The exception related to the Georgia Constitution's mandating the local school system "shall be under the management and control of a board of education" - not the superintendent.
Eric Wolden countered: "Nothing in the Georgia Constitution mandates a school board micromanage a system" and the board's "role is supposed to be setting overall policies from a macro level."
Fair enough, but the ITBS grade change is in the "strategic plan" adopted by the board and therefore at least should be discussed in public session. Testing, including what tests to be used in what grades, surely is a matter of great importance and therefore should be a matter of policy set by the board.
This from a Harrison High parent:
"Harrison High School's English department has gone to the 3-2-1 grading system, the 'standards based' BS that the board promised would not go above third grade! What other high schools are adopting this trend in mediocrity? In a letter, parents were told Thursday, 'In the past, typical grading categories have included classwork/homework, quizzes and tests. This does not give detailed information about your student's skill level.'
"Are they serious? How could tests and quizzes, the acceptable standard for all of history in America, not be good enough for Cobb? They all need to go, bureaucrats, staff, board members and especially Sanderson and the band leader, Constantino."
Another reader makes a telling point: "There may be good reason to change the ITBS from the eighth grade to the seventh grade, but the public will never know why. So much for the new transparency."
From BarneyB: "Nothing this Superintendent does shocks me anymore. This is Joe Redden all over again - bully pulpit. The only thing that keeps Cobb schools above most others is parent involvement! Poor legal counsel and bonehead, short-sighted decisions (many of which are forced on the board) are slowly killing this district. Parents better wake up, take responsibility for their kids, and demand better representation from their board!"
Another reader terms the current school board, its chairman and the superintendent "the worst ever for Cobb," asserting that "Redden, Benjamin, Wilson, Ingram and even Grace Calhoun were far superior to Coach Sanderson. Redden just got a little aggressive but the board and Brock and Kell did not act within their responsibilities to stop the wayward lap-top funding strategy. ... The citizens need Butch Thompson to step in again and call for some leadership."
The board gets another no-confidence vote from a reader who says: "The board will not, or maybe is not capable of, managing the school district. If they were doing that, they would change the school management and take action instead of hem-hawing around..."
It all gets back to this: the Cobb school board needs to exercise "management and control" of the school district.
dmckee9613@aol.com
Post a Comment
Follow us on Twitter!