Will Fairfield County ever recover from all these people who have been brought in to save us? My comments are directed toward our school district administration. A flyer has been sent to teachers/employees to recruit teachers for school year 08-09 who will receive sizable sign-on bonuses. Many teachers see this as a slap in the face since they are searching and have found jobs in surrounding counties to get out of this district. Many of our long-time and committed teachers have made the decision to go somewhere else; or get out of education altogether. Parents need to know this.

At the beginning of the school year, there were many who were impressed with the new superintendent and the ideas that were part of the improved plan. It did not take long to understand that the changes were going to be difficult. Teachers were ready to embrace needed change. They did not understand the brutal treatment that was attached to it. The management style can only be described as that of intimidation/humiliation. Teachers feared retaliation and the possibility of losing teaching certificates.

Recently, the District office hosted a job fair. They reported it to be a huge success. The true story is that there were few in number who came. One teacher came; interviewed; hired on the spot. What happened to background checks? This teacher was "released" from employment from a neighboring county. Surely it must have been for good cause. With the mass exodus of home-grown teachers in this county who love the teaching profession; they will possibly be replaced by those who are unable to secure positions in other counties.

The "change" brought on a "cookie cutter" approach for learning in the classroom. Teachers and children are not all cut from the same cloth. Teachers teach in different ways and children learn in different ways. The teacher, who is the life-blood of an educational system, (not the superintendent /her delegation/school board members) possesses the skills to define/determine ways in which a child learns.

Like all organizations, there are differing levels/abilities of those involved in the teaching profession. Target those who do not produce positive results. Don't punish those who go the extra distance.

Board Members have been approached about the working conditions/fear tactics used. A response from one board member was something like this, "If you aren't happy here; go somewhere else."

Our neighboring counties are gladly snatching these teachers up. The loser: Children in Fairfield Co.

Isn't it strange that many who have left the county end up with "Teacher of the Year" awards? I recently had a brief conversation with a district employee about the number of teachers that are planning to leave our district. The reply was the district does not know this yet. My reply: If you lived in this county, you would know something about it.

Teachers have left for work in the morning and then summoned to the district office for the same afternoon. When they got there, the meeting was cancelled or in one case, the district employee forgot they had called the meeting. Teachers have families and lives outside of this "knee-jerk" management style. It's seems too late now to turn this crisis around for these employees. An extra note...what happened to The Anderson Plan? We bought in to it and spent megabucks for it.

CRTs are the most recent initiative. It is a tool designed to test children every nine weeks on material they should have learned to date. That is not a bad idea. It is not a state mandated test. It counts 20% of a student's grade. This percent resulted in honor roll students in the classroom having to settle for a lower grade on report cards. A teacher took the time to score her class’ test before taking them to the district for scoring. Upon receipt of the scores from the district office, it showed the whole class failed. The teacher questioned the results. It turned out that the district personnel used the wrong "key" to grade the tests. This is enough proof that the .. clean up/clean out" needs to begin in the district office.

A plaque may be in order to be mounted on the Halls of wisdom at the District Office. It should include the following:

The following people shall be recognized for their attempts to carry the school district of Fairfield County to hell in a handbasket during the 2007 - 08 school year:

Dr. Samantha Ingram, Superintendent; Catherine Kennedy District 1; Rebecca McSwain District 2; Henry Miller, Vice Chair District 3; Annie McDaniel District 4; Rickey Johnson District 5; Harold Heath, Chair, District 6; Bob Drake, Secretary, District 7

In review of the current year; it has produced a lot of numbers which are suspect. The leadership has managed to remove the human element out of the learning environment. Students and citizens of the county are the victims.

Some have described the school district as hemorrhaging. It may be that the diagnosis is wrong...our leadership is deaf.

- MaryGail Douglas

Winnsboro