Comments Critical Of Columbus School Officials

(Columbus) For the third meeting in a row, the Columbus School Board heard from citizens upset about district practice. It comes at time as the state gave Columbus Elementary a failing grade on its annual report card (45-percent out of 100-percent); school board member Barb Hesselberg tendered her resignation in February; high school principal Jake Ekern resigned in March; talk of leaky roofs and inadequate classroom facilities has mobilized parents on social media; a petition calling for the resignation of the school board president and superintendent was circulated.

At previous meetings, multiple speakers addressed the board in sometimes intense exchanges criticizing district leadership for its communication, student safety, curriculum and an uptick in resignations. There were only a handful of citizen speakers Monday night, but those addressing the board were still fired up and one person again called for the resignation of the superintendent and school board president.

School officials did not comment during yesterday’s meeting but in a statement released earlier said the district is setting the right tone by moving in a measured direction…forward to keep student from falling behind while being careful not to move too quickly. The letter says over the last several years, a number of important initiatives have taken place. For some, change may not come soon enough while for others change may cause concern because of they want to ensure that the great things that have taken place in the past continues into the future.