Seattle Schools Community Forum: The Value of Experience

Seattle Schools Community Forum: The Value of Experience:

The Value of Experience

Odd as it seems, most school board candidates have little or no direct knowledge of the District prior to their election. Most of them never went to Board meetings before filing for their candidacy. Most do not follow the board of the district closely. They are unfamiliar with the schools, the programs, the departments in the central administration, the current issues, and the history of how we arrived at our current status. Consequently, they spend their first couple of years just learning who people are and how things work. During this period, when they don't know much of anything about the district, they are not only ineffective, they actually cause damage.

They are ineffective because they don't know what was promised in previous years, so they don't know to hold the superintendent and staff accountable for fulfilling those promises. Of course, even the continuing Board members have shown that they have no interest in holding the superintendent and staff