Duluth schools Superintendent Keith Dixon spoke in general terms about the district's accomplishments and areas of future action in his State of the District address in front of the School Board tonight.
Dixon began his 40-minute address by highlighting the district's accomplishments and exemplary students and staff. Although he was quick to applaud the district for its achievements, like Minnesota Comprehensive Achievement test scores that are among the top in the state, he also said there would be no resting on laurels.
"I think there's a lot to be proud of with our MCA scores, but we are not satisfied. We are not satisfied with these results" Dixon said.
Dixon struck a similar note when it came to the district's attendance rate, which he said was 94 percent.
"As usual, we find ourselves way above the state and national averages," he said. "When that reaches 100 percent, we'll be happy. Not satisfied, but happy."
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Dixon extended his perfectionist outlook to ACT scores, student achievement benchmarks and other markers of recognition.
"Because we are a very good school district wanting to be the best, we see opportunities for improvement," he said.
Much of Dixon's speech lightly touched on the need for collaboration and divining new perspectives for the district's status quo.
He said the $8.9 million Safe Schools, Healthy Students grant the district received last summer is helping it learn to cooperate with the Hermantown and Proctor school districts, which will receive a share of the grant money.
Dixon also stressed the need for what he calls "continuous improvement."
"We're always looking for better ways to do things," Dixon said. "We're always saying 'What ways are there to do this better?'"
Dixon lauded the work on several committees, such as those exploring the district's insurance needs and early release days, as examples of professionals working together to solve issues that are larger than any one department or school.
"We have common outcomes we desire, so we need to come together and work together and find ways to make the system work better," he said. "This is the kind of collaboration that I think will make the biggest difference over time."
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Calling himself "just one player on a big team," Dixon said he's excited by the teamwork he's seen so far directed at polishing the district's credentials.
"I work a lot of hours, but when I go home, I go home jazzed up," he said. "We have a lot of opportunities for improvement, but we're breaking them down, we're looking into them and we're seeing which ones are higher priorities."
