An Editorial by Becky Fullerton and Jennifer Willyard
On Monday evening, the ASD School Board revealed the secret identity of our new Superintendent to be Stan Chapp from Freeport School District…however, that was all they really revealed.
Where was the transparency in the hiring process?
Where is the transparency in revealing the contract terms and salary?
This is all public information and should be divulged at the time of hire. And once again, where is the transparency in a long range plan for our district?
Part of the problem in the lack of transparency of the ASD school board, is they are not following half of the practices set by the Pennsylvania School Board Association. For the detailed Standards for Effective School Governance set by the PSBA here is a link:
We urge everyone to read this with particular interest paid to the benchmarks.
Some of our personal favorite questions to answer are:
"How have the boards actions and attitudes elicited community trust and respect?"
"How often do members of the board speak to or participate with community organizations?"
"How do board members balance the need to represent the electorate with the need to to lead the district forward on behalf of children?"
"How does the board measure and evaluate the public perception of the board's behavior and demeanor, and how do those preceptions help or hinder confidence in the board?"
Wow!!! Perhaps being that she is the district representative with the PSBA, Ms. Yassem should get a copy of this to all the board members for their review! Or maybe this could be one of the things that could be read and discussed during one of the 5 annual training opportunities that the board members are suggested to take part in!
There are reports that there were only six candidates in the pool for the Superintendent position and only two of those were interviewed. Why not hire an interim Superintendent for a longer period of time to make sure a candidate did not slip through the cracks. Perhaps extend the search, or even use such services as the University of Pittsburgh Tri-State Study Council or Pennsylvania Association of School Administrators, to help identify a strong candidate?
Perhaps it would have led the board to hire Dr. Chapp, but due diligence would have been done. We do not want to discount Dr. Chapp’s qualifications. He, on paper, seems to be qualified to do a great job as Superintendent of schools, however, it would have been nice if there would have at least been an open interview process so the public could hear what the vision was of each of the candidates.
Will they bring something new to the table, or is it more status quo?
What are the goals the board has for the new superintendent?
This district needs to move forward, it is time the board works with all of its constituents.
This is a time where vision is absolutely needed and transparency is a must, will the school board FINALLY do so?
With the end of the school year, we wish to congratulate all of the outgoing seniors the best of luck, health and happiness in all their future endeavors!
