Some quick updates:
- The first season of the Montgomery Basketball Band concluded pretty successfully. I had around 30 members, nearly double the first year membership at Ridge. The players, coaches and parents all loved having the band at games.
- Likelihood is high that the Montgomery Board of Education is going to approve the creation of a new stiped to pay me for marching band in 08-09. The stipend proposed is higher than my assistant stipend at Ridge and is meant to partially compensate me for basketball band as well until some time in the future when that becomes a position.
- Hopewell Valley has reached a tentative contract, but I have not heard anything about if/when I'll get paid for writing drill and teaching the 07 season.
- The Montgomery band director began talking to me about quitting Hopewell and taking on more responsibility at Montgomery by running visual rehearsals. I have some differences of opinion in regards to competition vs festival and some design things that we would have to work through.
- I am just about done with the process to gain my Principal's Certificate in NJ - just waiting for the University of Scranton to get my official transcript to the state. I am keeping my eye on job openings for department head/supervisor type situations, but I am not actively looking to leave Montgomery.
- I am probably going to begin taking some graduate level courses through the University of Phoenix online. At just over $500 per 3-credit course, I can move myself up the pay scale rapidly from MA to MA+15, +30, +45 and +60. Each pay raise equates to approximately $2500 a year, which compounds nicely over a career. I just have to be careful not to spend too much at once on courses though because I will not get course reimbursement like I did at Ridge. Someday down the road I may pursue a second Master's or a Doctorate...
- My application will go out by the end of the week for a 1-week program at Pearl Harbor in the summer.
- I am playing the role of a passenger in Anything Goes in the Montgomery Township Education Association's annual fundraiser called "Music From the Heart." This is going to mean stepping out of my comfort zone, but what the hell.
- Ali and I are heading to an all-inclusive in the Dominican Republic for 3 nights at the end of March during our mutual spring break.
