Dear Editor:
I have closely followed the problems of our public school system in this newspaper for several years. With the civil trial for Karen Ray completed and the jury found a hostile work environment present in the JC High School, I am concerned about how the JCPS district will rectify this situation to boost teacher morale and use our tax dollars effectively since over a quarter million dollars was spent on this one case which could have better been used in the classroom.
The news reports from this trial said Superintendent Linthacum and his staff want to focus on fixing the breakdown between the teachers and their students so the students don't suffer in their learning. As I read the reports, however, the breakdown is really between the JCPS Central Office and the teachers because the Central Office apparently hinders how the teachers are allowed to teach in the context of a school day.
Many have come forward to report teachers have done an excellent job in the classroom while managing a hostile work environment in the school system from the JCPS leadership. As reported, the teachers have tried to protect the students from this very environment as best as possible.
Linthacum said he wants to promote "healing" and being "stronger together." To everyone following the recent JCPS events, it is clear there is a divide between the Central Office and the teachers which is not close to being healed nor addressed adequately to rebuild trust in this district.
This trial highlighted many concerns within the JCPS system that created many of the work problems and are ongoing unless more is done to fix the breakdown within the Central Office. Some of the problem employees have already left the district, most notably two previous superintendents, two JCHS principals, and one assistant principal. There are two who contributed to these problems who remain employed at the Central office and at JCHS mentioned in the newspaper who did not respond in effective ways with Karen Ray's initial complaints.
As a concerned JC taxpayer, I and others like me, will not support a bond issue until Linthacum steps up to address the deeper problems of allowing a hostile work environment to continue to fester for many years and resolve those problems so teachers can trust their JCPS leadership again.
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