Hard Assignment But It Can Be Done

Things can’t get much worse for the Bonner County School District.

For months, a series of controversial issues has rocked confidence in the district, including an administration plan to reduce the budget deficit at the expense of extracurricular activities, a teachers’ vote of no confidence in Superintendent Max Harrell, the inefficiency of the special education department and the failure of 14 of 15 district schools to meet accreditation standards.

Now, an Idaho Department of Education advisory team has issued a 28-page report that criticizes the district for deficit spending, lack of a districtwide curriculum and failure by Harrell to communicate with teachers and the public.

No one would blame supporters of Bonner County schools if they quit trying to improve education. But, for the sake of the community’s children, we urge them not to do that.

The district can turn things around. Others have.

Superintendent Richard Harris, for example, inherited a mess when he began work for the Post Falls School District three years ago. Patrons were angry that the district had bought out his predecessor’s contract. An important bond issue had failed to receive even a simple majority. Schools were overcrowded. And 60 percent of the residents rated communication between the district and its patrons as average or very low.

Sound familiar?

Harris regained community support by meeting tirelessly with the public, friends and foes alike. He also compiled a list of grievances. He addressed the gripes he could, particularly the ones that didn’t cost money, and studied the rest. Today, Post Falls schools still are overcrowded; in fact, the junior high will begin double-shifting next year. But that’s not Harris’ fault. Important school bonds now attract more than 60 percent of the vote but, unfortunately, fall short of Idaho’s untenable two-thirds requirement. Still, Harris greatly has improved chances of passing a bond for a new high school by restoring public confidence in his office and the board of trustees.

The Bonner County School District will continue to flounder and lose bond and levy votes until it wins back the public’s confidence. It can begin the process by following Harris’ sure-fire formula: Communicate with teachers and the public, be honest, compile a list of grievances and fix problems that are solvable.

The mission is tough - but not impossible.

, DataTimes The following fields overflowed: CREDIT = D.F. Oliveria/For the editorial board