Homework Time

There should be little question this is a crucial juncture for the county's public schools.

The superintendent, essentially the chief operating officer, has chosen not to seek re-election and several have already thrown their hat into the ring.

This week the principal of the consolidated high school, Dr. Isaac Neal, announced that he will leave for another position - he wasn't going to be asked back by the district, according to reports - out of state after this school year.

The void in leadership, regardless of how Superintendent JoAnn Gander or Dr. Neal was perceived in the execution of their jobs, could not come at a more complex and important time for public schools.

The case of Dr. Neal seems particularly troubling for the perception of the district as a whole, a perception that has taken a bit of a beating in recent years.

In the business world they call it due diligence, fully examining just what one is getting in to.

Whatever went on behind or in front of the curtain, though, to have the individual brought in to oversee the all-encompassing task of school consolidation leave, or be pushed, after just one year seems a testament that proper due diligence was not done.

Simply put, either district officials, Dr. Neal or both did not do all their homework. Somewhere there were philosophical or personal issues, or both, where there was disconnect that did not emerge during the screening and interview process.

That is too bad because the students are the only true casualty. Any educator would attest to the value of consistency in education.

This void in leadership also comes at a time when events outside of the county are playing havoc.

Budget constraints from Tallahassee won't be fully known until after the fall of the hankie to end the regular legislative session in early May, but the state's public schools, judging by early budgets from both chambers, figure to take a hit.

That could be compounded if the only sensible proposal to come out of any tax relief debate among lawmakers is approved by voters.

Proposed by the committee on taxation reform it would eliminate the required local effort millage rate from local school taxes paid by local property owners.

That is good news for property owners since the required local millage is typically the largest number on a Truth in Millage (TRIM) notice, but let's wait and see how it plays on local school budgets.

The rise in the required local effort for local taxpayers was always reflective of state lawmakers' long push of more and more school taxes onto the shoulders, and into the wallets, of local property owners.

So whether the state will stand up and bridge the gap - maybe trim out some of that pork from that $70 billion budget - remains to be seen.

Regardless, this figures to be a tough fiscal year as the district continues its transition to consolidated schools.

After a first year, we are reminded, that has not been without its bumps.

There remain at least three dozen students having taken the steps to attend school out of the county. The charter school enrolled 300 students and is fending off urging to expand into high school levels.

There have been some in-school incidents and the upheaval of personnel changes made, it seemed, almost on the fly early in the school year.

And the apparent absence of heartfelt angst over Dr. Neal's pending departure seems telling in some fashion.

It's hard to overstate: this was the man brought in after an extensive search and he is leaving, being shoved along, after one school year.

Something is wrong with that picture and taxpayers, residents and parents deserve an explanation.

After all, whether the state doled them out or the district levied them, taxpayers paid the dollars out of their pockets for that beautiful new school and the state-of-the-art athletic complex to be constructed.

School board members should demand answers, and publicly.

After all, the Bay County School Board in the past couple of years has had no problem tussling with its superintendent over the transfer of a principal.

There will be two significant changes come the fall, one over which voters have no say.

The district will put in place a new principal for the consolidated school; voters will elect a new superintendent,

Those two individuals will be the day-to-day face of public schools in Franklin County, must be charged with providing the much-needed atmosphere of leadership and - this is so critical - collegiality the public schools must draw on as they continue consolidation.

These two yet-to-be-identified folks must nurture the good work that is going on in some classrooms, use that work as a foundation for building a system, an educational process, to match the bricks and mortar.

There is much at stake.

And this is no campaign slogan or cliché for somebody seeking higher office.

In fact, as many teachers would attest, the phrase is less a series of words than a passion, but in this instance, at this time, with what is happening, it could not ring more true.

This is truly about the kids. They deserve better than what they will take away from this episode.