A few points: 1. We should take a closer look at Winchester Schools, which was referenced as a comparison. Winchester has a robust private endowment and other ancillary endowments in continuing support of its schools, especially at the high school level. It would be great to see Fredericksburg leaders and prosperous parents create and fund such an endowment to supplement our public school budget, rather than pay for tuition at private schools. 2.Peter Drucker is known for a plan to revise corporate organizational culture, which is not up to the task of helping each individual person in school succeed in a complex social and financial environment. Not even close. 3. Across the country, public school boards are launching pads for political careers. That is where political life can most likely start. Officials like Jannan Holmes and Matt Rowe have public support to shoulder more responsibility because they have served so well before. 4. Fifteen years ago, the schools gave more support to higher tracked kids, and neglected most of the others. The superintendencies were backed by an old boy network across the state.Today, our school administration is supporting programs that focus on more small group and one to one help for struggling students as it should. 5. We do need ways to rethink schooling in the light of what technology has wrought. Including AI, not A1.
Read Scott’s Opinion letter. This is not a matter of funding but leadership. Our local political figures have served our students poorly and this is the problem. No excuse to not educate. Or is there?
Very well written with facts. You nailed it with the problem being at the top. School board starts meeting w closed session to privately discuss public matters to include agenda items. They got caught doing so improperly and judge let them off. The biggest problem is there is not the will of the citizens, the Council, or our judicial system to change. Net result is “keeping the students down”. Good for service industries, most owned by out of town corporations.
I was told by a school consultant that if ‘they’ really want to turn the school system around, hire someone from outside, pay them well, allow them to do their job, give them 3 years and hold them accountable. Not going to happen.
Our students are political footballs worthy of a whole new Opinion letter.
One would hope that council and school board members would write a commentary on this report. If true, they should resign.
I value and support our public schools. Fredericksburg residents, VOLUNTEER! Run for the School Board and work to make corrections.
A few points: 1. We should take a closer look at Winchester Schools, which was referenced as a comparison. Winchester has a robust private endowment and other ancillary endowments in continuing support of its schools, especially at the high school level. It would be great to see Fredericksburg leaders and prosperous parents create and fund such an endowment to supplement our public school budget, rather than pay for tuition at private schools. 2.Peter Drucker is known for a plan to revise corporate organizational culture, which is not up to the task of helping each individual person in school succeed in a complex social and financial environment. Not even close. 3. Across the country, public school boards are launching pads for political careers. That is where political life can most likely start. Officials like Jannan Holmes and Matt Rowe have public support to shoulder more responsibility because they have served so well before. 4. Fifteen years ago, the schools gave more support to higher tracked kids, and neglected most of the others. The superintendencies were backed by an old boy network across the state.Today, our school administration is supporting programs that focus on more small group and one to one help for struggling students as it should. 5. We do need ways to rethink schooling in the light of what technology has wrought. Including AI, not A1.
Read Scott’s Opinion letter. This is not a matter of funding but leadership. Our local political figures have served our students poorly and this is the problem. No excuse to not educate. Or is there?
All this makes you wonder why our print and online media have not reported this in their publications. They had the data. Maybe ‘Hands Off’?
Very well written with facts. You nailed it with the problem being at the top. School board starts meeting w closed session to privately discuss public matters to include agenda items. They got caught doing so improperly and judge let them off. The biggest problem is there is not the will of the citizens, the Council, or our judicial system to change. Net result is “keeping the students down”. Good for service industries, most owned by out of town corporations.
I was told by a school consultant that if ‘they’ really want to turn the school system around, hire someone from outside, pay them well, allow them to do their job, give them 3 years and hold them accountable. Not going to happen.
Our students are political footballs worthy of a whole new Opinion letter.