Indian River schools get new administrator

SELBYVILLE --For the first time since they became principals, Laura Schneider and Neil Beahan have some help.
Using money through the Race to the Top initiative, the Indian River School District hired Barkley Heck as school administrative manager, essentially an assistant principal for two different schools: Schneider's Phillip C. Showell Elementary School and Beahan's Southern Delaware School of the Arts.
Monday, Wednesday and Friday mornings, Heck starts at SDSA and moves to Showell in the afternoons, and vice versa for Tuesdays and Thursdays. She's not responsible for the instruction of each school -- that's left to Schneider and Beahan -- but she has taken over parts of the disciplinary and managerial responsibilities of the principals.
"I've never had that help before, so it's very welcome," Schneider said. "It has enabled me to help focus on the impact on where student learning is the highest. I'm able to be in classrooms more. We have a whole new evaluation system that I can focus efforts on."
Principals having more time in the classroom means less goofing around for the class clowns, more accountability for the teachers and increased transparency from top to bottom at the schools.
Heck has been surprised at how close she has gotten with students and parents at Showell and SDSA, despite spending just half her time at each school.
"Even with split time, it's amazing how close I've become with many families," Heck said. "You almost wouldn't think that since I'm back and forth."
In addition, with the new evaluation system has come more paperwork. Beahan said when he heard he'd have what's essentially half of an assistant principal, he was relieved that he didn't have to take it all on himself.
"I was absolutely thrilled because I knew I would have even more paperwork than in the past," he said. "The role of the principal nowadays has changed from management to much more instructional focus. With (Heck's addition), I've been able to do more walk-throughs (of classes)."
The SAM position, as Heck calls it, would only be possible with today's technology. Though the schools are very close to each other, Heck keeps in contact with Schneider, Beahan, parents and guidance counselors all day and into the evenings by texting and emailing back and forth, no matter where she is.
Transitioning from being the lone administrators to the new system wasn't a breeze for Schneider, Beahan or the staffs at each school.
"My greatest fear going into it was being so used to not having any help and not knowing how long it was going to be around," Schneider said. "Finally relinquishing some of those things to her, I've had to kind of live in the moment."
The position is only funded for two years through Race to the Top, after which the district will have to reassess the schools' need for Heck or someone else. Next year, according to District Superintendent Susan Bunting, a different teacher in the administrative development program will take over Heck's role to have two potential candidates in case the position becomes permanent.
Beahan said he hopes the schools will improve enough to force the board to retain a SAM. Heck said she's already seen it.
"Absolutely, because the data tells the story," she said, reflecting the district's emphasis on statistical analysis in education. "It's being tracked by data, that's how I know, other than the principals just saying they've had more time to spend (on instruction), the data supports an improvement."