Open Letter to the Board of Trustees of the Lennox School District and the Lennox Community

April 17, 2019

As our schools, district and community continue to reel from the shock of the sudden resignation and departure of our (former) superintendent, Kent Taylor, we now look to the Board of Trustees for leadership.  It will ultimately fall to the five members of the Board of Trustees to select a new superintendent for the Lennox School District, and this will undoubtedly be a difficult decision, maybe one of the most difficult – but also most important – decisions each of you will make while serving as a Trustee.  This will be our 5th superintendent in less than 9 years, and whoever is selected must bring stability, wisdom and experience to our district.

As you all know, Lennox is a unique community and we have unique needs.  We all feel urgency in filling the superintendent position so we can continue the important work of educating our students, but I also want to urge the Board not to rush this process.  Please, take your time.  Advertise the position widely and consider many different candidates from many different backgrounds.  Seek stakeholder input to find out what parents, teachers and other district employees hope for in our next superintendent, and allow stakeholders (or at least stakeholder representatives) to be part of the screening and interview process and to go on site visits to talk candidly with people who know and have worked with finalists.

On this point, let me be absolutely clear.  As President of the Lennox Teachers Association, representing the dedicated educators who work to do what’s right and what’s best for our students and community every single day, and as an ally and an advocate for our parents who are our partners in education, I must insist that parents, teachers and other district employees be involved in the process of selecting our next superintendent. If he or she is to be welcomed by these different constituencies and seen as the legitimate leader who will guide us into the next decade, stakeholders must have a significant role to play in this process.

Out of change comes opportunity and out of adversity grows unity. Let’s take this next step together and find Lennox the superintendent our students deserve.

Sincerely,
Priscilla Avila
President, Lennox Teachers Association

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