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May 26, 2005
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May 26, 2005 |
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EDITORIAL A conversation about education The Yellow Springs school board has an opportunity to lead a valuable and substantial discussion about the future of education in Yellow Springs. Using the local “Quality Education Standards” that the district developed last year, the school board could initiate a community conversation about the type of education the school district should provide. The school district has infrastructure in place to lead a dialogue about education. Since last year, Yellow Springs High School and the McKinney School have organized several Youth Forums to discuss issues affecting students. These forums, which have attracted the participation of students, teachers, parents, public officials and community members, are an effective way to bring students and adults together. The district has identified standards with which the community can determine the effectiveness of not only classroom instruction but also the schools’ efforts to help students become responsible adults. While the quality and philosophy of the Yellow Springs schools would be the focus of such a discussion, the board also should address the potential growth of the student body. Impending growth in housing likely means that more students would enroll in the Yellow Springs schools. The school board could expand its dialogue on education to include an effort with Village Council to provide the community with invaluable information about how growth could affect public services. Several factors make this an opportune time for the school board to lead these dialogues related to education: Tony Armocida, who has served as superintendent since 1997, is likely to retire in two years; the school board has identified an excellent candidate, John Gudgel, the principal of YSHS and the McKinney School, to succeed Dr. Armocida; and critical questions about the school district and the school board’s independence were raised by board member Bill Firestone earlier this month. There are other factors that should inspire a conversation about education, including the ongoing community visioning process and the idea, first suggested last year, that Yellow Springs promote itself as the “education village.” During the last eight years, Dr. Armocida has done an admirable job running the district, helping to place the system on sound financial footing, improving the buildings in which our children learn, and working with the principals and teachers to meet state-mandated standards, while understanding that an education in Yellow Springs should mean more than test taking. Knowing that Dr. Armocida is probably going to retire in July 2007, when his contract expires, several board members have said that they would like to organize a public process to discuss the superintendent’s job. Mr. Firestone ignited a small controversy earlier this month when he said he was disappointed with the quality of education in the district and criticized his fellow board members for, among other things, being “far too lax with our administrators.” Mr. Firestone’s comments angered and frustrated other board members, who wrote two letters to the News last week decrying some of his remarks and the tone of his critiques, which they characterized as attacks. Mr. Firestone’s delivery may have lacked grace, but he did raise some questions that, if taken seriously, could help inspire a deeper discussion about what’s working in the district, what is not, and how those deficiencies can be fixed. A few years ago, the school district organized small forums throughout Yellow Springs in which local residents discussed education standards. These forums could serve as one model for the school board to initiate a regular education series. This would be a good summer assignment for the board and district personnel.
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