One of the ongoing myths about the United States is that our public education system is a laboratory for democracy, the place where our young people learn how to become active and engaged members of our democratic community. How ironic it is, then, that our public education system is increasingly top down, autocratic, and not interested in hearing from educators or from the public when it comes to public policy.
We have seen this for years from the state Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE), which continues to carry out policies that make the business community happy at the expense of the children (witness their intentions to raise cut scores for the MCAS). But it’s especially troubling when we see that happening at the local level, in Greenfield Public Schools.
The superintendent of schools has made it clear throughout her first year that she is not interested in hearing from the public, or from those who work in the system. Her decision to not renew the middle school principal without conversation with those who work in the building (who overwhelmingly wanted her to stay), or to have dialog with parents is typical of how she has operated this year. There were certainly problems at the middle school, and most of the staff (and school community) feel they would have been much worse if Principal Dole had not been there.
And a new principal has been named for the middle school without any input from members of the school community. This is not to cast aspersions on the new principal, but this top-down process, without public involvement is an uncomfortably consistent mode of operation for this administration.
The School Committee leadership is very much aligned with this top down, autocratic mode of action. They have made clear that they would really rather that the public just go away and let them do their business. The chair has said that she does not want members of the committee to respond to the public, that all communication should go through her (fortunately some committee members do respond to the public who did vote for them). And she has consistently treated the public and some of the committee members with contempt and/or frustration when she or her decisions are questioned.
The autocratic mode was in full display last School Committee meeting when the superintendent introduced her plan to have the district buy Yondr phone packs as a response to concerns about student cell phone use. She and the School Committee leadership would have rammed this proposal through without any consultation with faculty, families, or seemingly without a look at the research around these pouches, which cast doubt on their effectiveness or appropriateness. She had decided and that should be enough. A few of the members of the School Committee put the brakes on the move and the decision is being studied, but again, the impulse to simply make executive orders without consultation, without involving those most affected by those decisions is what autocrats do. It’s hardly a model of democracy we hope our children will practice and learn to value. And hardly a way to build community in a community that needs rebuilding after a difficult year.
Families are leaving the district, both because they are not happy with the education their children are receiving, but also because of the way they are ignored, or treated when they reach out with concerns and questions. And the principal at the middle school, who did respond to them in a human and welcoming way was let go. There’s a message in that.
These are public schools and we are the public. Leadership undermines and contradicts what they claim they stand for as that training ground for democracy, for leveling the playing field and offering opportunity to all when they operate in such a top down, hierarchical, and disrespectful manner. It is disappointing, and destructive to our community. Know that we the people intend to be more involved, more active in advocating for our children, for our schools, and for our democracy. Our schools are not private corporations, to be run in secret. They are the heartbeat of democracy, and we have to act if we are to keep that heart beating. It is getting fainter at the national, state, and local levels as leaders seem increasingly emboldened to ignore process and the people and to act as dictators. We can’t and won’t let that happen.
Doug Selwyn lives in Greenfield.