The School Committee on June 14 refused to reconsider its decision made earlier in a non-televised Friday morning meeting to hire an interim principal from the outside for Hildreth Elementary School, having hardly discussed Superintendent Jefferson’s offer to serve as such.
As a parent with two children at HES, I encourage the committee to step away from its precipitous decision and consider taking advantage of Dr. Jefferson’s offer. I suggest this for three compelling reasons.
- Lame duck syndrome: Hiring an interim principal installs for a year a lame-duck dynamic. Lame ducks babysit while in-process changes, new ideas, and innovations languish or get lost waiting for the new permanent head. HES cannot afford to take a year off from advancing Ms. Banios’ excellent curriculum initiatives, as well as implementing new ideas. Let’s keep moving forward!
- Transitional pain: Dr. Jefferson would have hardly any learning curve and already has an established authority within the town from which to act. As someone already known by faculty and staff, his relationships are already established. The majority of the school year wouldn’t be wasted trying to develop relationships with the school team who, with an outsider, would know little would come of the relationship in the long term, since they’d soon have yet another new personality to adjust to.
- Financial relief. I believe all the members of the School Committee have emphasized creativity to find financial savings. Doing so enables the schools to look at funding new projects and initiatives without going to the town seeking another override. I understand having Dr. Jefferson serve as an interim principal would save us over $65,000. It is the most fiscally responsible choice.
If others in the HES community have concerns about the School Committee’s decision—and decision process—I urge them to voice their feelings. There is no legal reason that decision has to be final; it’s only recalcitrance. Let’s take advantage of Dr. Jefferson’s offer and leave HES in a better position at the end of the next school year for a new principal to continue progress, not have to overcome inertia.
Bob Eiland
Harris Lane
