Newspaper receives anonymous statements

Mary Beth Sallee

Editor

Hart Co. News-Herald

 

In February, the Superintendent Screening Committee for the Hart County School District created a Superintendent Selection Survey, asking for the the community’s input in the decision-making process of selecting the school district’s next superintendent.

The survey, which was open to all Hart County Stakeholders, was guaranteed to keep participants anonymous. It contained multiple choice/ranking questions, as well as an open-ended question at the end of the survey of which stakeholders could openly share their thoughts and opinions, with the request that no specific names be used.

Recently, Hart County Board of Education Chairman Tyler Holthouser shared those results with the Hart County News-Herald.

According to the information received, there were 480 responses to the survey. Of the 480, 47.9% were parents, 35% were district employees, 12.7% were community members, and the remaining 4.4% were students.

The first question of the survey asked, “How important is the candidate’s ability to promote the academic achievement of all students across the district?” On a scale of 1 to 5 (5 being the most important), 84.2% of survey takers (404 people) chose a 5.

The second question of the survey asked, “How important is the candidate’s ability to recruit and retain staff?”  On a scale of 1 to 5, 79.6% (382 people) chose a 5.

The third question: “What aspect below is the most important to you when selecting a candidate. Choose Only ONE.” Trust received the highest number of votes with 54.6%, followed by Culture and Climate at 19.4%, and Innovation and Passion at 15.6%.

The fourth question: “Do you feel that a superintendent should visit classrooms periodically throughout the school year?” A total of 95% (456 people) voted yes, as compared to 5.4% (26) voting no.

The fifth question: “Choose the three most important aspects of leadership that should be the priority of our next Superintendent.” Communication ranked highest as voters’ first choice. Also being of great importance to survey takers were Instructional Leadership, Decision Making, and Budget/Financial Management.

The final question of the survey was an optional open-ended question: “What are the most important issues facing our school district right now that a candidate should be able to navigate?” A total of 292 responses were received. According to information provided, there were five overarching themes: Culture, Communication, Trust (1^st); Budget (2^nd); Instruction and Student Success (3^rd); Nepotism and Outside Perspective (4^th); and Middle School and Buildings (5^th).

No anonymous open-ended responses were originally shared with the Hart County News-Herald. However, the newspaper’s Managing Editor did receive three submitted responses that was shared with the newspaper anonymously. The Hart County News-Herald has shared portions of those three responses below.

 

Response One

“One of the biggest issues facing our district is nepotism at Central Office. The continued hiring of friends. and relatives has led to a decline in culture due to the CO staff highly favoring certain schools over others, which has led to a large divide in the ability for schools to trust Central Office employees. Since 2018, almost every high paying position has been given to a friend, a relative of a friend, or a connection to one school in the district. This includes the Assistant Superintendent, the Finance Director, the IT Director, and Supervisor of Instruction. New positions have also been created to get more of those individuals in the top paying jobs. The salaries of these individuals are well above the state average.”

Response Two

“I have been in this district for well over 25 years. I love Hart County students and staff. The administration in the Central Office were highly respected in the past – a valuable resource to call upon, whether for classroom support, professional development, or even collegial advice. In the past decade, during a national decline in funding for public education and mental stress on the rise, many variables have impacted our community. More than ever, our students come to us in need of nurturing. Now more than ever, our students need that caring bus driver, cook, secretary, janitor, aide, specialty area teacher, or traditional classroom teacher. I realize I have taken for granted the administration that we could depend on in the past who truly kept the staff and students in the forefront when making all decisions. Our district motto of “Where Students Come First” is a farce. #OneHart is a joke. The current reality is “Where Nepotism Comes First”, “Where Athletics Are Always Top Priority”, “Where Some Come First” (especially if you hail from a particular part of the county or have “good ole boy” connections).”

Response Three

“Our district, much like the nation at large, is going through a transitory phase. Many teachers are worried about the state of education in America, and our humble county is no different. Teachers are burdened with large class sizes and a plethora of extra responsibilities – with minimal support in place. “Support” being assistance inside the classroom and financial support for life outside of school. Our district model is outdated, as are MANY of the policies we have in place. We need a leader who will work in tandem with our Board of Education to bring our district forward into the modern era. This includes both the issue of brick and mortar and the classroom setting. Many of our buildings are old and cannot house student populations as they continue to rise. This only raises the strain on teachers, especially new teachers. On the subject of issues facing staff, many feel that our district leadership is out of touch with current classroom circumstances.”

The full responses from these anonymous submissions can be found in their entirety in photos with this article. Additionally, photos of the graphs from the multiple choice/ranking questions can also be found with this article.