Public must be part of school process

Published 12:28 am Friday, February 11, 2011

Few — if any — jobs in town are more difficult than superintendent of schools.

The man or woman at the helm literally holds the future of the community, region and even state in their two hands.

Superintendents in Adams County are not elected, but do have to prove themselves monthly to a board of citizens who are appointed by elected officials. Politics is always at play.

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It’s never good news when a school board opts to make a change at the helm, regardless of the details.

For the Natchez-Adams School District, the next two months to two years are going to be tough.

The school board voted last month not to renew Superintendent Anthony Morris’ contract.

Board members have yet to share details of why they made this choice, and without more explanation taxpayers and parents will not know if the choice was the right one or not.

Morris will have a chance to make his case soon, and the board could change its mind.

The process is likely going to be a bumpy one, either way.

If Morris truly is out, the difficult work begins in earnest.

Attracting a top-quality superintendent to a district which now has a reputation of sending the top man packing and cutting his budget isn’t going to be easy. That public support for the schools is slim will make the task even more difficult.

Until someone enlightens the public on the reasons behind this move, we’ll only be able to wait and worry.

Finding the right person to lead the school district will be tough, but it’s critical that the public be informed and included as part of the process.