In a story in The Dallas Morning News, Jeffrey Weiss reports that "Richardson schools superintendent David Simmons resigned late Monday in what one board member called a difference in philosophy."
There's certainly nothing wrong with the board wanting to see improvements in areas other than TAKS scores, including more National Merit scholars, higher SAT scores and more participation in vocational classes. In fact, there's a lot to like in that. Why the board doesn't consider David Simmons to be the right superintendent to carry progress into those areas is probably a matter we'll never know. In any case, he should be commended for preserving the legacy of quality education in the RISD. Everyone ought to wish him well in his future endeavors.
4 comments:
Kim Quirk says she will keep the RISD employees updated with their progress. What we deserve to know is WHY the board thinks David Simmons is not the man to lead us into the 21st century! Don't give us buzz words about philosophy differences. Give us the facts. The school year is about to begin and we have lost our leader. How is this okay? Convocation is two weeks away. We'll be waiting for answers. What better place to give everyone the same information. David Simmons was very popular among teachers. Patti Kieker will do a fine job in the meantime, but here we go again, spending another $100,000.00 to search for a new superintendent. I can think of one hundred thousand better ways to spend that money. I wish David Simmons and his family the very best. Dr. Simmons, there are far better places to work than the RISD. Disheartened
I can understand the desire of RISD employees to know more, but do recognize that this is a personnel issue. Despite the disruption to RISD operations (which the board was well aware of before accepting the superintendent's resignation), there are good reasons why the board might decide not to say any more. Legal reasons, policy reasons, common courtesy to the ex-employee.
I believe Dr. Simmons was let go for the reason given by the Board-too much focus on TAKS performance and achieving an "exemplary" rating. However, this focus predates Dr. Simmons tenure. It probably won't change any time soon. A score on a multiple choice test given once a year is hardly an adequate measure of mastery of a subject, let alone of a well-rounded education.
Annie240
Annie240, I'm inclined to accept the school board at their word. All of the communications from the school board have been consistent with the original story published by the DMN:
"'The board is ready to move beyond what the legislature measures for success,' Quirk said. Which means: For the board, the TAKS isn't nearly enough. Members want to see improvements in SAT scores and numbers of National Merit scholars, Quirk said. They want to see greater participation in the vocational classes. And they think that a different superintendent can get them there."
Something lost in the unseemly hunt for something more to this story is what I consider an enlightened attitude by the Richardson school board that TAKS is not the be-all and end-all of education. That attitude was expressed from day one of this story, but it's been all but overlooked since. It's that attitude that I believe makes RISD a leading school district in Texas.
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