As of mid-day today, the No On Barber Campaign has delivered a letter to the Board of Trustees regarding the proposal tonight to extend Dr. Barber’s contract an additional year.
Since delivery, Poll Responses have continued to come in on the matter, many with comments regarding the respondents’ specific opposition to this “automatic” extension of such a lucrative contract. The vast majority of responses have taken a balanced, even approach– very measured in recommending that the Trustees simply “Wait and See” what happens with the District’s copious problems and whether performance improves. This seems prudent given the issues the District faces. If the contract warrants being extended, there remains a full two years within which to do so.
Some responses have talked in specifics about test score trends and academic achievement. Some have mentioned hiring and retention policies, including preferences made during hiring. Many notes have talked about the obvious “elephant in the room” regarding business management of the McKinstry debacle. That no matter how the lawsuit resolves, one thing is crystal clear: the District committed somewhere between $18 Million and $26 Million of our tax dollars to “something” without a clear understanding of whether there was even a contract in place. No matter how the suit shakes out, it seems like reckless behavior to place such a large amount of tax dollars at risk without a complete contract. From a business oversight perspective alone, this seems like a basis to withhold a contract extension for the “CEO”.
By the end of the year, we’ll know much more about lawsuits and test scores and outcomes for kids. Until then, the community is speaking with no ambiguity: “Don’t extend the contract until we know more”.
Parents of Blaine County Students 