Idea Express

Winners

Gayle Hotchkiss: The For Parents tab on the District website now has a Parenting Resource link. Note: Any staff that has good parenting resources to add under this link can submit the information to Sheryl Miller.

Jim Reif: Now that the students have email, it would be simpler to have them email the teacher the completed math assignment rather than printing it and turning it in. It can be graded online and emailed back to them, thus saving the cost of paper and printing. “If this works, I expect many of my fellow teachers in math and computers would be interested in saving money.”

Steve Scholmann can provide information how users can setup gmail filters to receive email submissions from students and keep them sorted within the general gmail Inbox.

Kathy White: In the high schools English classes, it would be more beneficial if the student papers were kept in electronic format. With the features in Word such as strike out and adding comments, teachers and students could better track their changes and in the end improve their writing skills. An added plus is that students who are going off to higher ed are more prepared since papers are rarely printed at college.

Gretchen Johnson, Brian West and Nic Manogue: In close proximity of time, these three individuals each suggested that the annual employee directory be placed on the District website thus keeping it more current and saving the cost and labor of printing hard copies. The employee directory can now be found as a link under the “For Parents” or “For Staff” tabs on the School District of Janesville homepage.

This process was in place and was implemented when all emplyees had access to a computer.

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Idea Express!

To submit your idea <click here>.

Contact “Contact Verlene Orr vorr@janesville.k12.wi.us (290-8264) with any questions.

The School District of Janesville possesses a vast amount of potential for cost and time saving ideas in our most important resource: our employees. Our commitment to decreasing costs and increasing time savings involves formalizing a system that encourages employees to submit their cost and time saving ideas and a process through which to implement those ideas.

This process not only lets you share your cost and time saving ideas directly with the people who can facilitate change, but it allows you to receive recognition and rewards for your creativity. Your suggestions will be distributed to the appropriate department for consideration. The department leader will be responsible for responding to your request and sharing your enthusiasm through implementation, or explaining why the idea cannot be implemented at this time.

Remember: Never underestimate the difference you can make.

Idea Express! Six Pillars of Excellence

The School District of Janesville is committed to incorporating these six pillars into daily use. Your ideas should reflect a cost or time saving improvement in at least one of these pillars:

Service – services to all served by the School District of Janesville, including students, parents/guardians, and community members.

People – all human resources association with the School District of Janesville, including employees, contracted services and volunteers.

Quality – the quality of education provided to students, including the breadth and depth of offerings.

Growth – the number of students served by the School District of Janesville.

Finance – all fiscal concerns of the School District of Janesville.

Health/Safety – applies to a wide range of safety and health issues which concern all individuals connected with the School District of Janesville.

The Process for Idea Express!

You have an idea for a cost or time saving improvement in one of the six pillars. Here’s how it works:

Forms are available on the district’s website under For Staff or in your building’s office. We encourage you to fill out and submit your ideas electronically. Paper forms can be sent to the Educational Services Center, Attention: Director of Student Services/Superintendent Dr. Karen Schulte.

Your idea will be logged according to employee name and department, brief summary of the idea, and the department responsible.

Your idea will be passed on to the department concerned for consideration. Within 30 days, the department leader must review the idea and either:
   1.     Implement the idea immediately or within a specified time frame,
   2.   Close the idea* (meaning that the idea is not to be implemented), or
   3.    Notify another leader if necessary for implementation.

*If the idea is not implementable, the leader will give a reason explaining why the idea cannot be implemented at this time.

Recognizing Ideas

When you submit your first idea, you’ll receive a Recognition Certificate. For your first implemented idea, your name will be entered into a monthly prize drawing, and for 10 implemented ideas, you’ll be recognized in the Back to School program in August.

There is no limit to the number of ideas you can submit!