The Valparaiso school corporation is run, in theory, by a board of five members. Four of these members are appointed by the city council and one by the township trustee. Rep. Ed Soliday (R) from Valparaiso was initially contacted by citizens wanting a change to the governance.
Some have suggested that the Superintendent is able to run the school system with little or no accountability by packing the board with "education" types who will toe the line. Others have suggested that appointments by definition allow very little accountability since they aren't elected and therefore feel no responsibility to the taxpayers directly.
Let's make this an open thread on Valpo Schools governance, what would you prefer? I'll hold my opinions back for commenting after we get the debate going. I know we have readers from a lot of different perspectives right now ... Ron Paul supporters, Libertarians, Conservatives, Republicans, and even some elected officials from both parties who read, but never comment for some reason.
Let's hear your perspective on Good Government for Valparaiso's schools, and for that matter, for all the schools in our region.
1 comment:
Here is the issue that I don't don't understand - if the board is appointed mostly by city (council and the mayor), wouldn't it be in their power to change the board if there are issues with it? Maybe its not in their interests to do so at the moment, but they can be pressured.
While in theory I support the accountability of elected officials, I would like to point out that the Valpo city schools still have an excellent reputation and attract people to the city. Our issues are minor compared to most districts, and I think they can be worked out with a few open meetings more often.
If it ain't broke - don't fix it!
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