It is the last day of a very rousing year. It started off with high hopes and great expectations as I announced my candidacy for the Board of Education. The first 3 months of the year were wrought with passion, partnership and pursuit. The energy and the “hate” were palpable!
The victory was to be ours, and it was done with an undeniable level of class, ingenuity and historical results!
Regardless to how you feel about it/us -- It was an official GRAND S.L.A.M. {School Leadership Advocacy Movement}!
One of the first questions I got asked about a month or so into my appointment on the Board was, “is it what you thought it would be?” The answer is a resounding, “No – Not at All!” I continue to be amazed at all the adult stuff we have to deal with which negatively impacts the learning in our classrooms, and how little we deal with that which directly, and positively impact the education of our children. Besides approving field trips and educational software packages, the majority of the work is focused on peripheral stuff. More specifically, the selection of our vendors for paper, telephony services, legal services, teachers training, professional development, approving the CSA’s recommendations for hire and the like. I am by no means minimizing the need for such things, but what I marvel at is the level in which those things occupy the brunt of the Board’s responsibilities. Certainly the actual work of the Board is in direct conflict with “the public’s” expectations of what it should be doing.
We need to work on clarifying the Board of Education’s roles for the public in 2011.
I believe the Board should have greater ownership with regard to what is happening in our schools, as well as having the authority to remove ineffective staff. What? OMG, did she just say that? Indeed I did! If you were to ask this community who is to blame for the condition of our schools, I would venture a guess that over 90% would say the Board of Education members. Is that an unfair assumption? Theoretically speaking, no; however relative to the legal and fiduciary responsibilities appointed to a School Board it is not only absolutely iniquitous, but Board members can be brought up on ethics charges if they were to pursue “day-to-day” operational solutions.
“What you talking ‘bout?”
Case in point: Not too long ago we had a Board member brought up on ethic charges for simply asking about the possibility of hiring an individual in an available position. This Board member suffered months of personal persecution, financial hardship and aggravation because the CSA at the time ‘felt’ offended by the inquiry. What is worse – the majority of the board members at the time supported the CSA’s position. What is an even greater tragedy is that the community thinks that the Board has the right, dare I say an obligation to their constituency, to offer candidates for hire.
If you think I’m off base read some of the comments and complaints on the various Blogs and Forums over this past year concerning who the Board should hire in this position or that, fire in this position or that, or give opportunities to for this position or that etc… I too thought I would have that/those option/options. The fact is the only person I can actually “select” for hire is the Superintendent. Everyone else is at the recommendation of the Superintendent. I must agree or disagree; in more specific terms – vote it up or vote it down. This is certainly NOT, in my opinion, the most effective way to manage a school district and there is a lot of evidence to support my position. But, to correct this will take a massive movement by the community and support by our legislature.
This obvious contradiction in duty versus responsibilities, needless to say – is an albatross around my neck!
We are expected to make improvements not with creative ideas, collaboration and communication, but by manipulating the vote thereby applying pressure so as to cause a desired result. It’s so fundamentally evil, which in my opinion explains why we as a community are exactly where we are today.
What’s a girl to do? Simply – serve, educate, share, serve and pray my way through it all!
As I look to what positive impact I can have on the next 2 years and 4 months of service to this community – I think a look into reestablishing the power of the Board of Education is in order. You can’t send an army to a gun fight with sticks. Nor can you build a solid foundation with just mortar. That unfortunately, is how this Board is currently positioned.
I said it before and I’ll say it again – I am not here to continue the status quo, I’ve come to expose the truth in hopes that as a community we own our part(s) in uprighting the educational system in our city.
Happy New Year To Come!
Thanks for the honesty. I've often thought about running for a school board myself, but have realized the lack of power the Board has in making the decisions that truly impact student learning and teacher effectiveness. I think the best influence a Board can have over that is hiring the right superintendent and putting systems in place to get rid of the supt if he/she is not focused on student achievement. I think reconsidering how the leadership at the district level is organized is something the Board should make a priority as well. Those are the people who directly impact what teachers are doing in the classroom. The district leadership has to be highly qualified and, more importantly, aligned to the mission of educating all of Plainfield's children. Focusing decisions on how they will impact student learning and achievement is a way to begin to focus everyone. The conversations about field trips, for example, begin to change. Every trip we approve should be with an eye towards how it helps our kids get closer to the goal of a college education. I have tons more to say about all of this and would love the chance to dialogue with you about it.
ReplyDeleteAyanna
The key is to work within those limits and still make a difference. If you want to serve go for it! Just go in with your eyes WIDE OPEN!
ReplyDeleteIt's important that you level set expecations of the community (or try to). Which quite honestly is a mission of its own. Just look at the post from Maria this morning. Some how the perception is always going to be the BOE has the power.
Let's face it. Hiring a CSA is no easy task. You can see all the creditials in black and white, interview the candidate, talk to a few former employees, use expensive filtering firms (all which has been done before)but there is only one real truth in all of this -- the candidate is ALWAYS going to put his or her best foot forward. So you think you have an honest, hardworking people-person focused on creating a premiere educational system. Then you ink the contract and what you've got is a horror story. A contractually obligated horror story to boot!
As my Nanny would say --"they come out the closet with all these other feet you didn't know they had!"
I've hired people who turned out to be completely unfit for the job and I've hired some winners. All of them had solid resumes and an impression interview.
I hope we can legally incorporate some community folk in on the selection process that way when it goes how it goes -- we can all own it.
WE --the collective possessive ProNOUN -- can ward off illegimate suitors!
But I'm just one of nine -- we'll have to see what the druthers are of the majority.
Ayanna -- email me rahernandez@plainfield.k12.nj.us As I too would love to sit down and chat.
(Renata)