This is the opinion piece from the Baytown Sun today. Excellent!! GCCISD disconnect Posted 10 hours ago We can’t imagine a more suitable venue for exercising American free speech than a school board meeting. That’s especially so in Goose Creek CISD, where there is a major disconnect between the community and staff, and the superintendent and his mostly “silent majority” on the board. That disconnect will be clearly evident on Monday night when the board room will be packed by those who have no faith in trustees or the superintendent to act in the best interest of the district. We urge parents and concerned taxpayers to attend Monday’s board meeting — and future ones. The board and superintendent are keenly aware that trust in the administration and board is shattered — yet they do nothing. On Monday night, they will politely sit there Monday night, try not to make eye contact and take their deserved tongue-lashing for 30 minutes — as stated in policy — and then go on the next agenda. Of course, the problem is the school board’s failure to hold the superintendent accountable for anything is in sharp contrast with the superintendent’s unprofessional handling, shuffling and demoting of administrators and teachers. This glaring double standard is especially troubling since many teachers, staff members and many more in the community have loudly complained about the superintendent’s performance. The board’s duty is to create public trust in the system. You do that by making good policies putting kids first. You also do it by listening to the community and their values to make sure they will continue to support public education, both with their children in our schools and with their taxes. Instead, this board has contributed to the demoralization of the teaching force and a steady loss of excellent teachers. Board members have allowed the superintendent to create chaos in the lives of teachers, staff and in the classrooms, which in turn affects all of our students. Goose Creek students, teachers and taxpayers deserve better. They deserve a transparent superintendent and a professional board focused on improving teaching and learning - not personal vendettas and agendas. Taxpayers in this district of modest means, who have paid the superintendent around $500,000 in two years, deserve to know why some principals, assistant principals are promoted while others — some with polished records — are demoted or shuffled for no apparent reason ... yet we get nothing. It doesn’t matter if you like the superintendent or not, or if you disagree with his policies and moves; it’s the board’s inaction — and silence — that deepens the public’s mistrust of it. Who’s in charge? In the normal course of affairs, a public school superintendent takes orders from the local school board, whose members are elected by the residents whose taxes pay the superintendent’s salary. The current board — sans Jenice Coffey — has clearly ceded its authority to a managerial employee apparently beholden to no one, least of all the board of trustees. The Sun asked Board President Jimmy Smith if the board would allow more than 30 minutes for public comment Monday. We also asked if he knew how much is in the district’s general fund, does he still maintain there is no morale issue in the district and would he be willing to sit down for an interview. “Please forward all questions to the communications department of GCCISD” was his response. So once again, we ask: Who’s running the Goose Creek school district? The board? Or an unelected, salaried employee? How to address the school board “District residents are encouraged to communicate with the staff and be involved in their schools. “Audience participation at a Board meeting is limited to the public comment portion of the meeting designated for that purpose. “At all other times during a Board meeting, the audience shall not enter into discussion or debate on matters being considered by the Board, unless requested by the presiding officer. “At regular meetings the Board shall allot 30 minutes to hear persons who desire to make comments to the Board. “Persons who wish to participate in this portion of the meeting shall sign up with the presiding officer or designee before the meeting begins and shall indicate the topic about which they wish to speak. “No presentation shall exceed five minutes. Delegations of more than five persons shall appoint one person to present their view before the Board. “Specific factual information or recitation of existing policy may be furnished in response to inquiries, but the Board shall not deliberate or decide regarding any subject that is not included on the agenda posted with notice of the meeting.” — gccisd.net
Posted on: Thu, 10 Jul 2014 14:42:37 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015