Congratulations to all of the parents who have been working hard to improve their public schools in SAU16. It was reported that David Ryan, Superintendent, will be leaving the district because the board chose not to renew his contract. After months of parents organizing to change the direction, they finally see that the first step has been taken.
But this is not the time for parents to rest on their laurels. In fact, it’s more important than ever to get involved in the selection process. A good leader is hard to find. Most Superintendents have no intention of leading your district to excellence, they’d rather manage the garbage handed to them by outside forces. That’s why it’s important to stay active, remain vocal, and demand better for your kids.
SAU16 parents made it clear that they wanted the administration to focus on academic excellence. For those pushing social justice, this is how you can help all of the children in your district, black and brown children too.
The current administration was so focused on radical political agendas that they forgot who they were serving. These parents are smart, and they love and care about their children. They are tired of the politics of division and want to go back to a unified district focused on a quality public education for their children.
The leader of the school sets the tone and agenda. All these parents wanted was for their kids to attend a school in a joyful environment where the focus was on academic excellence. Instead, under Ryan’s leadership, they watched as the academics suffered, and the community become further divided.
Parents can start by asking candidates how they will work to unify this broken community. What do they see as their top priorities in a divided community that wants unity, and a school district they can be proud of.
Parents want the best for their children. That starts by focusing on three important priorities:
1) Academic excellence
2) A disciplined and safe environment
3) Respect for the role of the parent
Let’s start with academic excellence. You can start by asking all of the candidates if they’ve read the Common Core and Next Generation Science Standards. Ask them to present a list of flaws that they’ve identified and will address in an effort to make substantial improvements. That will offer parents confidence that the new leader of their school district is honest with them about the flaws, and will work with the teachers to make any necessary changes.
A disciplined and safe environment allows teachers to focus on what they need to do in the classroom. Add a dash of joy to the day, and the morale will improve for all. It’s not rocket science, there are schools like Trinity in Manchester that have this down to a science.
Respecting parents can be part of the parent engagement plan that should have been planned. Within the federal law, Every Student Succeeds Act, school administrators are responsible for developing a parent and family engagement plan. ESSA was signed into law during the Obama administration, so where is SAU16 on their plan?
If you search the district website, nothing comes up, yet here is a plan developed by a school district in GA.
Parent and family engagement plans are a way to include parents in an effort to improve academic achievement. Instead Ryan hired an expensive outside political organization, 2Revolutions, and paid them to develop a plan that reflected their vision for the district. This conflicted with what parents wanted for their children. Talk about mismanagement!
One important measure that would unify this community would be, prioritizing academic achievement. This is something all parents and taxpayers can support. When children are receiving a quality education, parents and community members will stand together. Not only will they stand together, they will support and fight for the individuals in charge of their child’s education. When politics or political agendas become the focus, it’s sure to cause division. Stick to educating children and leave political agendas out of the classroom.
A district committed to diversity can look for a more diverse teaching staff. Hiring a DEIJ Director who comes with a radicalized political agenda diverts funds away from paying the teaching staff a better wage. Parents in SAU16 could see that pushing this radical political agendas was the priority, not academic achievement. That’s going to mobilize good parents to fight for a better education for their children.
Parents also noticed the declining enrollment numbers in SAU16. Parents will either fight or quietly remove their children, and send them somewhere else. They’re not stupid, yet that’s how they were treated. They were basically forced to accept the dumbing down, and the radicalized political agenda. It’s their children and their money, that’s not going to work for many families.
There is nothing more important than hiring highly qualified and educated teachers in the classroom. Parents have wisely voiced their support for hiring and maintaining the best teaching staff. But teachers have been working in an environment that breeds toxicity. A good leader must be honest, focused, and have integrity.
All of this is possible with a leader who cares about offering quality education to the children they were hired to serve. It’s not a recipe that is difficult to figure out.
