| With District 227 Superintendent Selection Process, How Soon We Forget April 6, 2010? How soon we forget April 6, 2010 as Phil Kadner described Board 227 as being one of the most incompetent public bodies in Illinois. How soon we forget the last school board superintendent selection process that described Board 227 in the local media as being a "sham" when full board and community input-participation, although pretended to be considered and represented, was actually disregarded in the superintendent selection process? But, at least the Brunson-Owens-Norwood regime of dictatorship pretended to have a process beginning with inclusion of all school board members and six community focus groups included in the process of superintendent selection. One of the groups that supported Leak was made up of citizens selected by school board members; the second included board members from neighboring elementary and high school districts. One included Eileen Waite of the Olympia Fields Educational Commission, one of several retired teachers represented in the focus groups. At that time, then Olympia Fields Mayor, Linzey Jones chastised the board for executing a superintendent search that was "virtually closed to the public." Today, as in other areas, there is not even an agreed upon, planned, and written process in place to select the next superintendent or the traditional brochure to describe what we expect in a high performing-transformative-visionary-proactive superintendent with an already established record (resume) of school district turn-around and high student performance levels. When we can't see it and express it in writing, then we cannot have it. God will give us as far as we can see, plan, and work for, but no farther. Absolute power with no input from the full board or our district 227 community representatives corrupts absolutely. The email sent previously reporting on how Burleson ISD selected its superintendent had little to do with Burleson school district itself except to prove the fact that school districts go through a process for selecting a superintendent, and so have district 227. In the past, we have had a superintendent selection process in District 227 and we will have one again as we move forward in professionally selecting a superintendent. Given the fact that more than seventy percent of our youth graduate from high school not ready for college and careers, the school district and community will not accept anything less than the full board-community-district-input process that was put forward in every superintendent selection, although not followed by Sonya Norwood, then board president of district 227. Because of the fact that it was not followed and the community saw that it too was manipulated that board, like this one, will become under fire for how it has handled the search for a new superintendent. In the last superintendent selection process, as reported in the news and local media, only two of six community focus groups ranked then Assistant Supt. Donna Simpson Leak as their top choice. The fact is that out of the six community focus groups of students, parents, business community leaders, teachers, etc. most of those who showed up voted for someone else. Contrary to fact, it was also stated how Board President Sonya Norwood reported how the board would tell the community that Leak was the community's number one choice. But at least that board "pretended to have a democratic process in place." At this time, the school district was so badly run until Blondean Davis, supported by district 227 tax payers, parents who wanted better for their children, educational leaders and educational consultants, Olympia Fields Educational Commission, and ISBE began a charter school for district 227 students. As school board members, we were selected to serve the children and people of this district. As community representatives, we can not continue to repeat the past by shutting out the community again in a process that was designed for them. To be accountable to the children and people of district 227, to restore democracy, bring back full board and community participation in the conduct of our affairs on this school board, and to begin our second phase to improve student achievement performance levels in restoring excellence in public education in district 227 is my purpose for being on this school board. Today, the present school board will not disgrace district 227 again. The community's actions in April 2010 epitomized what a community should do when a government body fails in its public duty. Despite being ostracized, chastised, and disregaded by the school board, the parents, community residents, and tax payers stood up for the children of school district 227. A school board is not a secret fraternal order. School board members too often act as if they have taken an oath to each other instead of a pledge to represent the public. Winning an election doesn't bring about the change we seek. Through working together, it simply gives us the chance to make change, to restore sanity and to sustain that change through the institution of supportive board policies. David E. Morgan, Ph.D., Educational Leadership School Board Member Rich Township High School District 227 Olympia Fields, Illinois 60461 | 
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