She said while many people expressed support for interim superintendent David Lawrence becoming the permanent superintendent, others said they felt someone else was needed in the position.
Credit: JIM NOELKER
Credit: JIM NOELKER
“You have members of your community who are really interested in seeing how the process plays out, as well as those who are seeing the search as potentially something that could be a waste of time because you already have your leader in your midst,” Rosen said.
Rosen said the group surveyed students, teachers, staff, parents and caregivers and key stakeholders. Across the board, people said they appreciated the diversity in the district and the dedicated staff members who work there.
The Alma Group also asked people what they thought could be improved in the district. Rosen said all groups responded that the academic rigor of the district needed to be improved, and attracting and retaining talented staff was an issue noted across groups.
“Stakeholders shared a strong sense of community and the value of community ties,” Rosen said. “Dayton staff shared that they love the family feel of the district, and they shared the importance of relationships in public schools.”
Rosen said the responses mirrored the demographics of Dayton. If someone hadn’t been able to give feedback who wanted to, she said they can reach out to her or to DPS board members.
“I will say personally, if you ever feel like you need more information, I respond to every email that I get and if you feel like you aren’t knowing those things, please shoot me an email,” said DPS board president Chrisondra Goodwine.
Three DPS parents came to the podium after the Alma Group’s presentation to express frustration with the communication and engagement from the school board.
Bethany Ramsey, one of the parents, said she was angry at the board’s decision to renew former superintendent Elizabeth Lolli’s contract last spring, only to see her leave over the summer.
“You all are public servants and you keep missing the mark on serving the public,” Ramsey said.
Two other parents, Elizabeth Velasquez and Heather Atkinson, also spoke. Velasquez said she liked the direction the district was going under Lawrence, but felt the board wasn’t listening to parents who liked him, while Atkinson said she has been frustrated with getting her special needs student services.
“Although I know that it wasn’t on the survey, special ed is a really key area where I think DPS has a lot of growth and needs a lot of parent advocacy and attention,” Atkinson said.
DPS is interviewing candidates now and plans to announce a finalist in March.
About the Author