In yesterday’s closed session of the Charlottesville School Board, it was decided to survey the staff to determine what they think of the administration, James Fernald reports in today’s Progress. It looks like the survey is intended to assess the staff’s take on beleaguered Superintendent Scottie Griffin, despite the official stance that it’s about the administration on the whole.
Two board members — Dede Smith and Muriel Wiggins — were opposed to the idea, saying that the questions used on the survey don’t actually help to figure out what staff thinks about the administration. There are a few more closed school board meetings coming up in the next week, but it’s not publicly known if they have anything to do with Griffin.
Unfortunately, if you survey anyone in the system, you will find that no-one likes Scottie Griffin. It has nothing to do with her being a female, or black. That isn’t the issue. The issue is that she is rude, condensending, hateful, and a bully.
What is most disturbing is that the one person who stood up to her will be gone. What kind of message does that send? If I were thinking about applying as a super in Charlottesville, I would think again…given the last 11 years. Our school board picks candidates that are either unqualified, like to take vacations, or just plain mean and vicious. Then, when finally, someone speaks up about the true injustice in the Superintendent’s actions…that person is let go.
So now, having a survey of the staff won’t tell the board what they already don’t know about Scottie Griffin. But if the board were to include in the survey “how is the board doing….” now that would prove very interesting….because after all, we have the board to blame for the current mess.