Letter: School district leaders pursue mediocrity

Tuesday, March 30, 2004 | 9:07 a.m.

Virgil left the Clark County School District before things went further downhill than anyone could imagine. The reason for the lockstep, cookie-cutter teacher is primarily a result of the inadequacy that has occurred in the school district's administration.

I am not condemning Superintendent Carlos Garcia or Agustin Orci, the deputy superintendent of instruction, but some of the appointed area superintendents are not capable of quality leadership because they see their job as covering up the inadequacy evident in some of the principals assigned to their areas. These on-site administrators need the micromanagement system because they lack the ability and the capability to be anything but inept managers of trite lesson plans and assembly line teaching.

In their pursuit of mediocrity, they have managed to rid their schools of many teachers who intellectually intimidate them and who adamantly refuse to condone their inferiority as school leaders. The actions of a number of principals and their assistants are blatantly unprofessional and intentionally demoralizing to teachers in pursuit of the lost excellence.

Mr. Sestini noted that the board and district are unimaginative, and beyond that the truth is that many of their assigned principals cannot meet the student criteria of being "knowledgeable, creative, competent and capable of independent thought." To quote Forrest Gump -- "Stupid is as stupid does."

JOAN SHRINER Editor's note: Joan Shriner, now retired from the Clark County School District, taught English for 35 years. Her experience included chairing the English Departments at Rancho and Cheyenne high schools.