"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?

Public relationships

The Durango Herald reported Sunday that the 9-R School Board will "meet with the public Tuesday night as a first step toward fulfilling the board's promise to increase its leadership role in the community."

On 3/16 the Herald wrote a thoughtful opinion piece called "Barter and 9-R"

"...the board must look to how it and the district got to where they are. What is needed is openness and real public involvement, which to its credit the board seems to recognize. Tuesday it said, "The board anticipates significantly increased interaction among the board and building staffs, the central office and the public."

Will Board interactions look and feel different? Will new options for talking replace the adversarial public hearing format? Will recent and/or long standing concerns currently labelled "case closed" be revisited? Being told an issue "has been resolved" - when, in fact, it persists in important concrete ways that would benefit from open discussion - has been a big part of how we got to where we are. And 9-R's interpretations of Policy Governance haven't helped.

This is a board with a lot on its plate. No doubt they will appreciate positive and strong support for this big transition. Restoring trust should be an overarching theme as they move forward. And a first step will be to see a change in the way public input is valued. Try to make their meeting tomorrow at 5 p.m. and see what they have in mind.

Cautious optimism: too soon to celebrate?

What is the best way for our community to move forward given 9-R's
recent trials?

Why not celebrate the promise and the hope for big change in Durango schools' public-board-district relations? If the board follows through with its statement of Tuesday night, everyone gets something. The district gets to keep the experience of Mary Barter and the public gets what it has wanted for so long: a responsive school board that puts the public back in public education -- with a pledge to develop a process that ensures community concerns will not be buried or spun, but acknowledged and addressed.

These were the reasons why Durango School Talk was created. Meaningful public participation and increased accountability.

Mistrust may linger, but the board went through a grueling process to reach this decision. We stand behind them and support them 100% as they take their first steps into a new era of collaboration, accountability and outreach.

And, everyone gets what they asked for, while saving taxpayers $218,000.

Mary Barter to complete her contract

A stunning decision was delivered tonight by 9-R Board President Floyd Patterson. Superintendent Mary Barter will finish her contract, not wrapping up her stay with Durango Schools until June of 2008. This came after a week of turmoil, in which former president Mike Matheson resigned in protest, accusing his former colleagues of collusion in a plot to fire the superintendent.

Mr. Patterson assured those in the large audience that big changes will be put in place. He stated that Board members understand that serious problems have been allowed to develop, particularly in the District's approach to communications and community relationships. A full review of Policy Governance will be underway for the Board. Many in the crowd said that that can not come too soon.

A very civil evening followed the announcement as the board encouraged citizens to stay involved. There may never have been a more important time for this community to come together for its children, and board members pledged their dedication to developing new procedures for reaching out to the public.

Stay tuned.

9-R Climate Survey - Just the Facts, Ma'am!

Observing the February 9R Board Worksession

--- by Walter Venable>

As a concerned parent, I attended the public portion of the school board worksession of February 12th. I was very interested to observe the discussion of the results of a recent climate survey of DHS students, teachers, staff, and parents that rated various aspects of 9R performance. The board members were brainstorming how to publicly present the survey results. Mary Barter was present at the meeting, and she proposed an obscure method of presenting the survey results that was extremely misleading and in fact threw away most of the data collected, especially negative viewpoints.

The full article (click here to read it now) presents my observations in detail. It describes in plain language exactly how Mary Barter proposed to spin the survey data, and in fact has used the same techniques to misrepresent past information to the public. It also shows how the same data could be presented clearly and accurately without throwing any of it away. I hope you will read the article and post your own viewpoints here on the blog. I would be very interested to read your feedback and your opinions.

Anonymity

The purpose of the blog is to get all the ideas and concerns on the table, out in the open, for discussion and dialogue. We understand legitimate fears of retaliation can exist, particularly under circumstances that prompted the creation of this blog. However, your credibility and ours depend on genuinely open and honest exchanges. When we make comments, we use our full names and encourage others to do so and to follow some basic guidelines for civil discourse.

For thoughtful commentary: The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) believes that bloggers have the right to stay anonymous, citing the need for privacy and protection from workplace retaliation. "We're continuing our battle to protect and preserve your constitutional right to anonymous speech online, including providing a legal guide to help you with strategies for keeping your identity private when you blog. See How to Blog Safely (About Work or Anything Else)."

NOTE: Sorry if anyone had difficulty posting today. A "Moderate Comments" function was accidently switched on while exploring ways to ensure the civility level continues. So far so good; and please try again if you wished to leave a comment!

After stressful days, board to meet Monday 5 pm

On Wednesday, March 7th, Mike Matheson resigned from Durango's 9-R School Board after formally accusing five of his colleagues of illegal actions.

9-R board president Matheson resigns
Members deny allegations of illegal meetings

According to Durango Herald, "Superintendent Mary Barter's job hung in the balance Wednesday"
Barter: ‘It appears I may leave’


Today, the Durango Herald published board member responses.
School Board members deny illegal actions