School board mired in contention and controversy
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It is discouraging to observe that the Clarke County School Board is once again the focus of contention and controversy within our community. After the dramatic turnover of the School Board's membership in our recent election, the new Board's primary agenda should be to reassure the public that the quality of the county's educational curriculum will not be undermined by the serous fiscal restraints racing the county, or by radical changes in our children's learning environment.
Parents need to know that familiar, trusted teachers and administrators will be waiting for our children when the new school year begins. Likewise, school system employees need to be confident in the stability and continuity of their teaching teams. The School Board will not be able to support these goals without earning the confidence of the school system's teaching and administrative staff. This is a simple, straightforward principle of organizational management.
Unfortunately, the new School Bord has gotten off to a very bad start. Several incidents, beginning with the somewhat confusing circumstances surrounding the appointment of a temporary Superintendent, have created the appearance of bad judgment and an impulsive decision-making process. Uncertainty about the tenure of one our our elementary school principals, and the resignation of high school principal in direct response to the Board's policies, tend to support this impression. In fact, the Board may now be seen as indifferent or actually hostile to the needs of the Clarke County teaching community. The Board's communications to the public have been generally conveyed by the public statements and behavior of the Board Chair, with little or no communication to the public from other members of the Board. As yet, I see no clear indication that the Board is functioning as a collaborative team of independent policymakers.
In the current environment of anxiety and mistrust, few qualified educators would be willing to join our community as the new, permanent superintendent. The same may be said of candidates to replace our departing high school principal.
Even worse, our highly qualified teachers may have less motivation to reject better-paid positions in one of our neighboring counties. Thankfully, most of our teachers and school administrators want to work here because they love teaching in Clarke County. It is the School Board's responsibility to make sure that those teachers continue to feel enthusiastic and committed to teaching in our community.
The new School Board needs to produce a quick reversal of its public image problem, and correct serious shortcomings in its management style. Clarke County has a highly competent, committed team of teachers and school administrators. They have been responsible for educating the outstanding students that we graduate from our high school year after year. It takes a long time to build that kind of asset.
The School Board was elected to preserve that asset. Each and every Board member is responsible for achieving this goal. Our children will be victims of their failure.
Mark S. Robinson
Bluemont
Let's not forget the termination of key employees such as Athletic Director, Transportation, etc.....
Posted by retreatdweller
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