Thursday, March 3, 2016

NEWS ROUNDUP: Blood Drive At DPS This Monday, Superintendent Search Underway


Blood Drive This Monday At School:  Donating blood is one of the most selfless acts.  When you donate blood, there's no telling who you'll be helping. Maybe a mother, a father, a son or daughter. A baby. Maybe a person involved in a car accident. Perhaps one of your own loved ones or friends. There will be a blood drive at the Dorchester School this coming Monday, March 7, from 11:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.  Those interested in donating blood can call the school (946-2781) or you can just walk in on Monday.

DPS Superintendent Search Underway:  In January, we informed readers that Dorchester Public School Superintendent Mitch Kubicek would be resigning from DPS at the end of the school year. Kubicek has been part of the DPS community since 2008, just as the new school building opened its doors for the first time.   Replacing him will be a difficult task, but school board members on Wednesday night met to review the nearly 30 applications that DPS received from those interested in becoming Dorchester's next superintendent.  The word we've received is that the applicant pool has been narrowed down to just a handful of individuals and a new hire will be made soon.

Upkeep Of Dorchester's Paved Streets:  Paving may be a dirty word to some residents when it comes to Dorchester's streets.  But we can all agree that Dorchester should and must maintain the paved streets we already have.  This year, most of Dorchester's paved streets turn 37 years old.  (Main street is older.)  While our town's gravel streets get new gravel and are maintained every year, paved streets are largely neglected.  Now they're showing major wear and tear -- from crumbling intersections to uneven surfaces -- thanks to the disproportionately high amount of traffic they get.  It would be great to see village leaders compromise and make plans to resurface and upkeep our main arteries and vital street infrastructure.  (Another suggestion: Perhaps intersections could be paved further back so that gravel doesn't flow onto our paved streets after heavy rainfalls.)

Politics In The Classroom: This week, we heard firsthand from a woman in a neighboring community who said her granddaughter's 8th grade class was told by their teacher that a certain Republican presidential candidate was "just like Hitler." It's sad how political our country has become. Perhaps we should not be surprised when this polarization creeps into the classroom. But school officials and school boards (and parents) are duty-bound to guard against the politicizing of the taxpayer-funded classroom.  The Supreme Court has ruled that school boards may adopt policies that prohibit employees from discussing personal political views with students during instructional time.  Moreover, if the employee is engaging in political activities during his or her working hours instead of performing work, the school district can take disciplinary action. Ask your kids if their teachers have discussed the election (which is completely appropriate, by the way) and what the teacher has said about the candidates.  Educators are paid by hardworking taxpayers of all political stripes; teachers should be encouraging developing minds to fairly consider all sides and issues, not exerting their political influence. 

2 comments:

  1. I don't know why it would be controversial to discus finishing the three unpaved blocks on 11th st

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  2. ............. i submitted my name to be superintendent ................................. i'd whip those kids into shape so fast ........................................... recess held in the cow pasture every afternoon .............................. only thing going home in the backpacks would be cow chips .......................... promise you .................. pick me board members ................................

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