On Wednesday July 13th, 8 people individually sat down to be interviewed by board members, 3 of those interviewed were individuals that sought election to the BOE this past April but didn't receive enough votes, the remaining 5 were new comers to the process.
Of those 8 individuals interviewed, the one chosen was new comer Sue Griffin, who resides on Holland Drive and has been a regular at BOE meeting will be sworn in as a member of the Middletown Board of Education tomorrow night.
I received this information from Allan Burns, who was one of the 3 who sought election to the BOE this past April.
After Allan Burns learned of the selection of Ms. Griffin, he was a little disappointed to say the least, he expressed to me that he didn't have a problem with her appointment and welcome the choice, but questioned whether she had prior experience or ran for election to the BOE in the past. He felt that if she had never ran, shared her views or answered questions from the public, it was a problem.
I understand that the Board of Education had no obligation to chose one of the 3 individuals that ran for the BOE this past April. Their job was to find, in their opinion, the best qualified person to fill the vacant seat left by Bob Banta's resignation, but I happen to feel that it might have been better if they had chosen either Allan Burns or one of the other 2 individuals that had campaigned back in April for the position.
Burns and the others stood at numerous gatherings and forums answering questions about themselves and their views on education while being vetted by the residents of Middletown. I think that the residents had a right to be familiar with the person that ultimately would have been appointed to the BOE. Residents will not have that chance to vet Sue Griffin themselves until next year when she will have to run for reelection to the Board of Education herself.
I am thinking that one of the main reason why Sue Griffin was selected to fill the vacant seat on the board was simply familiarity.
Ms. Griffin being a regular at Board of Education meetings and often expressing her views and concerns to the board, which I suppose is a good thing, showed that if you're committee enough to attend meetings and express your views to those that sit in authority then you'll have a leg up on others when such openings come up.
I wish her well and hope that she can be a calming and somewhat influential force on the Board of Education. I hear from many people that the current make up of Middletown's BOE is dysfunctional and lacks experience to handle important issues within the Administration.
Personally I would know if that was true or not but if I hear from several others, there must be some truth in it.
4 comments:
I cannot claim to know Sue Griffin's stand on school issues. As you did mention she does regularly attend BOE meetings. She also was an active member of the Facilities Ad Hoc Committee. FOr these reasons alone shows me she is both a concerned and informed tax payer. I also believe her to be a level headed women.
This year a number of people ran for the BOE, but that does not mean that they were truly qualified. I believe the board has made a good decision. Now it is time for the board to get moving with finding our district a new superintendent...a new leader.
Just a little side note: Let's all keep in mind that this is truly a thankless job. BOE members spends many hours away from their families to often be screamed at by the members of the community. The best part is this is all volunteer with NO PAY. Personally I think they should be paid a minimal salary similar to the Town Committee ($5,000). What would $45,000 mean on a budget of $145 million...still less than 1 teacher.
Sue appears to be another concerned citizen in Middletown. She is taking an active role in the education of the children. Hopefully she will bring some business sense to the BOE.
Her appointment was not the right thing for our community, attending board meetings is not the only qualification one should be voted on. She needs to answer questions from the public and let the public decide on her qualifications. There was an election is April that she should have run for to me this was a political alley for the board president, that I am begging to believe is not the best choice for our schools and kids. Look at the history the last couple years. When things get tough we need true leadership. If you guys want to talk about experience then Donnelly should have been hired and I run a business doubled in size in production in a bad economy. Just because Sue attends meetings doesn’t make her qualified. This is just plain wrong and doesn’t have the people's best interest in mind, It has the boards and it’s agenda.
Her appointment was not the right thing for our community, attending board meetings is not the only qualification one should be voted on. She needs to answer questions from the public and let the public decide on her qualifications. There was an election is April that she should have run for to me this was a political alley for the board president, that I am begging to believe is not the best choice for our schools and kids. Look at the history the last couple years. When things get tough we need true leadership. If you guys want to talk about experience then Donnelly should have been hired and I run a business doubled in size in production in a bad economy. Just because Sue attends meetings doesn’t make her qualified. This is just plain wrong and doesn’t have the people's best interest in mind, It has the boards and it’s agenda.
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