Two school board officials seem to have the right answer. Will the rest of the board follow?

Published 5:53 pm Saturday, January 11, 2014

While being critical of the Selma City School Board seems to have taken on a full-time job, the fact remains the actions of a few on the board — and at times the superintendent — reflect upon the whole board.

Over the past few months, we have received calls defending the actions of school board president Henry Hicks Sr. and board member Dr. Udo Ufomadu. We have been told they voted to hire a firm to investigate the school system and that they pushed for more public input into a state-ordered corrective action plan.

We know. We were at those meetings.

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But, as we have told them individually, they are unfortunately guilty by association when it comes to the less than logical decisions made by the majority of the Selma City School Board.

While there have been plenty of times we have been critical of Hicks and Ufomadu, we are not so in their recent efforts to what appears to be a cleaning up of the Selma City School System.

The same could be said for those teachers and administrators who come to work each and every day to do nothing but teach our children, prepare them for their lives ahead of them.

They are unfortunately — at times — painted with a wide brush of criticism that is aimed at those teachers who break the law, fail at their jobs and drag down a system.

In the case of Hicks and Ufomadu, they have been right from day one when it has come to the response of the state investigation — and investigation that blistered the school system for their lack of response to sexual misconduct by a teacher and academic failings.

In a system of government where the majority rules, the role of loyal opposition is just as crucial. There has to be debate, their has to be an opposing view and in every decision, there is a right and there is a wrong, even if that declaration isn’t known years later.

As we continue to hear of the system’s lackadaisical response to the state’s findings, we hope Hicks and Ufomadu will continue to push the rest of the board toward full compliance.

Unlike most debates, the right answer, the right path is very clear. And right now, Hicks and Ufomadu are doing all they can to kick the rest of the board in the right direction. We just hope the rest of the board will come around.