Infighting isnt helping our schools
Published 12:00 am Thursday, March 13, 2008
The issue: Too much infighting among Selma School Board members hurts the philosophy of education.
Our position: Too much gets in the way of getting things done for the schools.
Here we go again.
Thursday night&8217;s meeting of the Selma School Board seemed more like a WWF wrestling match than a matter of setting policy and handling business for schools.
In one corner, you have John Williams, the school board president; Deborah Reeves-Howard and Kirit Chapatwala.
In the other corner are various liaisons, depending on the issue.
Just about any topic you can name, everyone has to get in a word or counter someone else. The meetings drag on without much resolution.
All this happens while a school has a roof that leaks so badly, 15 children sat in a classroom last week with buckets around their desks. All of this happens as the district has one of the highest Alabama High School Graduation Exam failure rates in the state. All of this happens as schools struggle to keep teachers and attract others.
When do these grown people quit sniping and get down to the business of taking care of children?
One parent hit a chord Thursday night when she told the school board &8220;You are not getting anything done.&8221;
She spoke for many in the city when she chastised the school board for carrying personal agendas to the table, instead of the best interests of school students.
If school board members will not conduct themselves as professional men and women. If they will not learn to negotiate and work together, then they need to resign and allow the Selma City Council to go through an intensive search for grown-ups.
Then, again, we&8217;re not so sure the city council is in any better shape.