School Board members respond to key questions | Opinion | Lee's Summit Journal

School Board members respond to key questions | Opinion | Lee's Summit Journal



I asked each board member two questions (prior to McGehee dialing back his statements) recently: Do they support McGehee’s call for Baird to resign; and, could the media attention lead to better dialogue between board members, administration and the community? All but one member responded, and a portion of some of the answers appears on Page 5A.
In addition, Balagna added: “In the time I have been on the R7 School Board, we have consistently had positive, analytical and forward-thinking dialogue. In light of recent events, our dialogue has become deeper, and has forced us to evaluate the scope of our work further.”
Bob White replied “No, not at this time” to the question of McGehee’s call for Baird to resign, and Julie Doane replied “No,” as well. On the question of media attention, White replied, “not necessarily,” while Doane answered in the affirmative.
Board President Terri Harmon had this to say about the call for a resignation: “Dr. McGehee has retracted that call and I support his efforts to ask Mr. Baird to begin working in good faith again with the entire board as we had been before his actions of last week.” On the media attention, she shared this: “I do not believe that the media attention has been beneficial. As a board, we were well on our way to addressing concerns that were raised using established processes and procedures. There is a large amount of information that has been presented to the public as facts that is actually opinion.”
Bill Baird had this to say: “Dr. McGehee’s call for my resignation is the very embodiment of our issues at the school board and our district.”
On the media, he said this: “I do believe the media, though it was negative, will lead to better dialogue in the community. The very people that have built this community and made the school district the great entity it is today had to be upset at what they were reading. I went to the media because I needed the help of these people, the stakeholders of our community.”
Chris Storms noted it wasn’t right for either to call for the other’s resignation: “I believe it will be years before the opinions that have been wrongly formed will be able to be repaired.”

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Missouri Schools - The Washington Post

Missouri Schools - The Washington Post Some schools brag about their high passing rates on AP or IB, meaning the percentage of test-takers who scored 3, 4 or 5 on the 5-point AP exam or 4, 5, 6 or 7 on the 7-point IB exam. Passing scores make students eligible for credit at many colleges and universities. I decided not to count passing rates in this way because I found that many high schools kept those rates artificially high by allowing only top students to take the courses. AP, IB and AICE are important because they give average students a chance to experience the trauma of heavy college reading lists and long, analytical college examinations. Research has found that even low-performing students who got a 2 on an AP test did significantly better in college than similar students who did not take AP. On the list, we also give readers a sense of how well each school’s students are doing on the tests by posting the Equity and Excellence rate, which is the percentage of all graduating s
Read more

My Letter Requesting To Become A Board Member

Sherri R. Tucker 1200 SE London Way Lee’s Summit, MO   64081 816-554-3017 autism@kc.rr.com Lee’s Summit R-7 School District C/o Linda Ismert, Board Secretary Stansberry Leadership Center 301 NE Tudor Road Lee’s Summit, MO   64086 Ms Ismert I would like to submit my name for the position on the Lee’s Summit R-7 School Board.   As you know, I have expressed an interest in being on the school board in the past.   On my first attempt I only lost by 2% which would indicate that the voters have an interest in me being on the board as well.   I would think that the voters’ wishes would be taken into consideration. I have a strong relationship with many of the districts’ families and I can help to bridge the gap between them and the district.   I understand the commitment to the time and energy required each week for meetings, phone calls, conversations, visits to schools, and professional development seminars and workshops.   I already do that with the families that I work with and can c
Read more

School Board Candidates

I am attempting to find information on the school board candidates.  It has been much easier in the past.  This year it has been more difficult.  Susan D. Coffman Susan Coffman has served as the Outreach Program Coordinator and Finance Officer for Lee’s Summit CARES since 2008. She has been a mayor-appointed representative to the Human Services Advisory Board, facilitated alcohol retailer trainings, organized the annual Holly Festival with the DARE program, managed bookkeeping and accounting, and served as the community liaison between LS CARES and local business, universities and the cities.  Coffman’s financial background includes work as a customer support specialist at Jack Henry & Associates Inc. for 11 years and assistant vice president and customer support specialist at Merchants Bank for 17 years.  Her community activities include serving on the Human Services Advisory Board, Paradise Park Advisory Board, Lee’s Summit Social Services Board, former treasurer of Rotary C
Read more