Sometimes the best move you can make is to make no move at all.
Monday, during the Columbus Municipal School District Board of Trustees meeting, the board declined to extend the contract of its schools superintendent, Dr. Philip Hickman, who still has a year remaining on his current contract.
The board voted, 3-2, against extending the contract through June 30, 2021.
We are convinced that was a wise decision on the board’s part. One could say the jury is still very much out where Hickman’s performance is concerned, though that’s being charitable.
Hickman’s contract will end June 30, 2018. The board could choose to extend his contract at any point between now and then, but based on what we have seen thus far, there seems little compelling reason to support that move.
Since his arrival almost three years ago, Hickman has needlessly embroiled himself and the district in controversies, both professional and personal, that have damaged the district’s reputation and credibility.
He has failed to rally the community in support of the district, and we see no real, sustained academic progress.
And while there have been some signs of progress over the past three years, we are not at all convinced Hickman is the right person for what is widely acknowledged to be an extremely difficult task.
Graduation rates have risen appreciably over the past three years, which is a good thing. But we note the district’s improvement in that area follows both state and national trends.
On the flip side, the district remains a D-rated school system, although there will not be a real measure of that progress until this fall, when the ratings will be based on the same testing for consecutive years.
During Hickman’s tenure the state has used three different tests to determine those accountability grades, so it’s been an apples-to-orange-to-bananas comparison. This fall, we should see an accurate comparison, which will give the board ample time to assess Hickman’s performance where the rubber meet the road.
Hickman was not brought in to maintain the district’s performance. He was charged with improving that performance, no doubt a difficult assignment that was never expected to happen overnight.
That aside, based on what we have seen for the past three years, it is difficult to make a case for a new contract.
The Dispatch Editorial Board is made up of publisher Peter Imes, columnist Slim Smith, managing editor Zack Plair and senior newsroom staff.
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