Last December, the superintendent of Somerset County Public Schools was caught on a hot mic expressing her desire to close down Deal Island Elementary, which "should have been closed down years ago." As a result of the controversy, she made it very clear on news outlets such as WBOC and WMDT that she's not sorry for what she said, but "sorry in the way that the information was shared."
Nearly a week before Christmas, she left the community hanging on edge with a delayed promise to address the community after the holidays. That date was set for January 9, 2025 hoping the community would cool off.
Before this occurrence, the superintendent was previously scheduled to visit Deal Island on January 9th, so the approach to kill two birds with one stone revealed no sense of urgency.
Nowhere on the website was this community meeting mentioned anywhere on the SCPS website events, news or superintendent announcements.
On January 8th at around 7:00PM, an announcement was sent out only to parents of Deal Island Elementary School children by the school principal:
This announcement is nowhere to be found on the district's website or facebook page.
Many concerned citizens have reached out to the Delmarva Parent Teacher Coalition due to the lack of transparency.
Where is the superintendent? Where is the transparency and community outreach she has promised to uphold in her role? Is she hiding behind the principal of Deal Island Elementary to keep a tight-controlled lid on things? One thing she forgets is that the community goes beyond Deal Island. Her hot mic intentions are not isolated to Deal Island, but applies to all of Somerset County.
It leaves citizens wondering, which school is next?
The issue isn't about the rescheduling of the meeting (although unnecessary), but the lack of communication and obvious tactic to fly under the radar. Obstructive behavior and playing politics is nothing new. Superintendents do it all of the time. They even reach out to other superintendents and the PSSAM (their union) for advice on how to steamroll citizens and clean up a self-induced mess.
The new meeting date is January 14 at 5:30PM when most citizens and parents are driving home from their job. That early time is no coincidence, but another obstructive tactic. If she was considerate of the community, the meeting would be scheduled for a later time to allow for attendance. We hope that you can attend, and encourage all citizens to show up and express your concerns.
Fellows & Editors
January 8, 2025
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