IN an April Fool’s Day news release, the Public School System announced that Education Commissioner Rita H. Inos would be judged on saving money and not on her failure to supervise and lead the public school system. Is this an April Fools joke?
Inos during her first year saved some money by reassigning central office personnel. But for the last three years, she has set back and has done almost nothing.
She did nothing about the principal’s problem at Hopwood Junior High School until most of the teachers signed a petition and forced PSS into action. This, after many teachers were fired and almost 30 others transferred to Marianas High School to get away from the principal. A very fine local teacher was even arrested for trying to discipline a student. Another was physically injured and threatened with death.
How strange that now after five weeks, the news announcement comes out, on April Fool’s Day, that the Board of Education and the commissioner cannot make a decision on suspending the principal at Tinian High School for striking the students because they do not have enough evidence. Ten students put their complaints in writing and I turned those ten letters into the commissioner’s office on Feb. 25.
BOE has a policy—when a principal is involved, they sit back and do nothing. This is exactly how Rita Inos handles problems. It does not surprise me at all that PSS comes out with such a phony report on April Fool’s Day. What a big joke our PSS leadership is because action to suspend the principal should have taken place on the day the letters were turned into PSS—that’s what happens when a teacher is involved. So why was the principal not suspended?
Well, perhaps it is because she is the sister-in-law of a BOE member and a good friend to the commissioner. What a big joke our commissioner’s leadership really is—not a funny joke but so sad, sad, sad, that relatives and friends are more important than the safety and welfare of our students.
Parents, teachers, government leaders, you should be marching in protest that the welfare of the Tinian students has been so totally neglected. This is why—the principal at Tinian and Rita Inos have got to go! It’s the right thing to do for our students!
Writing in defense of students,
FRANKLIN KEIPER
Teacher representative
Board of Education
