Monroe Dispatch - No Struggle, No Progress

The Monroe City School Board is off to a new four-year challenge for the kids they serve, as two changes are on the board in the form of a new board member and returning board member, Brenda Shelling. Board members Bill Willson, Brandon Johnson, Betty Ward-Cooper, Jennifer Haneline, and Daryl Berry were elected to serve for another four-year term. All appeared to be up for the challenge. And a challenge it will be. As with school districts across the nation, the Monroe City School Board has a responsibility to educate children with the best that tax dollars can buy. There appears to be a huge difference in the focus of education in the schools they serve. The school board seems to recognize this. The students whose needs “are screaming” for help are the ones that appear to get the least from resources, while the best and brightest receive good professional direction. Schools will never “be equal”, but they can improve. After taking their oaths of office, the Monroe City School Board members appear to elicit comments that show there are still some issues that must be addressed. The issue of paying lower-tier employees every two weeks will be a matter that is given more serious consideration by the current board. Board President Bill Willson said that is something that he wants to look at moving forward. New efforts will also consider those who(cafeteria employees) do great work that we seldom hear about but who are not always considered equally as important. After going through many different school boards comprised of people from different backgrounds, the focus we have been told is to make sure that all students are successful with staffing and programs which best help the young learners. Are we failing the kids in some areas within the system? In all honesty, yes, and the board seemed to acknowledge that sentiment at its last meeting.

Board member Daryl Berry acknowledged that there is an issue with grades at the schools and that the “scores at the schools where we need to hold the principals and teachers more accountable to educating kids, as scores are too low”, said Berry.

Berry also said that the board needs to work on bringing more discipline to schools. Schools on the southside, where parents struggle and get the least resources, sometimes take the blame for their kids’ failure. Many feel that students come to school every day to succeed in education, all the while when the system is failing to address their educational needs.

As Berry observed, some teachers and principals need to be held accountable because more needs to be done for those students who “have mental or poverty issues” that should not be prevalent in 21st schools. These issues are visible but seem never to be fully addressed, as sometimes these issues can be overwhelming for teachers who should be given more of what they need to help them to do their jobs. Too many kids continue to fall through the cracks, especially on the southside. How long will the “status quo” continue? The resources/programs are out there. We should be requesting the best for students, and from all indications from the last board meeting two weeks ago, and the Monroe City Schools Board appears ready for the challenge. Failure is not an option.