Open Letter to the School Board
April 30, 2010
by Ellis Lesser
Open letter to the School Board:
To the Members of the Board of Education:
I also attended last week’s meeting with Charles Fowler at Greeley. I am writing to state that I share the same opinions as others who have sent letters to both you and NewCastleNOW.org regarding the direction that the Board has been taking in terms of finding a new school superintendent. The Board’s apparent process of not seeking to search nationwide and, indeed, to only search within the school district itself is pennywise and pound-foolish.
Three points are paramount.
First, Chappaqua has one of the top school districts in the state, if not the country. The goal of the School Board should be to perpetuate this excellence. Our children and schools deserve the “best” superintendent that can be found, and that can only be accomplished by a serious and nationwide search.
I do not buy into the argument that no one would want to move across the country to be a superintendent in Chappaqua, New York; we do not know until we try. Certainly there are fine and accomplished superintendents in districts all across the country that would want the opportunity to “move up” to a district of Chappaqua’s stature.
Nor do I agree with the argument that no one can afford to move here to be a superintendent. Chappaqua has a wide range of housing and no would be forced to live in New Castle. They would just have to work here. Finally, we have just lost a superintendent to a school district in Massachusetts. There could be someone in Massachusetts who might wish to move to Westchester. We won’t know unless we try.
An interim superintendent from outside the district could excite and motivate our teachers
Second, we need to hire an outside, preferably retired, interim superintendent to lead our district so that we can take the time needed to complete a thorough search. I worry that if we select an interim from within, members of the Board may take the easy way out and search no further. We need a fresh face that is going to excite our teachers and motivate them.
Finally, the search team itself should be expanded. In addition to the Board members, school personnel and PTA chairs should be involved to provide additional viewpoints and experiences. The process should not be insular. As taxpayers in this town, we deserve a nationwide search, an interim superintendent who is not from our district and more people involved in the selection of our next superintendent. The cost of a proper and thorough search is small compared to the benefits and values we will gain from it.
Sincerely,
Ellis Lesser, parent of four children in the Chappaqua School system
Copyright 2012 NewCastleNOW.org