them bring in new and innovative ways to educate our students. New just means new. It doesn’t necessarily mean bad or unqualified.”
She gave him a hard look before glancing at her copy of his report in front of her.
“I see you’ve made several cuts in the extracurricular programs offered across the schools. Yet, I still believe there are more that can be cut to yield greater financial benefits. For instance, the creative arts program hasn’t been cut. It seems to me that program should be closed as well.”
“As you know, I did consider cutting it. But the fundraising to keep the program has gone really well. We’re nearing our goal. The upcoming talent show is projected to get us across the line. As you know, this program helps many of our creative students fine-tune their skills and gives them their only shot at earning a full scholarship for college. Not to mention, there’s all sorts of data that identifies the arts as a means to keep kids productive and safe, to teach them communication and networking skills, and to think broadly and outside of the box. Our kids need this program.”
“That’s encouraging to hear, but I wonder if it’s just giving the children false hope.”
Adam noted each face around the table, trying to gauge if this resistance was something the entire board felt or just Dr. Brent.
“I’m not sure I follow.”
“Well,” she continued, “let’s say they met their financial burden this year, who’s to say they can do the same every year afterward. It seems you’re prolonging their disappointment by allowing this to continue.”
“I don’t believe so,” he replied. “I’m in the process of applying for grants from private and federal foundations that support the arts. You know from my initial interview, I’ve had marked success with grant-writing for the schools I’ve worked in before. If we’re able to secure funding, I don’t see why the kids would have to be disappointed.”
He saw some members nodding in agreement. That gave him some relief. However, he was very much aware of Dr. Brent’s influence. She was the key to it all. If he couldn’t convince her, then he was certain his cause would be lost.
He’d already lost Janae and the promise of whatever it was they were slowly building. He couldn’t lose another thing—including this program for his students.
“Dr. Henderson, you were hired with specific instructions to cut the budget—”
“Yes,” he responded before she could continue. “I’ve done that and will continue to do that. But nowhere did the board mandate how I was to do that. I would think if I could manage to fulfill my fiduciary duty to the district and keep this beneficial program for the kids going, that would be a win for everyone. Education is about possibility, not limitation. Let’s not limit our students unless we have to.”
Dr. Brent pursed her lips and he couldn’t tell if she was seriously pondering something, or if she was pissed. “Why are you fighting so hard for this program now?”
Dr. Brent’s question rubbed him raw. Was she hinting at his relationship with Janae again? The truth was, he didn’t care if she was. Yes, Janae had influenced him. As far as he was concerned, he was better off for it, and his students would benefit from Janae’s influence too. Unfortunately, that answer probably would get him fired.
“Our students deserve our complete support.” He took a moment to study the room, making certain he had everyone’s attention. “And yet, by pushing STEM and sports programs we are only supporting a portion of our student body. What I’m proposing is this district move from STEM to STEAM.”
Adam watched as the board members looked first to each other and then fixed their eyes on him. He knew he had a captive audience at this point, so it was up to him to lead those present to a different path none of them had considered before.
