"What is needed is openness..."

On March 16, the Durango Herald editorialized:

"...the board must look to how it and the district got to where they are. What is needed is openness and real public involvement..."

One month into the new order, we seem to be crashing into another iceberg. Underneath the surface is a narrative of 1500 comments we will never see, made by our neighbors - DHS students, parents, and teachers - discussing leadership at the high school, the district office and the school board level.

The superintendent, 9-R legal counsel and a committee of teachers have persuaded the board that some 70 pages of narrative comments should never reach the public. (read)

Real public involvement means we see ourselves as partners, working on the same page. That will never happen as long as we're viewed as the enemy. Someone or something keeps getting between us and mucking up the communications loop.

A strategic plan was approved a year ago that will take DHS from "Great to Greater." We know there are great things going on with faculty and students in many departments. We are proud of them, but we know there are also problems. Now it sounds like there may be "big problems." The official word seems to be "Trust us." Can we?