Andy Paquette, TMS President, Completes HR Safety Certification Training Program, Announces School Reopening Planning Team

TMSolution, Inc. is pleased to announce that Andy Paquette, TMS President, has satisfied all of the requirements for earning the Human Resources Safety-Certified Manager (HRSM) designation from HRWebAdvisor, a division of Career Learning. This safety program focuses on workplace safety for all employees and its emphasis on COVID-19 related issues has provided him with expertise on considerations for staff as schools plan for a return to in-person learning in the fall.

Mr. Paquette has named a core team of TMS consultants to guide the work of reopening schools for interested clients. Dr. Judy Houle, Senior Vice President of Entrepreneurship, and Ian Cyr, Associate Consultant for Critical Incident Response Planning, will play key roles on the School Reopening Planning Team. Dr. Houle has a great deal of experience in blended and online learning and will provide expertise to districts looking to build on their experiences of the past school year. Mr. Cyr is an expert in critical incident response planning, working in both PK-12 and Higher Education contexts.

TMS is offering the services of the School Reopening Planning Team free of charge to current client districts. Other interested districts can request a quote for services. Call TMS at 1-855-TMS-0411 or email info@themanagementsolution.com for more information or to request a quote.

TMS Client - Greenfield Commonwealth Virtual School - Featured as a Model for Online Learning

The Greenfield Commonwealth Virtual School (GCVS) was featured on WCVB in Boston on June 3, 2020. GCVS is one of the two Commonwealth Virtual Schools in Massachusetts, offering a fully online education to students in Kindergarten through Grade 12. Click here to read the article and view the video.

This story featured both students and Kaylee Cutler, GCVS Middle School Math Teacher, engaged in synchronous lessons and asynchronous work, with a parent talking about her role as her children’s Learning Coach. Dr. Judy Houle, TMS Senior Vice President of Entrepreneurship and former Executive Director of GCVS, stated, “The work of online teaching is very different and presents unique challenges not found in a brick-and-mortar setting. Teachers and administrators must be prepared to look at instructional practices and how they might differ in a virtual environment.” Dr. Houle also noted, “Engaging parents and caregivers in the process is key to the success of this model. Preparing them for the important role they will play as an active supporter of their child’s learning needs special attention. The administration, faculty, and staff at GCVS are keenly aware of these nuances and have devoted significant time and effort to this work.”

TMS is pleased to provide business services as well as policy development and critical incident response planning services to GCVS. Andy Paquette, TMS President, noted, “We’ve been a long-standing partner with GCVS and look forward to our continued work together.”

TMSolution, Inc. joins ASBO as an Industry Supplier

TMS is proud to announce that we are have joined the Association of School Business Officials International (ASBO) as an Industry Supplier. Founded in 1910, ASBO is an educational association that supports school business professionals who are passionate about quality education. Recognizing the role that firms like TMS play in supporting the field of school finance administration, ASBO affords this opportunity for industry suppliers to network with members on key issues of importance in supporting high-quality education. Andy Paquette, TMS President, stated, “We are proud to join this community of professionals and are looking forward to working with them, particularly during these trying times of financial uncertainty.”

Mr. Paquette is certified as an Administrator of School Finance and Operations (SFO) from ASBO. This national certification recognizes high standards of achievement and professionalism in the field of school finance. Three other TMS Team members also hold this certification: Dr. Judy Houle, Senior Vice President of Entrepreneurship; Mr. Chris Desjardins, Director of Business Services; and Mr. Marc Richard, Finance Consultant.

In Appreciation of Educators and School Support Staff

In recent weeks, I have been thinking a lot about a book I read as part of my dissertation research, Tinkering Toward Utopia, by David Tyack. This book, published in 1995, takes an historical view of the reforms in education that happened over the course of a century, noting that in times of rapid change, school policy makers were implementing incremental changes, while more radical attempts to change the traditional patterns of schooling have been more elusive.

Enter a viral pandemic the likes of which we have never seen before and Educators on the front lines have implemented radical changes in the way teaching and learning takes place. Not only are the changes of a magnitude not seen since the Industrial Revolution; Educators had mere days to make these changes. Heroic efforts on the part of Superintendents, Principals, District-Level Administrators, Teachers, Paraprofessionals, Food Service Workers, Custodians, and other Support Staff were witnessed as they stepped up to do all they could to ensure continuity of learning for their students.

School professionals have quickly implemented online learning platforms, sent home physical packets of learning activities for students who don’t have access to technology or Internet, found ways to ensure students would not go hungry, delivered counseling services online or on the phone, and surmounted challenges as the dynamics of the response to COVID-19 have caused changes in our daily lives. It hasn’t always been smooth and it certainly hasn’t been easy, but Educators press on every day.

Along with other frontline workers, Educators are a part of the ranks of the heroes that keep our society going. Yours is a sacred calling to ensure our students continue to learn and grow. The work is not over. There will be plans and contingencies that will need to be implemented as schools prepare for various re-entry scenarios. The TMS Team expresses our appreciation to all school employees for the tireless work you do each day on behalf of your students. We’ve seen your smiles, your tears, your exhaustion, and your rejoicing in victories both large and small, and we couldn’t be more proud to support your efforts.

On behalf of the entire TMS Team,
Dr. Judy Houle, Senior Vice President of Entrepreneurship
The Management Solution, Inc.