Don't Just Do Something, Stand There!

Here is what I had planned on saying to the Lowell School Committee last night.

Picking a New Superintendent

Looking to the future and the hiring of a new Superintendent, the first thing the School Committee owes the Parents of our Students, and the Voters (and taxpayers) of Lowell, is a solid appraisal of where our students stand, both in terms of standardized tests and in terms of critical thinking and creativity.  Not generalities, but hard data.

Then we can ask ourselves if our students are (1) world class, ready for the 21st Century; or (2) doing quite well by Commonwealth standards, and while not destined to be leaders in the 21st Century as least prepared to succeed; or (3) falling behind others and destined to struggle for jobs throughout their lifetimes.

If the first, then we need someone as School Superintendent who will maintain our situation without driving up the cost of education to the point we can't afford to continue our current success.

If the second, then we need someone as School Superintendent who can tweak the system and bring it up to the point where our students will be ready to go forth and discover, lead and produce with the best of them.

If the third, then we need a School Superintendent who will come in and further empower our teachers, parents and students.  Someone to give us a new approach to education, an approach that will, without bankrupting the City and the rate payers, start moving our students toward what they are capable of.

Three different situations; three different Superintendents.

With that assessment in hand the School Committee can then go forward and hire the School Superintendent we need and deserve.

Thank You.

I didn't get to give that short synopsis of my views on this subject.  Things were flowing the wrong way.  I did mail it off to all the members of the School Committee.

Regards  —  Cliff