SUMTER, SC (WIS) -
Parents
and students continued to voice their concerns about low teacher morale and new
educational policies being implemented in the Sumter School District during
Monday's board meeting.
Eight
people spoke during a public comment section at Sumter School Board on Monday,
with six of those voicing concerns for students' education and teachers'
welfare. The board allowed 15 minutes for public comments with 2 and a half
minutes per person.
Sumter
High students Lance Foxworth and Blake Ward spoke on behalf of a
newly-developed student coalition to highlight low teacher morale and asked
board members why their input has not been taken into account to bring change.
On
the other hand, Mariah McKellar, who is a parent of Sumter students and a
product of Sumter public schools, defined public education from her perspective
and shared with the board results of an anonymous teacher survey of elementary
to high school educators. McKellar said it is "heart-wrenching" what teachers
wrote.
"One
teacher wrote, ‘It's a shame teachers feel their voice doesn't matter,'"
McKellar said, adding another teacher said she "prays daily that someone will
fight for the children."
"Majority
of our teachers are unsatisfied," McKellar continued.
Of
75 teachers who answered McKellar's survey, she said 63 said they are looking
for another teaching job in neighboring public and private schools.
"What
will you as a school board do to keep our Sumter teachers from leaving?" she
asked the board Monday.
Another
parent and military spouse Nicole Brockway asked the board members a series of
questions on a new grading system for Sumter children from kindergarten to
second grade.
"The
one thing I choose to speak about tonight is the grading system," Brockway
said. "Why were we chosen to do this? How were the teachers educated on this
before it was implemented? How were the principals educated? Was this prepared
before school started?"
Brockway
said military families, since they make up majority of Sumter School District
students, should be taken into consideration with a new grading system since
there is a possibility they will not stay in the Sumter community until their
children graduate high school. Brockway's time was up before she was able to
finish addressing the board.
Sumter
School Board Chairman Keith Schultz said that he "will be actively involved in
responses back to (the public) in a timely fashion."
WIS
Investigates team is meeting with Sumter School District Superintendent
Randolph Bynum this week to address parent and teacher concerns on the new
grading system and an instructional audit program being used to evaluate
teachers.
Copyright 2012 WIS. All rights reserved.
