Logical Criteria and Avoiding Mistakes of the Past

It would be absolutely SHAMEFUL if some of our board members were to make or even consider, in haste, any moves regarding the filling of district leadership positions!

They would be wise to slow their collective and perhaps fragmented roll, THINK carefully and cautiously, and do away with any decisions rooted in political gamesmanship.  There is NO WAY our students can afford more corruption after the past several years of mismanagement and embarassing headlines. There needs to be integrity in our selections and in the day to day operations as commanded by our top administrators, and all others!

Bringing back--possibly out of some twisted sympathetic sentimentality (i.e. a Gallon victim, although by some accounts abusive herself prior to his arrival) or promoting without adherence to some comprehensive selection criteria any personnel , would be ludicrous.  Did they HEAR the manner in which certain previous administrator(s) along with former BOE member BR and current BOE member PB, used to belittle, berate and otherwise harshly disrespect members of the public after many of them spoke during board meetings?

The BOE would do well to hold discussions and even conduct interviews of potential--or even returning--district personnel first in order to ascertain the likelihood that our school system would rise to greatness or even adequacy, especially given the "Race To The Top" requirements that may be handed down, soon.  Do we REALLY want that much control over teachers' and students' futures to be in the hands of those that several BOE members refused to vote in or demonstrate confidence in? 

We need principled leadership and tried and true professionals with professional experience, wisdom, integrity, decorum, dignity, and an unwavering dedication to honesty, fairness, truthfulness, and competent command of competent educators!

IF, by some miracle, the individuals now being slated for these high positions are "The Ones," then so be it and we are all for the Miraculous revelation, but we pray the PBOE members will VERY carefully and "TRANSPARENTLY" arrive at the vital decisions, with input from the entire community.

In this "New Day" of Plainfield education, as promised in part by our brand new and re-elected BOE members, all decisions absolutely MUST be preceded by use of some fair and logical criterion.  Anything less would be a slap in the face to those that supported their candidacies and their stated mission(s) as public EDUCATIONAL servants.

We must ALL be welcomed as contributors during the selection process, lest we face the prospect that we shall be doomed to repeat a recent sad page in our district's history. 

We submit that Plainfielders are NOT blind followers of some fraternal sect that eats its young for ritualitic sacrifice...and so we should NOT ACT like it.

Our Plainfield Board of education members are urged to very closely examine our options and call upon all qualified leaders to consider rising to the call to glory, rather than engage in simple ascent up the ladders of personal pursuit.