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Concern about Fort Frye school district decision-making

I have been following a concerning situation in the Fort Frye School District in which four exceptional and experienced teachers are being non-renewed to hire new and inexperienced teachers, apparently not due to performance issues but for other considerations that have not been communicated to the public. I have been hesitant to get involved in a large and growing community advocacy group that is aiming to change the direction of this decision, mainly because I am not a taxpayer in the district, nor do I have kids in it. However, as an alumnus, I wanted to share my support for the teachers while giving the Fort Frye administration an outsider’s perspective on how the situation appears to have been handled.

To the affected teachers: Based on my experience with some of you and from what I’ve heard about the others, you all are awesome and I hope that you get picked up by a neighboring district, because each of you would be a home run hire for districts looking to add experienced, caring and dedicated teachers who would have immediate positive impact on district learning outcomes and test scores. It is safe to say that I would not be where I am today in a STEM field without the excellent math instruction that I received from Mr. Sleek in middle school and high school. Based on the responses that I have seen to an online petition about this issue, my story is one of 1000’s of former students, many of whom have successful careers in STEM fields (as scientists, engineers, computer programmers, etc.), as teachers, and in other lines of work. I was also fortunate to have been taught and coached by Mr. Bostic in junior high – nothing but good things to say about him. I never had Ms. Scott and Mrs. Allen-Bidwell, but they are undoubtedly wonderful teachers. On top of that, the Bidwell family have been some of the most ardent and dedicated supporters of the Fort Frye district going back to the 1980’s when they first arrived.

To the Fort Frye district administration: In my work on coastal environmental issues, I deal extensively with large and vocal stakeholder groups representing a lot of different economic and social backgrounds. One of the most important lessons that I’ve learned is that people are generally willing to accept rational decisions that may not always go their way, but they have to be brought along by decision-makers through open and honest communication. From the information that has been shared about this situation and from the extensive amount of speculation that is floating around online, it is obvious that the rationale for this decision hasn’t been clearly communicated to the public. On top of that, it appears that the administration has doubled down by shutting down discussion at board meetings and in online platforms affiliated with the district. I would encourage the superintendent and board to take a step back, put egos aside, and engage with the community in a meaningful manner on this issue – stand by your decision publicly if you truly believe that whatever data analysis you’ve done shows that this is the right stance! Don’t hide behind contrived rules at board meetings that limit public engagement, or the “disable” button on Facebook comments! I’ve had to eat crow plenty of times over the years and its never fun, but its what mature and above-board leaders have to do. Just some friendly advice, and of course advice is worth what you pay for it. But the community that has elected the board (and by virtue of that, the superintendent, who serves at the board’s pleasure) deserves to hear why four experienced and respected teachers are being non-renewed and how that decision coupled with the hiring of four inexperienced teachers will help the kids in this district. From the outside, it’s difficult to understand how this is a net positive for learning outcomes in the district. And on top of that, to cast aside teachers who have been loyal and dedicated supporters of the district for what I am estimating to be a combined 140+ years – I can’t help but think that this sends a message to other dedicated employees of the district that they are disposable.

In closing, teachers with this level of talent and experience don’t come around very often anymore, and I encourage the Fort Frye board and administration to reconsider their decision to non-renew the teachers. Cheaper isn’t always better, and the old adage “You get what you pay for” is probably in play here. If the administration chooses to move forward, at least be above-board about the analysis that you’ve done to convince yourself that this is the right decision, and have an honest conversation with the students, parents, alumni, and taxpayers of the district.

Thank you for your consideration.

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