CAT Tracks for December 20, 2002 RUSH TO JUDGMENT

The Cairo Board of Education voted unanimously last night to adopt a "performance agreement" with ISBE...

The bad news...

As I indicated to the Board last night, the "sign off" committee was left with the impression that more discussion/revision would be forthcoming after answers to pertinent questions were obtained from Sheryl Poggi, ISBE representative. That did not happen.

Superintendent Isom indicated that the District did not get the performance agreement until early Thursday morning. One of the Board members indicated that he had not had an opportunity to read the performance agreement and expressed a desire that the matter be tabled until an already scheduled Special Board Meeting for January 9th. However, other members indicated that they had already read the revised performance agreement, that there were not many changes, and that it needed to be approved at this meeting. In response to an inquiry as to why the rush, it was revealed that Sheryl Poggi was going to retire in January and that the plan needed to be approved before then in order to receive the allocated money. A motion to approve was made and passed.

The good news...

Superintendent Isom indicated that the high school and the junior high school had been "taken off the fast track"...that, instead, ISBE and the District would follow the provisions of No Child Left Behind. THAT is welcome news...and only fair. As mentioned before, the extraordinary steps being taken in Cairo...especially in the aftermath of last year's 17-day strike...had a distinct "odor".

Abiding by the law will be a welcome experiment in Cairo School District Number One...and could well make a "significant difference" in the outlook and attitude of employees as we set sights on accomplishing much needed improvement in educational achievement.