Elsie must go!
"Montana's largest schools have sent a letter to Office of Public Instruction (OPI) Superintendent Elsie Arntzen expressing their frustration and lack of confidence.
The letter dated Dec. 6 was signed by the superintendents of every AA Montana school which represents around 45 percent of the state's enrolled students, almost 54,000 students in total.
"We write to express our disappointment in your leadership as our state's chief public education officer," the letter reads.
"Indeed, for the reasons described in this letter, we express no confidence in your performance as Montana's chief public education officer."
The letter was signed by the following superintendents: Greg Upham (Billings); Godfrey Saunders (Belgrade); Casey Bertram (Bozeman); Thomas Moore (Great Falls); Rob Watson (Missoula); Judy Jonart (Butte);, Mica Hill (Kalispell); and Rex Weltz (Helena).
Specifically, the top educators point to understaffing of critical OPI departments, undermining local school authority, a backlog of unlicensed teachers waiting for OPI approval, a lack of updated content standards, schools losing grants due to OPI missing deadlines and a general lack of support school districts have been receiving during Arntzen's tenure.
The superintendents note the OPI turnover rate of around 90 percent has left the agency with absences in critical areas.
"While we understand the mantra of 'cutting the fat out of government,' the steps you have taken effectively left no muscle in our state's education agency. To continue with that metaphor, you are permitting - indeed, encouraging - OPI to bleed to death," the superintendents wrote.
The AA school districts also voiced their frustration with Arntzen's actions that seemed to undermine school districts, or inaccurately represent their intentions.
"To be clear, our concerns are not related to your politics, but rather your leadership (or lack thereof)," noted the superintendents in their letter.
The superintendents also took issue with Arntzen's recent appearances at parental rights rallies and her messaging on school COVID-19 protocols, which include her advocacy for a rule change that would allow parents to "opt out" of local school policies. They characterized such messaging as having "undermined the role and responsibilities" of locally elected school officials.
"Your conduct destabilizes the credibility of our local schools, the same ones you are elected to represent and help and on whose behalf you are supposed to advocate," the superintendents wrote.
- Sakar Lassen, Montana Fee Press
While the concerns of the superintendent may not be related to Elsie's politics, it is common knowledge around the state that Elsie is not a friend of our public school system. She and her like-minded governor are firm believers in the Republican concept of placing as many kids and as much tax money into charter and private schools as possible. If they teach religion - their kind of religion - even better!
If you dial up Wikipedia to review Elsie's biography, you will find she is better known as a politician than as an educator. She spent time in the Montana Legislature as a Republican, has a net worth of $1 million to $5 million, and you will not find one word of her time as a teacher.
The plan is clear - Elsie must leave. . . before she completely dismantles the Montana Office of Public Instruction!
No comments:
Post a Comment