This probably isn”t the ideal moment for the Columbus School Board to select a new CMSD Superintendent. Over the last six months the board has had its share of notoriety. The board recently had a public dispute with the mayor and city council over whether it was appropriate for them to meet with city officials about the district”s budget.
The dispute resulted in a published letter from the board explaining its rationale for not meeting with city officials, and a published response by city administrator, David Armstrong, and mayor Robert Smith. In his letter, Mr. Armstrong went as far as to sarcastically congratulate the Board for “drafting such a well-composed, misstatement of the truth.”
To make matters worse, more than 40 people attended a hearing last night to discuss the qualities the community wants from the next superintendent, and five people were conspicuously absent: the school board. The mediator said the consulting firm excluded the board to keep the focus on the criteria for the next superintendent and not on public discontent with the board.
Ironically, this decision may have increased discontent. Afterwards, several people expressed disappointment with the board”s absence. Monique Montgomery, local attorney and parent of three students in the school district, questioned the productivity of a meeting to discuss the desires of the public for the next superintendent when the decision makers, the board members, weren”t there to hear the public”s opinions. To correct this, Geraldine Gordon, another CMSD parent, suggested the public have an opportunity to see the criteria for the next superintendent composed by the firm and make an addendum to it.
Another attendee, Bill Bluitt, wasn”t hopeful for a correction. Because none of the school board members were at the hearing, Mr. Bluitt said they would only receive secondary information, and he felt like members had to be present to get an accurate sense of the public”s feelings. Mr. Bluitt pointed out that this would have also made the process more efficient, since the board could have relied less on the firm for information.
On the other hand, Lori Pierce, a teacher at the Mississippi School of Math and Science and parent of three students in the district, agreed with the decision to exclude board members. She said she understood the need to get information not biased by people”s current feelings about the board. Because the attention was focused on the next superintendent, Ms. Pierce, who has a background in marketing research, said that the hearing produced a lot of qualitative information.
Regardless of one”s feelings about whether the members should have been at the meeting, there is palpable dissatisfaction with this board by some. At one point, the mediator said the board wouldn”t do anything “under the table” in the hiring process and several attendees expressed disagreement with a “humph” reminiscent of my grandmother at church service.
While criticism comes with public service, and the members should be recognized for withstanding it, the board should also consider how this distrust may impact the next superintendent. Even if a minority of the community distrusts the board, this could make it difficult for the new superintendent to build the support necessary to take CMSD to the next level. Consequently, it may be wise for the board to address this distrust before selecting a new superintendent.
Scott Colom is a local attorney. His email address is [email protected].
Scott Colom is a local attorney.
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