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Weilert returns, but to a different desk
Brian Weilert is back in familiar territory.
Weilert, a former debate and forensics teacher in USD 234, is the new principal at Fort Scott Middle School. Weilert and his staff are in the midst of preparations for the upcoming new school year, which starts Sept. 1.
"I'm excited to get rolling," Weilert said in a Friday interview at the school.
Weilert taught debate, forensics and speech at Fort Scott High School from 2005 to 2013 and taught the same subjects, as well as English, in Louisburg since 2013. He also coached the Fort Scott Community College debate and forensics team during his time at FSHS.
Weilert started his one-year contract July 25.
"I think as an educator, I was ready to transition out of the classroom into administration," Weilert said of his desire to return to Fort Scott.
Weilert, whose children went through the USD 234 school system and are now grown, said he had become ingrained in the community during his years teaching in Fort Scott. He said he and his family are getting settled again in Fort Scott.
"This is home," he said. "It was an opportunity to come back."
Prior to teaching in Fort Scott, Weilert was the principal at Northeast High School in Arma for one year. Weilert said he helped bring about a debate and forensics program at that school, a program that is still in place.
"I saw the debate and forensics job open here," he said.
As far as his plans and goals at the middle school, Weilert said he would like to put together a five-year plan. He said he believes in a theory of "stretching the rubber band a little at a time," rather than trying to stretch it out all at once.
"The focus short-term is making kid connections a priority," he said. "Curriculum is important, but if you can get a kid to buy in, you can make progress."
On the academic front, Weilert said attention will be given to some "struggling readers" and there will also be a focus in creating a "sustainable intervention" in math. He said there will be a focus on math and reading standards.
"To make sure what we're doing is working," he said.
Weilert said he has some experience in working with middle school-aged students as he has coached youth athletics.
"I know these kids," he said.
Weilert said he would also like to give students at the middle school some exposure to debate and forensics, although he said this would probably be an after-school effort.
"I'm a strong advocate for what it brings academically," he said.
Weilert said another short-term goal is to look at student behavior and "separate academic opportunities from punishment." He said the goal is to create a "learning environment" and a "discipline environment" to separate students depending on the severity of their behavior at school.
In the long-term, Weilert said he wants to look at class scheduling, how teachers are utilized and the time they spend with students. He also said school offerings will be examined in the future, especially technology.
"So we're pushing it forward and giving kids opportunities," he said.
Weilert said he has come into the job on a good foundation built by staff and previous administration.
"The teachers are really good here," he said. "We have such a diverse community, teachers have to really be in tune with kids. We have a very personable and vested staff."
Weilert said he is pleased with improvements being made at the school as part of the continuing school bond projects taking place throughout the district. Work at the middle school includes new flooring in various corridors, a new secure entry and high-wind shelter. The school is expected to be fully functional when school starts, with the exception of the shelter and interior finishes.
Another theory that Weilert said he will work with this year is that "good is the enemy of great."
"We want to continue to push the bar and be the best school we can possibly be," he said.
The USD 234 Board of Education in June hired Weilert to fill the position previously held by Jim Howard, who resigned in May. Howard served in the position for two years before accepting a position as superintendent of schools and K-6 principal in the Hoxie school district.
Beckham said an interview committee screened and interviewed 14 applicants for the position. He then spent time screening applications and a decision was reached to appoint Weilert as the head administrator at the middle school for the 2016-17 school year.
"I think he'll be a strong leader to continue the initiatives that staff there have been working on the last two years and can help to continue moving them forward in a positive way," Beckham said.