Dublin Unified School District Honors Retiring Asst. Superintendent Dr. Tim McCarty
DUBLIN, CA–Last week Dublin united to honor the career of retiring Dublin Unified School District Assistant Superintendent Dr. Tim McCarty. The gathering included Dublin Unified School District administrators, teachers and friends, and was held in the Sorrento Clubhouse. The mood of the event was light and airy as several in attendance volunteered to share some favorite memories. Of course, the evening was entirely appropriate and a fitting way to recognize 44 years in the education industry.
While both of his parents were educators, Tim didn’t necessarily see himself following that particular career path. However, upon graduating college, he had the experience of working with students with severe emotional and learning disabilities. That literally cemented his commitment to education. Subsequently, he attained a Masters in Special Education from Vanderbilt University and then completed a Doctorate of Organizational Development through LaVerne University. Along the way, Dr. McCarty served in many different roles including classroom teacher, site principal and administrator. His initial stint in Dublin was in the role of Director of Educational Technology. Subsequently, he accepted the position of Superintendent with a smaller K-8 school district near Sacramento. Ultimately, he returned to DUSD as an Assistant Superintendent of Educational Services.
OneDublin.org had the opportunity to sit down with Dr. McCarty in the days leading up to his departure. We collected his thoughts on some of his experiences. And, we asked him about his thoughts on the future of classroom education.
OneDublin.org: Given your two combined tenures in support of DUSD, please articulate what accomplishments that you are most proud of as an administrator.
Tim McCarty: “I feel I did my best work during my last five years. Dublin Unified School District has become one of the destination districts for high quality and progressive educational programs. As a ten-year resident of Dublin, I had the privilege of watching the district transition from a good to a great district. Under the leadership of Superintendent Dr. Hanke, administrators and our school board, we developed and implemented outstanding academic programs, career academies and social and emotional support programs.
“I was most proud of our journey to become a professional learning organization. We had a consistent focus to develop excellent programs that ensured that all students met or exceeded academic standards. Few districts were able to achieve the support systems that we put in place. I was excited to see the growth of our career/technical academies such as biomedical and engineering, our fine arts programs and our support systems for students who had special needs.
“In particular, I was most grateful to the Dublin community for giving us support for programs at the high school such as the “Hub”, Gael Period and Freshmen Seminar.”
OneDublin.org: Conversely, what areas would you advise the District continue to invest in?
McCarty: “Developing educational programs takes focus and resources. During the next several years, our fiscal projections show that the governor will be providing less money to schools each year. Our community has an opportunity work with staff to determine the most important programs to keep and to decide that some programs may not stay in place.
“My overarching recommendation is that our educational staff has a sound research base to provide recommendations for programs that have the best track record to help all students achieve at high levels. Programs like smaller class sizes, while popular, has proven not to have the achievement gains in comparison to investing in effective teacher professional development. Consequently, with fewer educational dollars, I would recommend to continue to invest in teacher professional development as a first step and as the top priority.”
OneDublin.org: As educational sciences continue to evolve, please share your thoughts on how the mechanics of classroom instruction may potentially change as we move into the next decade.
McCarty: “Our kindergarten students will graduate in the year 2028. Their work life will take them to around the year 2088 or longer. We need to prepare our students for the middle and the end of the 21st century. We cannot use the same instructional strategies that we as adults had as students. With the rapid advance of technology, ask yourself what types of jobs will remain during the remainder of the 21st century? Likely, jobs based on repetitive work will continue to disappear and conversely, jobs that are based on creativity and innovation will grow.
“Therefore, our classroom instructional should reflect critical thinking, creativity and innovation. To shift to these new instructional strategies, teacher professional development needs to be a high priority. Helping teachers develop more inquiry-based problem based lessons while reducing the amount of teacher lecture and student repetition of what they heard is the future of classroom instruction. All of our students deserve the opportunity to experience this significant shift.”
OneDublin.org: Without question, all school sites within DUSD have experienced positive increased in measurable student achievement. At the same time, an exponential growth in housing has placed immense pressure on our ability to house our students. What is your perspective on this topic?
McCarty: “Dublin administration and our school board have moved heaven and earth to provide excellent schools for our students. Our school facilities are second to none in spite of the rhetoric from some in the community.
“Our schools are full but highly effective and efficient. Some of the worst problems, getting to school and leaving school, can be minimized by parents coming to school 10 minutes early. “
“That said, our community needs to understand that Dublin was able to build sufficient classrooms throughout the time period when:
- developer fees were collected,
- our citizens passed bonds
- the State provided matching funds.
“The State, through Governor Brown’s desire not to have the State pay for school bond costs, made long-term school planning difficult. In essence, the State disrupted the system and did not provide an alternative solution.
“Our Dublin citizens have a chance to remedy this problem by passing the State Bond Proposition 51. Passing this measure would give DUSD a long-term solution and bring the district back to funding schools by:
- developer fees
- local bonds,
- state matching funds
“Please visit this link for more information about this bond measure-http://www.cashissuesstateschoolbond.com“
OneDublin.org: When you encounter a young person that is mulling a potential career in classroom education, what do you say to this person?
McCarty: “Teaching is one of the most honorable careers in many advanced countries. In this country, teaching students is not always publicly supported as in other countries. But, in my mind, having a great teaching force makes our country great. So, I always encourage students to become a teacher. For our existing teachers who demonstrate outstanding leadership at their school sites, I encourage them to become administrators. When you are an excellent teacher or administrator, you are serving your community and country.”
44 years of dedication to students of all kinds. The time, perhaps feeling like it passed in an instant should slow down a bit. Tim and his wife Grethen will retire to the Santa Rosa area. Here, they will tend to wine grape vines and spend time with a grandchild. OneDublin.org would like to wish Dr. McCarty and his family well as we appreciated the time and insights.
OneDublin.org 
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