A Response to Mr. Dalton’s Column in the Herald on April 27th

Response to Mr. Walton’s Thoughtful Column
{27/04/16}

Dan Walton is an astute observer of the machinations around the leadership of SD#67. He modestly suggests the school district’s priorities are out of sync. I would add there is little substantive evidence the district has priorities, at least not of the educational variety. We never once heard from the Superintendent as to the pedagogical impacts for any of the recommendations. And she has never addressed the curricular oddity that now befalls Summerland – setting the clock back to a time, I’m not sure when, when child development was a non-concern for schools. And the only times we heard from the Secretary-Treasurer related to apologies for not having the correct numbers or for having left out (i.e kept private) vital information needed for thoughtful analysis of the central problem – balancing the finances of the district. And now we find out after all this agony, she still can’t balance the budget!

Mr. Walton is absolutely correct in noting the total ineptitude demonstrated by the Board in holding its public hearings. Public Involvement received a real boost forward in the 70’s in this Valley with the Okanagan Basin Water Study. Since then there have been many more improvements in public consultation, both through technology and with our growing knowledge of effective interpersonal communications. Yet the Board went back to a 1950’s model of relying on public hearings where they simply had to wait out the clock and go home. The only difference between the School District and Penticton City Council is that they didn’t make their final decision one [1] minute after the public hearing closed. This was not public engagement – there never was a response to any of the moral development questions that were raised; nor, was there any real responsive analysis as to why the middle school system should be thrown out only in one part of the district (Summerland) and not in the entire district, if it is so educationally beneficial to scrap it.

I wasn’t at all the hearings so I can’t speak to Mr. Walton’s issue with people being mean. That’s usually unacceptable. But when the Superintendent never addresses the serious educational questions, never provides thoughtful research into potential alternatives, and never takes the time to truly engage with those who offered some free professional advice, it can tend to ignite a feeling of hopelessness that in some persons makes their alienation manifest itself as impatience and even anger. Why it took parents to bring out the Montessori option for Trout Creek would seem to me reasonable grounds for firing the Superintendent on the basis of failure to perform her duties. When I was running educational systems, I was expected by my Boards to examine and bring forward many options and have them ranked as to the pro’s and the con’s. Where was the chair on this aspect alone?

And why did the Superintendent not meet with Interior Health after it was mentioned at one early meeting, they might have a real interest in renting Carmi School? If she did, why were the results of this discussion not revealed? Again, this is what we expect of a well-paid chief executive. Get all the facts, all the options, out on the table and then have a dynamic conversation with all interested perspectives as to the best routes going forward.

The irony is that Summerland thought they had two [2] Board members who were in their corner. Hopefully they won’t make that mistaken assumption again. Not only did they get no support from their representatives – one being the Chair – but they had their portion of the school district blown up both pedagogically and curricular-wise without any sensible, let alone rational, explanation.

The easiest way to deal with educational budget deficits is to close schools. It takes real leadership to help people work through a process whereby the vast majority find a solution that, while not perfect, at least gets the system to better. As Mr. Walton alludes to, and I would argue openly, children and the learning moment require that we place them first and work to ensure our priorities support them. It won’t be easy, but the members of the Board weren’t forced to run and the senior administrative team are well paid because they are expected to be well-skilled and well-trained for just this sort of challenge.

In light of the interim results it is obvious to anyone with a modicum of training in educational administration (let alone leadership) that this system needs another year to get it right in terms of budgets and educational vision. Perhaps the Minister of Education and the Premier should be vigorously petitioned (with the help of the local MLA) to suspend the School Board and senior executives for up to a year while a triumvirate of administrative trustees are put in charge of working through a real change process for SD#67.

Mr. Walton would be a good candidate. Heh, I’ll even volunteer. The kids deserve it and their parents have earned it.

Glenn W. Sinclair, Ph.D.