All in for schools: Excellence requires commitment from families, educators, leaders

It's official. There is a new member on the school board.

And now that Jennifer Strickland has taken her post, it is time to think about the next steps for the county schools.

The change of leadership in the district gives us all an opportunity to change the paradigm and to make decisions.

And there is a lot to talk about.

But before those discussions can begin, there have to be some ground rules.

It is easy to slam teachers and to blame administrators when test scores go down.

And in some cases, there are places where some new ideas and some new leadership might help. It can't be easy coming up with ways to encourage students year after year, especially this video game, cell phone and Internet generation.

If you have a teenager at home, you know what we mean.

But the truth is that there is a lot of good going on in the county schools. There are teachers and administrators who are trying everything they can think of to get children to read and to learn. They are innovative, tireless and spend their own money to find the newest and the best ways to reach their students.

And there are some personnel, like in any business, who are done. They are not performing as they should and they are tired. They need a boost or the boot, depending on what stage they are at.

If we are going to address the problems in the county schools, however, we have to get to the brass tacks, the real issues that teachers and principals deal with daily.

We have to look at curriculum. Is it what we need or does it need an upgrade?

We need to understand that a teacher cannot undo in about eight hours the attitudes and practices that are instilled in children 24/7 at home. Teachers are not parents -- and neither are principals -- and they should not be expected to make up for the deficiencies they encounter in the children they educate.

It is time to insist on responsibility in the home -- and to point out the concerns that educators deal with every day. The information might not always be pretty, but it is essential if we are going to get a clear picture of what we need in the schools.

Truth is where we start.

We need to decide if our schools are a priority or not. And if they are, we need to continue to improve facilities, fund textbooks and materials and to attract the best staff we can.

We have to consider budgets and shortfalls, but we need to decide where and how we want the money spent.

We need to acknowledge that there is a government factor that plays into every budget and decide what we want to see done with our money. We can insist that it be spent wisely, but we have to understand that improvements don't come if we don't spend it.

And last but not least, we need to remember that we are holding children's futures in our hands. We need to set aside the backdoor dealings that are the hallmark of bureaucracies and government and set a standard where communication and honesty reign supreme.

And there can be no sacred cows. We need to demand the best and reward those who provide it. And that should start with the search for a new superintendent and other new leadership in the county office.

The Wayne County Board of Education has good bones. There are people involved with it who care deeply about the children and the schools.

And the schools are full of good teachers and administrators and parents who care.

But it is time for some new ideas.

We don't have time for turf wars or vote manipulations.

We need board members who will listen to what those who are in the classrooms have to say -- and a county commission, by the way, that is prepared to listen as well.

It will be how we will make the county schools even better.

And that is what we should hope to see as the administration and the board start a whole new chapter.

It will be exciting to see what both accomplish.

Published in Editorials on December 4, 2014 11:19 AM