What do our high school students think about the board's interference in hiring an AD candidate not recommended by Administration? According to the student newspaper, The Playwickian, "The injustice of their decision is comparable to a pig farmer voting on the CEO of Microsoft."
Ouch!!!
You can read the entire editorial here.
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9 comments:
It's so obvious to the parents AND the students that the board interference was wrong, but only Mr. Spitz was willing to admit that. Thousands of people see the problem, but 8 board members cannot. Perhaps the vocal minority might want to rethink their position and stop interfering.
Pig Farmers! LOL
See what type of kids we have in the high school, great minds with a wise sense of the world around them! I applaud the efforts of the editorial board of the Playwickian to create such a well thought out editorial. Maybe it's time for some of our school board members to learn from the young!
As far as the actions of our school board in overriding administration's pick for an AD candidate, this is prime example of why a Hiring Committee is a bad idea. Our school board in it's decision to override administration's pick succeeded in losing trust and tarnishing their image in the public eye. When something looks like a duck, walks like a duck and talks like a duck, most people assume(right or wrong) it just has to a duck!
It is a shame that it has come to this. I hope that the students tried to contact the board president to get the other side of the story. There sure seems to be a whole other side to this story that is not being told. Maybe we will hear that side soon. In the mean time let's not destroy the new AD's reputation. It is bad enough he has to work in this type of environment now. This is what happens in Neshaminy when something doesn't go the way people want it to, they just can't seem to let it go. Sounds to me like some adults are influencing the students!?
I thought this was a done deal months ago. Afterall, one of the candidates was introduced as the retiring AD's replacement back in September. How did that change after that announcement. Someone please bring me up to speed since this seemed to be over before the so called interviews even begun.
There was no official introduction of a replacement for Sheila Murphy prior to this. Apparently one of the candidates was introduced to a group of people at an extra curricular event as Ms. Murphy's successor, but that action was inappropriate and premature, and it was by no means official.
Didn't the person that runs the school paper apply for the AD job?
I don't know whether or not the faculty advisor applied for the AD position, but how does that mitigate the actions of the board? A majority of the Playwickian editorial board agreed on the subject and that is why the editorial was written. Instead of trying to find ways of justifying their actions, the board members involved should be acknowledging the public's concerns and vow not to vary from established best practices in hiring.
Someone wrote a letter to the editor saying how qualified the gentleman is that the board selected for the job. Some people just don't get it. The problem isn't if the guy was qualified, the problem is that the board ignored the recommendation of administrators who chose the most qualified candidate. With all the talk of declining enrollment and reducing expenses, can't we reduce the number of board members too? It may not save us money, but it will save us lots of headaches.
I think that the person who wrote this is extreamly brave and also, very right. The students have a right to express their opinions on things that directly effect them. The new athletic director, whether a good or bad choice, is something that will greatly effect the students of Neshaminy High School. The editorial isn't arguing that Mr. Mags shouldn't be the new A.D, just that it is unfair that the school board stepped in and made a decision that in no way should concern them. This concerns the staff and students at NHS, not the school board who, as far as I can tell, never show their faces to the student (with the exception of the meetings aired on the Neshaminy channel). I am not saying, however, that the administrators should have all the say in the hiring process, if the two groups can work together then this editorial would not have had to be written in the first place. The person/persons who wrote this email should be given a medal, not criticized. (this has been written from the perspective of a high school student who whole-heartedly supports the playwickian staff)
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