Editor, The Smithfield Times:

I’m compelled to clear up some obvious misunderstandings regarding Isle of Wight County School’s (IWCS) recently re-filled Director of Secondary Education position that Mr. David R. Lyons incorrectly declared as “waste, fraud and abuse” (“Too much waste in public schools,” April 2).  

It’s important to note this position is not new to IWCS but was vacated earlier this year by an employee who took a higher-paying opportunity doing similar work outside of IWCS. Since then, these duties have been split between two other positions, both of which are already task-saturated. 

IWCS is fortunate to have on-boarded a principal from a Suffolk school given that Suffolk generally offers higher salaries than IWCS. In fact, in recent years we have hired numerous teachers/administrators from Suffolk schools and other neighboring divisions, many of whom took pay decreases! This speaks volumes regarding IWCS’ positive work environment and supportive community. It’s no secret that many families have relocated to Isle of Wight because of the great schools. Mine included.

After 2.5 years on the IWCS Board and having worked countless hours on the annual budget for my third time, I can say there is no “bloated waste” in IWCS. Quite the contrary, IWCS operates on a much tighter budget than most school divisions in our region while producing some of the highest academic performance scores. Let’s not forget about IWCS’ exemplary Career Technical Education programs either. 

Mr. Lyons implied he is unclear what a director of secondary education does. This position directly oversees Windsor High School, Smithfield High School, Georgie Tyler Middle School and Smithfield Middle School in instructional leadership, school improvement, supervision and evaluation of staff, school environment and safety, instructional program oversight, parent engagement (and concerns) and school budgets. This person spends a great deal of time in school buildings coaching the principals and providing recommendations to the Instruction Department on program needs. This person represents secondary schools at local, state and federal meetings, and ensures respective programs adhere to state, federal and School Board policies.

I work hard preparing for board meetings to help constituents understand the “why” and ‘“how” their tax dollars are spent. In this pursuit of transparency, sometimes the message fails to reach everyone. If Mr. Lyons, or any citizen in Isle of Wight, has specific concerns or questions regarding IWCS, feel free to contact me or any other School Board member.

 

Jason P. Maresh

Chairman 

Isle of Wight County School Board

Windsor