Guest Commentary: Lee schools, students, best served with professional leadership, not a politician
Quality Schools for the Future of Lee County, a coalition of concerned community members, was formed in response to the Referendum on the Nov. 8, 2022, General Election ballot for in Lee County, Florida. The Referendum asks if voters want the Superintendent of Schools in Lee County become an elected politician voted on every four years, instead of a professional educator fully vetted, selected and appointed by the non-partisan, elected School Board of Lee County Schools, as is currently the case.
Quality Schools for the Future of Lee County opposes this referendum for several important reasons, one of the most important is the need for an experienced, non-partisan educational professional to lead our large, complex District with 13,000 employees, 120 school buildings, and a $2.4 billion budget in good times, times of crisis and times of rebuilding.
The need for an experienced professional has been highlighted by the outstanding work of appointed Superintendent of Schools of Lee County, Dr. Chris Bernier, in the preparation for and in the aftermath of Hurricane Ian. This devastating, deadly storm caused widespread catastrophic destruction throughout the county and to the School District.
Prior to the storm, Dr. Bernier consulted with local safety officials to ensure readiness, arranged for schools to be opened as emergency shelters, and conducted a comprehensive communications and outreach campaign so that all families, students, employees, vendors, community partners, and School Board Members were fully informed of the District’s changing schedules and plans.
Immediately following the storm, Dr. Bernier set in motion a comprehensive plan to locate and assist employees, re-establish communications, and conduct damage assessments. He conducted fact-based press conferences, conferred with public safety agencies, and kept the organization focused on the core mission of providing a safe and securing learning environment for our students.
Although only a Lee County resident for a few months, Dr. Bernier already possessed extensive professional expertise in leadership, management, staff supervision, interagency communications, physical plant operations, transportation systems, state and federal funding streams, FEMA procedures, school law and administrative codes, and emergency operations protocols. Because he had worked in schools and school districts for decades, he already knew which administrators he needed to gather for decision-making, which external agencies he needed to consult with, and how best to provide clear and convincing information to parents and employees about the way forward.
This knowledge, experience, and professional preparation is exactly what a School Board looks for when it appoints a superintendent. Even before the storm arrived, our School Board could have complete trust and confidence that the Superintendent was fully ready to deal with the crisis.
That’s because they knew the experienced superintendent leading the School District of Lee County was ready to face the storm.
This, most likely, would not have been the case if the superintendent was a politician whose only requirements for the office were to be a resident of Lee County, at least 18 years of age, registered to vote, and not adjudicated a felon or mentally incompetent. How could an inexperienced politician serving as superintendent be ready to make real-time, critical decisions about school closures, evacuations, and sheltering issues without an in-depth understanding of school districts?
We are heartbroken for the tragedies so many people are suffering because of this terrible storm, and we are grateful to have a professional superintendent helping our families, students, teachers, and community recover from it.
Quality Schools For The Future, a PAC, is not affiliated with any political party, provides no funding to any political party or candidate, and accepts no funding from any political party.
We urge you to keep our public schools non-partisan so they serve all fairly and are trusted by the entire community. Vote No on the Referendum at the end of your ballot.
— Madelon V. Stewart, Ed.D, is a team leader for Quality Schools for the Future of Lee County; qualityschoolsforthefuture.com