Enter The Strawman: Some Want Superintendent's Removal to Justify "Elected" Superintendent Model

Not "Enter Sandman" a fantastic song by Metallica.

Not "The Snowman" a very peculiar, unsuccessful and critically panned movie from a few years back....

Nope, this was "Enter the Strawman."

There was some legitimate anger among some concerned citizens and some school board members that erupted about how the rights and responsibilities handbook described, in lurid detail, a fictitious yet distrurbing scenario where a student was victimized by sexting,  then bullied, traumatized, and ultimately this young student committed suicide.  It was a bad move many thought for young students to be exposed to this at school--  even though sadly this sort of stuff ---and worse---does happen in real life here and around the country and parents need to discuss these sorts of issues with their children.  Parents need to do this. 

And this comes on the heels of some videos that many thought were outright racist as they apparently were demeaning toward white people.

And also after a recent push to eliminate the valedictorian and salutatorian from graduations--which was an initiative that ultimately failed because the school board said no.  

And I have heard other complaints as well.

Look, this is a conservative community, center right--not a woke leftist enclave.  Look at the voter registration numbers.  So yes, when some of these garbage ideas make their way into schools, I'm glad they are batted back.  But I'm also glad that the voters voted in the appointed superintendent model in 2018 so the superintendent can be hired and supervised and ultimately held accountable by the board for trying to bring this sort of stuff to Escambia County.  In the past, that wasn't the case and often the board was left in the dark, left in the dust, and the only initiatives that moved forward were the ones one guy wanted--the elected superintendent of schools.  Read all about Newpoint.....that's just one example of many.  There was one time, under the former superintendent (elected) that all 5 board members balked at his idea to convert deans to 3rd assistant vice principals to do paperwork at Ransom Middle School with fewer deans to handle the discipline issues--which were legion.  All five of us said "no way", yet that superintendent did it anyway, over the objections of 5 duly elected board members.  And there were other examples.  

It's not that way anymore though.  Thankfully.

So the school board members now who requested a discussion on the agenda last night on the current superintendent had every right to do so.

AND the other three who voted to remove that discussion item from the agenda had every right to do that.

Whether it is the county or the school board--you have to count to three to get anything done.  So three people didn't want the discussion and that is that.

(When I was a school board member under an elected superintendent, I had multiple agenda items I attempted to put under "Board Items" on the agenda but was never permitted to do so.  Now, under the appointed superintendent model--this happens--which is a good thing!)

The bottom line now is the School Board is in charge, they run the show, and the Superintendent is their employee.  But the board sets the vision, makes the policy, and runs the show.  So the pent-up anger and frustration should be directed at the board----not their employee.  Hold the school board members responsible if they are not hiring a superintendent who is following their vision, policy, and rules.  Getting "mad" at the superintendent lets the school board off the hook.  Don't let them off the hook if you are mad.  

And make no mistake--it's not about the structure of the superintendent.  The voters spoke in 2018 and we have the correct model now.  We didn't before.

So now the insidious strawman side of this whole story appears from many posters and commenters on various online chat sites and has manifested this current issue--employee discipline and/or counseling/performance evaluation over questionable initiatives and practices---into an attack on the appointed superintendent model the voters approved in a referendum 4 years ago.  Yes, they don't care about Superintendent Smith--they don't like him, are ambivalent about him at best, and it really isn't about him even though that's what they are saying it is..

They simply want to go back in time to a point where they can "elect" their own "Boss Hogg" superintendent again.  That's what it's all about.  Angry their side lost in 2018--anything that happens now with the new, appointed superintendent is their strawman to knock down and say "See---I told you we should have never given up our right to vote for our superintendent, see!"

Yes, they are using this episode and Dr. Smith in this pursuit.  He is the strawman here.  I happen to

Escambia County Needs a Leader Like This Guy to be Superintendent of Schools

I believe Harrison Peters would be an excellent candidate to lead Escambia's schools as their first "appointed" Superintendent of Schools....I hope he applies for the job! 

As my wife and I watched our son Nick graduate from UWF earlier this year, we were both blown away by the commencement speaker.  He was articulate, charismatic, and dynamic.

Come to find out, as we heard further along in his speech, he is actually from Pensacola--a product of our local schools!

He served in the military, got his education from USF in Tampa, he then taught school and worked his way up and into administrative leadership in the Tampa Bay area-ultimately becoming the Deputy Superintendent of the Hillsborough County School District--one of the nation's largest public school districts.

 I remember talking at that time to my wife and others about this person and saying, enthusiastically:

"This is the guy that needs to apply to be Escambia's first appointed Superintendent of Schools!"

Others have floated his name out there as someone who should apply, too.

As recently as last week at the first workshop held by Escambia Schools to discuss hiring our first appointed superintendent--a person sitting at my table at this event mentioned this same individual, Harrison Peters.

And come to find out--this person at my table knows this man from Hillsborough County--- and has been trying to convince him to apply once the job is put out and advertised!

I truly believe a man like this, with his credentials and bonafides in education, with his knowledge of Pensacola, with his military service, with his charisma,---he would be a tremendous help here in Escambia County.

With his background and the fact that he is Black--he would be a strong role model for many students in our district.  Many.  He would be the complete package that we need! He could really help some of our most challenged schools--just by being selected.  And I believe once selected (if he were to be selected)--our schools could improve dramatically and a lot quicker than if we simply take the path of least resistance and "slot" some current district employee into the Superintendent position.....which is what I fear may happen.

