First Things First for Oyster River

Editorial from Foster's...


At a meeting today, the Oyster River School Board is scheduled to hear suggestions on working with a consultant to find a new high school principal. As a precursor, discussions took place on Monday as to the makeup of a new search committee.

All this comes on the heels of a recent vote by the Oyster River School Board turning down the nomination of a candidate who had already been vetted in similar fashion.

Before the School Board moves much further in restarting the interview/hiring process, some plans should be made to explain in exacting detail why the last attempt at hiring a new principal failed.

To date, there have been dribs and drabs in the way of explanations coming from the School Board, given that the real answers lie hidden in last month's nonpublic session. 

Assembling what has become available since then, it appears board members were unhappy with the contract terms requested by or offered to the nominee. More recently, indications are that Superintendent Howard Colter may have been rushed (for reasons unknown) in making the nomination. 

Other possible answers have included concerns over state funding, despite the need for a principal regardless of state aid. There has also been speculation that infighting among board members over the past few years has found its way to the current board. 

Regardless of the reasons for turning down the superintendent's nominee last month, the only way a new effort is going to be successful is if the Oyster River School Board has an open and frank discussion with the new search committee.

Exactly what are the contract terms the board is willing to accept? How much state funding is enough? What will it take to obtain a clear vote to hire a new principal? Essentially, they need to explain what went wrong last time.

It makes no sense for volunteer members of the community and school staff to spend countless hours only to find their work trashed at the eleventh hour.

Additionally, it will be a waste of taxpayer money publicizing the vacancy and recruiting candidates if the School Board has not made its intentions and motivation abundantly clear beforehand. 

All this underscores the need for the School Board to clear the air. Unlike claims last month that argued the decision could stay behind closed doors due to the personnel exception in the state's Right to Know law, there is no loophole that will allow the board to give the new search committee clandestine instructions.

Such secretive behavior is also counterproductive and may dissuade well-qualified candidates who refuse to deal with the politics of the Oyster River School Board.