Wading into the Weeds
OK. It’s not that we here at DPS Chalkboard want to stay above the fray, or think we are better than the people that are digging into the weeds, but we really enjoy discussing and trying to figure out the big picture policy issues that face Decatur Public Schools. There are people making FOIA requests and looking at who said what to whom, and we appreciate the work they’re doing. We could wade in and try to be more critical of the actual real people doing real work to make this community better, but for the most part it’s just not us. Our goal is to create a dialogue regarding real issues facing the district. Issues like:
· Teaching to the Test – is it good for district, and
· What to do with the vast amount of CARES money available to us, and
· The teacher retention problem.
But here’s the thing - we know we aren’t right all the time. Heck, we have disagreements within ourselves, and we know you, the reading audience, can’t possibly agree with everything we’re saying. So, what we really want is for hear disagreement, some public conversation, some discourse on our Substack website. That’s how we can make this work. Exchange ideas. Listen to each other. Come on, folks, we had nearly 100 views of our most recent article and I know there are some other opinions out there on why we have double the problem as other districts in terms of teacher retention. Tell us what you think. Use a pseudonym if you’re uncomfortable posting with your real name. We only ask that you follow two of the three things in the following list in your public comments:
1. You have something most of the rest of the audience wants to hear, and/or
2. You point out why we are wrong, and/or
3. You are polite.
(In other words, you don’t even have to be polite if you say something most of our reading audience wants to hear AND point out why we’re wrong!)
But if wading into the weeds a little bit is what it takes to generate comments (yet still referencing a previous article on the Role of the School Board) let me see if this works... Last night at the board meeting one of the board members responded to a person in the open public forum. Did this make anyone else cringe? Whether the parent making the public comment was right or wrong, there should NOT have been a reply from the board member! I’m sure the teachers and administrators that have been working on the issue mentioned were extremely unhappy with the board members implication that the issue was not, or would not be, addressed adequately without a board members involvement.
Additionally, we’ve noticed board members posting messages on social media regarding the inadequate state of the current system. Social media is an excellent way to get a message out and rally people to do great things, but if there are problems with the system, those problems should also be addressed in School Board Meetings. Talk. Speak your mind. The number one principle in the list of Roles of a School Board Member is to “Clarify the district purpose”. Speak up in the meeting and tell the public why the district is failing in its mission. Let’s talk about changes that are needed!
OK. Now. Comment.