The Wheatland High School(WHS) auditorium was filled Monday night with teachers, parents and community members interested in a few topics to be voted on by the school board.
This item is available in full to subscribers.
To continue reading, you will need to either log in to your subscriber account, below, or purchase a new subscription.
Please log in to continue |
WHEATLAND – The Wheatland High School(WHS) auditorium was filled Monday night with teachers, parents and community members interested in a few topics to be voted on by the school board. Most notably, the proposed four-day school week and the possible non-renewal of the contracts for Wheatland Middle School principal Cory Dziowgo, WHS Activities Director Cedric Philo and Transportation Director Jerry Bowman.
Superintendent Dr. Steve Miller read a prepared statement where he spoke about his being hired last year to make the hard decisions based on what is best for the students and the district.
“My primary goal is specifically to be student-focused, as should be the case for every educator,” Miller explained. “It is presumably for this purpose that any of us have entered the field of education: to make a difference in the lives of all students, equipping them with the necessary tools to thrive and succeed, taking a vested interest in their education and having the confidence to dream big.”
Miller went on to explain his disappointment with the amount of blame-shifting and back-biting behavior of the community and educators he has witnessed in various meetings and heated phone calls over the past few weeks. He does not believe the community is being properly represented as a whole in these communications, he is just hearing the ones with the loudest voices. He recommended that the four-day school week idea be suspended until there is a plan in place for every student for the fifth day. Whether it be an enrichment program through the school or an outreach program with the community. Miller also suggested an earlier release on Fridays of the coming school year to give teachers the requested extra time for professional development and planning purposes.