Here's my opinion as a former School Board Member in this county, a product of these schools, a parent of 3 children who graduated from these schools, a person who has taught in 2nd and 3rd grade classrooms, a person who holds a Master's Degree in Administration and who is a current Escambia County Commissioner: (...and all this plus $5.00 will get you a cup of starbucks coffee)

1.  We need a bold, new change of course in our schools and a dynamic NEW leader to reverse our decreasing enrollment trend by luring  good families  and their children BACK from private schools and other local school districts by enforcing discipline, raising standards, and respecting teachers.
2.  We DO NOT need an insider to come in and usurp the vote of the people by becoming the next "defacto, shadow-elected" superintendent of schools--even if this person is a "swell-guy" that graduated from Tate High School.
3.  We don't need an "Interim Superintendent"--we need to make a clean break from the past and let Malcolm Thomas leave next year as we welcome his replacement simultaneously.
4.  We need someone who can lead transformative change in the inner-city schools of Escambia County where we have consistently struggled.

What Do Escambia's School Advisory Council Members Want in our First Elected Superintendent?

Citizens participate in the first of five community forums for gathering input and ideas to help the ECSD hire their first appointed superintendent of schools 

The Escambia School District will be hiring our area's first "appointed" superintendent of schools next year--which the voters authorized in last year's election.  And this "change"  is a great thing in my opinion! (One I have long supported)

 Ahead of this historic transformation, however, the school board has scheduled a number of public input sessions so that feedback from the community can be forwarded to the school board on a very important matter:  What type of person does our school district need?

This is a topic of particular import right now, and quite timely.  

(The NAS Pensacola CO has made news with his reasonable requests and comments about the quality of schools near NAS Pensacola currently.  These comments drew a very supportive editorial from our daily newspaper--supporting our CO of NAS Pensacola and excoriating our current elected superintendent of schools.)

The first meeting for community input was bootstrapped right behind an already scheduled meeting of area schools' advisory councils.  Although the meeting was advertised to begin at 5:30--when I arrived early at 5:20 I found a closed door at the meeting venue with the meeting already in progress.

I asked at the door as I signed in "Wasn't this supposed to start at 5:30?" to which I was told by the ECSD Public Affairs spokesman "They just started a few minutes ago, right after the school advisory committee meeting ended."

I was directed to join one of the 11 tables of 5-8 citizens already formed in the meeting hall.  Each table spoke among one another to find answers to the following three questions, (paraphrased from memory) in this order:

1.  What are the district's current strong points?
2.  What are the district's big challenges?
3.  What qualities, attributes should our first appointed superintendent possess?

I found a seat at the table that had folks from Lipscomb Elementary school.

So the meeting was a hybrid focus group/brainstorming session, with each small group table answering questions and then sharing answers with the entire crowd.  At the conclusion of the question creation part of the meeting---the answers to each main question were hung on the wall-at which point every individual attendee was permitted to identify/signify his/her top four (4) most important answers to the questions on the large sheets of paper on the wall.  This was accomplished via placement of individual stickers on these questions by each attendee--with only four stickers given to the participants.  The logic behind this is/was so that the FSBA facilitator can take the raw data and participant selections--prioritized by the number of stickers beside each question--and sort this data from most to least important and provide this information to the school board (who were not present at the meeting)

Citizens participate in the first of five community forums for gathering input and ideas to help the ECSD hire their first appointed superintendent of schools

From my perspective and from what I overheard--some of the most pressing priorities from the group were as follows:

1. The need for a better discipline process and a more rapid removal of violent and aggressive students — without months of observations and endless checklists 
2. The need to bring the data clerks back to the individual schools 
3. The need to hire an experienced professional educator with admin experience and a track record of success with areas of generational poverty 
4. The need to hire someone who is not an insider or beholden to local monied interests and the good old boy network.

Quint Studer on Why We Should Appoint rather than Elect our Superintendent of Schools in Escambia County

Nationally-renowned speaker, writer, and entrepreneur Quint Studer-- CEO of Studer Community Institute--joins Escambia County Commission Chairman Jeff Bergosh for a discussion about the need for Escambia County to move from the antiquated model of an “Elected Superintendent of Schools” to the modern, efficient “appointed” Superintendent of Schools model.  This decision will rest in the hands of Escambia County Voters this November—as it will be on the ballot for the people to decide.  And Studer makes a compelling case for modernizing our system via moving to the “Appointed” system like 99.6% of the rest of our nation’s schools.  Watch the brief interview with Quint Studer, above, to hear his thoughts on this pressing topic.

(I have long-supported the appointed model for many reasons, and I have often written about this topic here on this blog...Interestingly, in 1967, Escambia County Voters came up just ONE (1) vote short of going to the appointed superintendent like the rest of the nation does.  Hopefully in 2018 we can get this passed and move our education system, locally, into the 21st Century!)

Elected or Appointed Superintendent of Schools Part I

Inweekly has a piece in their current issue regarding the debate surrounding which model is better for a school district:  Elected Board/Elected Superintendent, or Elected Board/Appointed Superintendent.

I've been contacted by three separate individuals/entities over the last two weeks, all of whom wanted my opinion on the subject of what the best model is for our schools locally.

I'm of the firm belief that we desperately need an appointed superintendent, hired by an elected board, evaluated annually, and accountable to the board.  A system like this, which is utilized in more than 99% of school districts nationwide, eliminates the friction between a "strong" elected superintendent and an elected board.

It also makes an elected school board less of an after the fact, rubber-stamp board, left out of most of