Duval County Public Schools lack courage

In an editorial about disgraced ex principal George Maxie the Times Union wondered why nobody from the district showed up at a community meeting to discuss the situation. The editor wrote, If someone had been at that meeting, if only to speak about what must be done to make progress, it would have earned appreciation for courage, at least.

In one sentence the editor summed up two of the districts biggest problems, our leaders want to keep people in the dark and they lack the courage to do what is right.

In recent days the district defended the indefinsible grade recovery program and cellebrated an mprovement in the graduation rate that they have to know is a sham. They are counting on the public remaining in the dark trusting what they say and that’s because they district is all about appearances and doesn't have the courage to do what is right.

Instead of being honest and saying, hey we’re in trouble, we need all hands on deck, they prefer to sit back and say, hey look at us we are a B district and can we get a few mentors please. Instead of failing or punishing kids when they deserve it, they say look our graduation rates are up and our referrals are down. Talk to a teacher in a neighborhood high school or middle school, talk to an elementary teacher on the north or west sides of town, they will let you know about the direction they feel the district is heading in.

One of Chairwomen Betty Burney’s three goals for the year is to improve teacher moral. Well why do you think moral is so low? I will tell you, among other things it’s because education is being perverted as we teach to the test, discipline is worse than ever and teachers are cajoled and brow beaten into doing things they know are wrong, passing kids without the skills they need along.

Jacksonville deserves and administration that is honest, that lets us know what is really going on, we’re in trouble, and we need help and then goes about doing things the right way, having rigorous and disciplined classes, multiple pathways to graduation and offering support too, not casting blaming on, our teachers, even if it is the hard thing to do.