Our view: Let Pruitt lead Gary schools
September 17, 2012 2:46PM
THE FIRST AMENDMENT
Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.
Updated: October 19, 2012 6:06AM
The Gary School Board has taken a deserved beat-down from angry parents over the deplorable state of school bus transportation. Some students have encountered daily obstacles, just trying to get to school when the bus doesn’t show up. That’s not what a school district with a high dropout problem needs. The transportation uncertainty adds another layer of instability to young lives already at risk of leaving school without a diploma.
But one month after school has started, seeing a bus at the right bus stop is still a crapshoot. School buses have been so unreliable, many parents have given up and are taking their children to school. One parent, who calls herself a “bus-stitute,” takes stranded children in her car to school.
Other districts in budget distress manage to get children to and from school. Not in Gary, where even the most basic tasks, like transportation and scheduling classes for students, seem insurmountable challenges.
The one constant in all the dysfunction is the School Board. It waited until June to hire a new superintendent. It set new software programs in motion despite personnel changes, then looked surprised at the mess that followed.
Board members excel at pointing fingers at everyone but themselves. Managing a school district that faces massive budget cuts and staggering academic deficiencies is clearly a job this board can’t handle. It’s a tough job that takes an unerring commitment to the welfare of students before anything else. Superintendent Cheryl Pruitt has a solid improvement plan.
The board should just get out of the way.
