As an experienced educator, a former school board candidate, a parent of FCPS graduates, and a taxpayer who fully supports public education, I can no longer remain silent about this recent budget crisis in our school system.I am hoping to offer a new perspective and voice of reason as we move forward from this controversy regarding the budget. My major point to make is that there is plenty of blame to be shared between the school board, the superintendent (key district staff), and the Lexington community. Getting a new superintendent is not going to solve the real problem, which is that we all must be engaged and supportive of public education.
The school board members are elected officials who are responsible for making most of the big decisions for the district. They adopt the budget, levy the taxes, manage all the funds, and hire/evaluate the superintendent. Any complaints about the finances and the specifics of the superintendent contract should be pointed towards them. Board members attend training, but three of them have a lot of experience serving on the Board (Chair has served eight years, Vice Chair has served for five years, and another member who has served for 13 years). Not to mention, the Board has an attorney dedicated to supporting them in making sound decisions. We seem to have a school board that votes on a split 3-2 on most issues and doesn’t seem to trust each other. School boards need to work more like a partnership to make the best decisions on behalf of all its students.
The Superintendent is the top employee of the district and is responsible for its day-to-day operation. He is responsible for hiring key district-wide staff, as found in a 65-page Organizational Chart on the district website. It shows that the Superintendent’s direct reports include the Chief of Staff, Deputy Superintendent, Assistant Superintendent, and Chief Legal Officer. Specific to this issue, it seems the Deputy Superintendent is the top leader responsible for the budget and finance…