BRENHAM SCHOOL BOARD TO HOLD EXECUTIVE SESSION ON SUPERINTENDENT SEARCH
The Brenham School Board will consider the matter of a new superintendent in executive session at its virtual meeting Monday.
The board will meet to discuss naming an interim superintendent, along with finding a search firm to seek a permanent one.
Tuesday, current Superintendent Dr. Walter Jackson was named the lone finalist for the superintendent position in La Porte ISD. Dr. Jackson has served in Brenham ISD since April 2015, and was named Region VI Superintendent of the Year in 2019.
In regular session, the board will consider the possible approval of an Assistant Superintendent of Curriculum. The position is currently held by Dr. Jamey Johnson.
The school board will also hear an update on graduation and end-of-year activities for seniors. In addition, board members will discuss the 2020-21 school year calendar, teacher contracts, and the district’s College, Career and Military Readiness (CCMR) strategic plan. They will also hear updates on online student registration and the district’s dyslexia program.
The board will meet Monday evening at 6 p.m. The public is invited to attend the meeting via YouTube.
Anyone looking to submit public comments must do so using the link here between 5 and 5:30 p.m. Monday afternoon to be included in the meeting.
Respectfully, I am a voter, a citizen, and a taxpayer in this community. My opinion and those of our fellow citizens should be extremely important to our ELECTED REPRESENTATIVES as they seek to fill the TOP job in our school district. They should be keenly focused on what our community cares about in our schools. Creating open forums for all perspectives to be heard and considered is a very fair and reasonable expectation for situations like this. If you cannot see the benefit of this than I think it is a fair opinion that you may not really understand how a democracy is supposed to work.
As I stated above, I am a voter, a citizen, and a taxpayer in this community and it gives me the right, and I would argue the duty, to share my opinion that the $194,000 salary for this position is much to excessive. I believe in paying for performance and in my opinion, the performance of the current holder of this office has been substandard and a huge disappointment. I do not believe that the $194,000 salary was earned and it is several multiples above what the average teacher makes which in my opinion makes it excessive. The previous occupants of that office never made anywhere close to what the current one does. The board gave huge raises that I do not believe were tied to any quantifiable performance standards, instead they appeared to be irrational increases tied to relationships and not accomplishments. You may like or support Dr. Jackson but I do not, I have seen first hand how he conducted himself and I did not approve. Regardless of him as a person, our community should be consulted and our citizens and school staff should have their thoughts heard before a hiring decision is made. I will go even further and argue that a committee of citizens, teachers, and school board representatives should be a part of the hiring and interview process. I would gladly serve on such a committee.
Much too excessive? What’s “too excessive” is the assumption that you can pay people small salaries, appeal to great talent and also expect great school results and high performance. This is an executive position, after all! High talent doesn’t come cheap and why in the world would we expect it to? Stop expecting something for nothing.
What possible “opinion” and perspectives could the community and town halls bring to someone else’s salary expectations and negotiations? Who are you to say what is too much, too little or just right? Do you know how the market values someone with years of education and management experience and post-secondary degrees? If we let you have your way, people who work for the County and City, Brenham ISD or the even the State School (because their jobs are all taxpayer funded) will all need community input. How silly. Nobody would ever come here, because of people like you who somehow feel they have a right to be in the middle of hiring the new leader of the schools.
Did you feel the salary was too high when Dr. Jackson’s immediate predecessor was at the helm and doing nothing for the schools? He had the job in Brenham for 6 years, but couldn’t execute a plan to bring in early childhood education. Guess who did? Walter Jackson!
Oh goodness, please do some research before posting. Brenham ISD had Pre-K LONG before Jackson was brought to the district. All he did was facilitate opening the old Alton and moving all Pre-K classes to this campus, now called ECLC. The district also had and still has classes for children even younger than 4 if they meet the criteria. I totally agree with ‘Time for a Change’. The community absolutely should have some say in who WE pay as superintendent. $194K is a large amount of money for Brenham ISD. In my opinion (and you know what they say about opinions) we should look for someone who will stay with our district for many years to come. I hate to see our district being a ‘starter’ district to people like Jackson. They are always looking for the next big thing, more money and more power. Let’s look for someone who wants to guide the employees who DO the work, not be a dictator looking for the next opportunity to add a feather to his hat.
I call on the school board to hold town hall meetings in the evening (so people can attend) and open an online forum to seek input from the voters of our school district and school staff about what we would like and value as they seek to fill this position. I think they should also ask our opinion on salary, the $194,000 per year we paid the former holder of this position was much to excessive. It is time to drain the swamp at central office and restore the excellence to our district that has been lost of over the last few years under the previous regime!
Restore Excellence???? Prior to Dr. Jackson, there was no GateWay, CSI, STEAM or many other programs. Our kids deserve the best!! Dr. Jackson raised the level of education here in Brenham. His salary was not excessive for what he brought to us. Our schools NEED someone at his level or higher to push higher academics.
Staff, teachers, principals should have input on the hiring . The teachers on all campuses should be the first to present to the School Board what is expected in a Superintendents role. Those folks esp.the ones teaching for decades can be the best sources and they know what works & will not work in teaching. Just like a great doctor who has years of experience. Many times Salaries & packages/incentives based on Degrees but that doesn’t necessarily mean that person will perform. It happens!! No matter if its a superintendents, a CFO or whatever. Many times once in the job people often find this is not the “fit” they expected & they move on. Yes starting in a smaller school district is a stepping stone to move to a bigger district. Thats is considered success as far as I am concerned. Start with the teachers input. Our schools have a great reputation & that comes from the teachers hired. Ask any former student & they can name many that shaped their future.