I am thoroughly disappointed with the leadership in our district. The Lansing School District is currently the biggest detriment to this city. As young families begin to think about school options for their children, many are forced to make the difficult decision to move so that they can get their children into a school district they believe will keep their kids safe, first and foremost, and deliver a quality education so their children are prepared for college and beyond. As this flight continues, we must understand that we are losing some of our best and brightest. They are now invested in communities such as Haslett, Williamstom, Dewitt, Mason, etc., and support those communities with their tax dollars, business, and energy. Personally, I have listened to several people discuss how much it pained them to move. This is their home, they graduated from Lansing Schools, and they had imagined their children walking the halls of the schools they attended as children. Many of the lucky ones, fortunate enough to experience lottery success with schools of choice, eventually move because of the difficulties in transporting their children to and from school, and a growing desire to be part of the communities their children spend so much time in. They didnt cite facilities as their reason for leaving. They didnt cite sports as their reason for leaving. Every single one of them discussed the culture of the schools and the allowance for behaviors that compromise childrens safety and educational experience. It was clear when discussing with them that they werent simply abandoning ship with no reservations, but they were being forced to make decisions they hadnt anticipated having to make. Over the last five years, we have had continued decline in achievement, continued erosion of school culture, next-to-no innovation when considering district-wide efforts to improve safety in our schools, etc. We have a school board president that only cares about shovels in the ground (can we say disconnected?), a board consisting of members who seem content with the status quo and are fine taking their orders from a woman who was never qualified to hold the position in the first place (notice how the Ph.D credential she used to sport around has come off of her bio?), a central office who refuses to back school-site administrators in important matters and instead caves in to the few parents who kick up a little dust any time their child is appropriately disciplined, and to lead this sinking ship, we have a superintendent who is not qualified to hold the position, was never supposed to be the long-term solution (remember that national search we were supposed to have to secure an elite candidate that could right the ship?), and lacks even the most basic understanding of educational hierarchy (community, board, then superintendent....not the other way around). As someone who has been heavily involved with the district as a student, a Michigan State intern, a long-term substitute, a father of a student, and a husband of a Lansing teacher, I probably know more than most. Over the last few years, we have had school years start with tons of long-term subs, some called up a day or two before the start of the school year, not because of leave issues but because we have inept leadership that sits on their duffs all summer and then panic at the last minute. We have have had laid-off teachers called back in December, Januaury at times, to take over classes that were taught for months by three and four substitute teachers whom lacked the support or expertise to lead effectively and then expect those teachers to work miracles (loved the instance where a class of 46 was taught by one teacher for two months and then divided up in November, after MEAP, so that a highly qualified teacher who was waiting in the wings could come back and take charge). People who know anything about education know the first months are pivotal and must be handled effectively and appropriately if you are to even have a chance at impacting change. I have seen entire classes evacuated because a child has went on a rampage and hit the teacher and other students, only to see that child back the next day because the parent threatened litigation. I have seen teachers who try to hold students accountable by enforcing the school code of conduct disciplined by their school-site administrator because they are in fear of what central office may say (dont want that school report card to look bad;)). I have seen amazing teachers try to align curriculum, implement innovative and data-driven strategies, and bridge the gap between schools so that their efforts can create change district-wide, lack the support from our leadership to sustain said efforts. The list goes on.... I, after sending my oldest daughter to Lansing to begin her educational career, also made the difficult decision to remove her. I could no longer allow my love and passion for Lansing and my desire to seek change be her demise. To be completely honest, I was pissed when I was forced to make that decision. It didnt have to be this way, and it doesnt have to be this way in the future. However, with this extension, I am much more at peace with my decision. Our leadership is not serious about educational change for the better, and this vote makes that crystal clear. We need and deserve better. School districts are, and will always be, the cornerstone of any community. If you desire a world-class city, it must begin with the foundation.
Posted on: Sat, 18 Oct 2014 14:27:11 +0000
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