Let's not set another record

Frontiersman editorial board

Some of the most important factors to a child's education, according to some reports, are structure, continuity and a nurturing environment. Many children have none of those at home, and school becomes a safe place -- a place where they can be nurtured, relax in a sense of structure, and know that, for the most part, their teacher will be there every morning, their school will be open, their locker or cubbie will be undisturbed and they can concentrate on their most important job -- learning.

We, as a nation, are unbelievably lucky to have an excellent department of education. Alaskans are even luckier in some ways, as we boast a very rich and diverse education environment, with opportunities for learning few other states have. And in the Mat-Su, that luck continues with numerous teachers who hold awards or have been recognized for their creative methods of teaching our children.

As Mat-Su Principals' Association president Dwight Probasco told a Frontiersman reporter Wednesday, we have an excellent school system full of talented, well-educated and innovative individuals. But, he continued, that system is sick and in need of aid.

Any casual observer can see that, indeed, if a union of around 40 people who make up the leadership of every Valley school agrees to give their boss, the superintendent, a vote of no confidence, all is not well.

However, in a school district that boasted four superintendents in a single year, is a cry for new leadership the answer? Is it fitting for a bargaining unit to pull its trump card -- its so-called most serious action available -- and take that vote of no confidence when the action is supported by just half its membership?

Probasco said the group has been frustrated in its dealings with school district administration, and with Chesbro specifically. But Chesbro said, and Probasco confirmed, she has never been asked to sit down with those who have problems with her leadership and try to iron out the differences.

It seems a key step has been skipped. Overlooked. Chesbro extended her hand, in the form of a letter, to the association, but apparently the timing was too late to halt the vote.

But it's not too late to open the lines of communication. It's not too late to consider the voices of the about-20 principals who did not back the no-confidence vote. And it's not too late to unify what's fast becoming a district in which each school is an island.

Let's not repeat the confusion and worry that was felt two years ago, when the superintendent's office had a swinging door. That's not good for principals, teachers or parents -- and most of all, it is a disservice to students. They deserve better.