Letters to the Editor

Plummer area roads new work

To the Editor:

County Road 150 South in Plummer isn't an Interstate, but it is a very good, new, blacktop road. It runs past the Matt Ubelhor family home. Other roads in the Plummer area could use the same treatment.

Tom S. Oliphant

Bloomfield, IN

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School board members need to revisit code of ethics

To the Editor,

I feel many citizens of Eastern Greene may be unaware of how some members the Eastern Greene school board are assuming roles that are out of their responsibilities as board members. While parents of school children need to have an avenue to express their concerns, there is a "chain of command" to follow, and board members should be the first to advise patrons to first contact someone on staff at school to solve a problem. Folks also need to be reminded that when they don't like a coaches or teachers rules or practices, it doesn't mean that teacher or coach are breaking rules or doing anything erroneous.

All the board members should be familiar with and abide by a code of ethics set forth by the Indiana School Boards Association of which EG schools is a member. The code of ethics can be found at the following URL: http://www.isba-ind.org/html/CODEthic.pdf

Below are a few of the ethics the EG school board struggles with.

A school board member should honor the high responsibility the membership demands: By understanding that the basic function of the school board member is policy-making and not administrative, and by accepting the responsibly of learning to distinguish between these two functions.

If our board was following the code, we wouldn't be concerned about a member of the faculty receiving an ultimatum from the board, not their supervisor just a few weeks ago.

A school board member should honor the high responsibility the membership demands: By accepting the responsibility of becoming well-informed concerning the duties of board members, and the proper function of public schools.

If our board was following the code, employees across the corporation wouldn't feel as if they were being micromanaged and we would still have one the best custodial supervisors this school has ever seen.

A school board member should maintain desirable relations with the superintendent of schools and other employees: By respecting proper communication channel, referring all complaints to the proper administrative office and considering them only after failure of an administrative solution.

A school board should encourage the public and school patrons to follow the chain of command in dealing with issues at school. A school board should stay out of the way of day to day dealings in the school corporation this board doesn't abide by this. This board has developed a habit of operating outside it's sphere of influence.

A school board member should maintain desirable relations with the superintendent of schools and other employees: By presenting criticisms of an employee directly to the superintendent.

If a board member does this, and doesn't feel like proper discipline or corrective action was taken, perhaps it is because after investigation into the matter, no action was necessary. Our administrative team needs to be allowed to lead.

A school board member should honor the high responsibility the membership demands: By thinking always in terms of children first.

If the board did this, I believe we would have seen our school board members present at the graduation ceremonies for the Eastern Greene class of 2013.

We are headed down a slippery slope if we, the public continue to allow the tail to wag the dog here at Eastern Greene Schools.

To the board members wanting to act as building leaders or superintendent, I encourage you to invest in yourself and pursue an advanced degree in education administration and therefore be qualified to be employed as a school administrator.

Jacqueline Whaley

Eastern Greene County