While it’s not my first choice to continue dialogue through letters to the editor, I do want to clarify and emphasize some important points in response to Cindy Buhner’s letter (Press, July 1) concerning the community member appointment to the Hildreth Elementary School Council. The HES School Council members recently discovered that their bylaws stipulate there should be two community representatives on the Council. Arranging for the outgoing interim principal to make a selection with only a few weeks left before her departure is not against the letter of the law, but in my view, it was not sound judgment, open process, or Best Practice.
This is not an issue of the qualifications of the appointee Ms. Buhner lauds or the quality of the job the interim principal performed, but rather of process. The way the appointment was done leaves a suggestion, correct or not, of a rushed, behind-the-scenes process, which does not inspire the trust of the school community.
Especially since the council is not in session until September, our new, long-term HES principal should have been afforded the opportunity to take the initiative and make that appointment after considering the best options and choosing among them in a well-communicated and open way.
Willie Wickman
Willow Road
