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Trustee Decision Not To Forgive Is Unforgivable/An Editorial

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Katy ISD trustees set a bad example recently when they voted not to renew the contract of elementary school teacher Jennifer Silva.

The trustees, some of whom have held their elective seats since Clinton was in office, proved they, unlike most of the students they represent, are incapable of forgiveness.

Silva, who admitted in a public forum she did indeed place Scotch tape on the mouths of some chatty students did not deserve what she received from the board.

Her non-renewal means the spirit and enthusiasm she brought to education will no longer bounce through the halls at Alexander Elementary School. By dismissing her, school board members violated the oath they took when elected -- to watch over and protect the education of the young people in their charge.

The students of Katy ISD are best served by experienced educators, those well versed in the academics of teaching and those who have lived whole lives, lives shaped by successes and failures. Just what trustees were thinking when they raised their hands to vote is known only to them. What is clear, however, is that Jennifer Silva was not viewed by trustees as an asset to the taxpayers of this district, but as a liability to the district's sterling reputation.

The district, simply put, manufactures well-educated students and, for the most part this group of trustees has insulated itself from the real work being done by teachers in Katy ISD.

As the children come down the line, they are greeted by teachers with their sleeves rolled up, teachers who gently grind away ignorance and replace it with all kinds of great stuff--consonant blends, long division, the periodic tables, examples of onomatopoeia.

All the while trustees hear reports from various administrators attempting to justify their positions, their inflated salaries and accompanying expense reports.

This is not to say trustees do not interact with the student body. At monthly board meetings they draw straws to see who has to hand out water bottles and dishes of candy emblazoned with Katy ISD A+ logo to students who have earned awards or deserve recognition -- the polished prototypes.

What trustees don't see are the chatty students, the students who time and again need to be reminded to stay in their seats. They have not helped calm the rage of a special needs child or wiped noses during cold, flu and allergy seasons. They don't cut checks for all outstanding lunch money loans or personal books students borrow but fail to return.

Before resorting to tape, Silva took the initial step teachers have been told to take in an effort to quiet the talkative students. In this case, her selection from the discipline menu did not work, so Silva, in a moment of weakness, took questionable, but not unforgivable, action.

The discipline menu referred to was approved by the same trustees who approved the discipline menu that saw Katy ISD administrator Ron Jetton keep his job and receive a raise even after he attempted to strong-arm subordinates into voting for incumbent trustees in the May 2005 election.

Trustees have made other mistakes and still been re-elected, a sign voters are willing to forgive. Let's review just a few miscues:

* Jetton attempts to sway an election and he keeps his job and gets a bump in pay. Trustees' decision to keep Jetton was a mistake --questionable, but not unforgivable.

* The district's construction and use of an elementary school with an "open classroom design," a project trustees deemed a failure and scrapped at the cost of thousands of dollars --questionable, but not unforgivable.

*A hostile takeover by mold, which took up residence in at least one school and hundreds of textbooks, clearly due to a lack of supervision and inadequate upkeep requiring million to clean up --questionable, but not unforgivable.

*A discipline plan that hog-ties campus principals forcing them to view the act and the perpetrator with extreme prejudice, regardless of previous history or character or circumstance. The nature of the Katy ISD discipline plan is laughable in a school setting where everything from tests to physical education courses are modified and adapted to meet the needs of students. But if that student acts his age, he's forced to wear emotional stripes on his shoulders. Again, questionable, but not unforgivable (until someone files a lawsuit).

*Trustees who remain quiet on the dais during non-election years, yet seem to have a bevy of questions and ideas when they think voters may be listening for sound bites--questionable, but not out of character.

What Silva did in the classroom was stupid. No one, not even she, is denying that fact. What she did was not criminal and was not done with malice. It was done without thought during a moment of weakness while practicing an honorable, honest profession.

Not inviting her back to the classroom was the only thing criminal in this whole overblown incident.

The next trustee election is May 13.

 

Mark Loyd, The Katy Times

Date: 05/03/2006