Let the Campaign Season Begin

by: Bill Liblick

The saga of the Sullivan West School District seems to never end. With all the fighting and disruptions on the school board, one really has to begin to wonder if everyone forgot about the children and their duty to properly educate them.   

Word that three administrators are leaving, the school board president has resigned, another board member will be resigning, and three newly elected board members will be taking office in July is devastating to say the least.

At this point, rehashing the past history of Sullivan West would be unproductive.

One really has to wonder why everyone cannot begin to get along and work together for the common good. Is there so much anger and hatred amongst all the players that there will never be peace in the school district?

The big problem for the current school board will be to decide if there will be a special election to fill the two new vacant seats, or if they will appoint people. There must be an election. Residents must have a voice in deciding who will represent them on the school board. The decision to hold a special election should be unanimous. But, with all the inner fighting, it would be shocking if they all agreed.

Realistically, people who live in the Sullivan West School District are not happy.

Assistant Superintendent for Business Bob Miller admitted at a recent meeting that he was leaving to go to “a more stable district.”

The fact is people are not content with the school board for many reasons. Taxpayers are upset that they are busy paying superintendents and administrators huge salaries, while ignoring other areas of spending that could go towards educating the children. Let us not forget all the scandals, which are still hard to forget.

Just the mention of the Sullivan West School District to a parent with a child in school makes ones temper rise. Everyone you talk to is vocal and has an opinion.

The problem of Sullivan West is just the tip of the iceberg of an epidemic plaguing our educational system in Sullivan County. That is why we need to look into alternatives.

I have been advocating that we seriously begin to look into a centralized Board of Education. I truly believe it would cut administrative costs, and spend more monies on properly educating students. We need across the board curriculum and standards for all of our public schools. Consolidation of purchasing and contractor services would also save taxpayers huge amounts of monies.

If we had a full-time elected County Executive, part of the responsibilities could be to oversee a Sullivan County Schools Chancellor and Board of Education.

Yes, certain schools have special needs, and no I am not saying we should eliminate school boards. What I am saying is that we need to look at some diverse and innovative options.

The Sullivan West fiasco is a big dilemma for all of Sullivan County. Maybe, just maybe, a centralized Board of Education could alleviate most of these problems.

Those who reside in the Sullivan West School District deserve better than what they now have.

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