Letter to SACS and Others

Dr. Lucy Hayden
SACS Team Chair
15 Magnolia Dr.
Newnan, GA 30263

Dear Dr. Hayden;

The Florida Department of Education has made great strides evidenced by their rapid climb to number 14 in state rankings as reported recently in Education Week. One of the areas highly profiled was accountability in respect to both student achievement and the teaching profession. Florida earned high marks in comparison to other states and is continually raising the bar.

It has been one year since the SACS committee made their initial report to the Collier County School Board. During that year the CCPS system has remained under siege. The community is witnessing: volatile school board meetings; an ongoing parade of organized protests from parents, teachers, students and now maintenance workers; lawsuits involving wrongful terminations of teachers and a Superintendent; scandals involving sexual harassment by School Board members; a lawsuit initiated by former student claiming inaction by the Board in a sexual abuse case; a lawsuit to compel CCPS to release transcripts to colleges; teachers’ “working to rule;” gutting of the ESE program and related lawsuits; cutting of local revered teachers and principals while numerous positions (and possible outside contracts) are being staffed from the new Superintendents’ former school district in Rockford, IL; and a racial discrimination lawsuit; to name a few!

The past year the School Board has shown little to no indication of “leadership and governance.” The five member Collier County School Board has been embroiled in controversy and split ideology for some time. The incident involving the abrupt firing of a 34 year School District veteran over the explosive Hinshaw and Culbertson report left the community and school system in chaos. Despite pleas from community leaders, the Chamber of Commerce and numerous local professional organizations the School Board forged ahead with the immediate hiring of his replacement under suspicious circumstances The School Board and the Superintendent(s) have consistently alienated the stakeholders, teachers, parents and students. There are persistent rumors of intimidation tactics being used and the cleansing of our educational staff and even the student body. Fear is now the motivator. Many parents are leaving the district or removing their children due to a complete lack of confidence in the School Board.

In August I emailed the SACS committee regarding my concerns over an effort to discredit the SACS report in favor of the Hinshaw and Culbertson report. It would appear that effort succeeded as there has been little to no coverage of the accreditation issue. My initial attempts to write letters to the editor of the local newspaper were blocked and all my blog entries were deleted from their site. Such censorship has resulted in a number of independent blogs, petitions, websites and even parodies of CCPS among frustrated citizens including myself. Many in the community are still unaware of the accreditation issue. There is an air of secrecy and back room politics, most recently with outsourcing plans.

The chain of events over the last year has resulted in extreme animosity among the community and the school system itself. The situation has deteriorated to the point of dysfunction. The very idea that CCPS could lose accreditation due to the School Boards inability to govern is reprehensible. I find it devastating that adults are responsible and feel they should be held accountable. We hold our teachers accountable in the classroom. We should expect the same accountability from the board members and the administrators we entrust those classrooms to.
I regretfully believe the only circumstance in which the Collier County School System deserves accreditation is under the guidance of Governor Charlie Crist. I believe your initial evaluation was correct; many in the school system should be “commended for striving to maintain a committed focus on achieving the district’s vision and goals within this environment.” I feel the teachers and students are well deserving of accreditation, but the school board is not.
Due to the political structure of Collier County, I honestly feel the only solution will come from the Office of the Governor. Only under the direction and watchful eye of State Officials and experienced Educational Professionals will the School Board and Superintendent be held accountable. Only with intervention can Collier County raise the bar to the level the Florida Department of Education has set. It is unfortunate the School Board has placed Collier County public school students in this position. They certainly do not deserve it.

Sincerely,

XXXXXXXXXXX
XXXXXXXXXXX
Naples, FL XXXXX
XXX-XXX-XXXX
Collier County registered voter
School Board voting District X


1] Hinshaw & Culbertson Report
http://www.naplesnews.com/media/pdf/2007/07/ccps-final.pdf

District response to Hinshaw & Culbertson Report
http://collier.k12.fl.us/TClarification.pdf

SACS Report http://www.collier.k12.fl.us/board/meetings/public/May%2017,%202007%20-%20Regular%20Board%20Meeting%20on%20Thursday,%20May%2017,%202007/SACSAccredRpt.pdf



cc:

Accreditation Team

c/o Traci Dami

School District of Collier County

5775 Osceola Trail

Naples 34109



Mark A. Elgart, Ed.D.

President/CEO

AdvancED

1866 Southern Lane

Decatur, GA 30033



John Franco

Florida Department of Education

Office of the Inspector General

325 West Gaines Street, Suite 1201

Tallahassee, FL 32399-0400



Dr. Eric J. Smith

Florida Department of Education

Office of the Commissioner

Turlington Building, Suite 1514

325 West Gaines Street

Tallahassee, FL 32399



Office of Governor Charlie Crist

State of Florida

The Capitol

400 S. Monroe St.

Tallahassee, FL 32399-0001