New School Year, New Leaders?

In just under a week, the Monroe City Schools Board will hold its first meeting of the New Year and quite frankly, no one knows what to expect. The board went through some ups/downs throughout 2020 beginning on how it would maintain/conduct a normal school year of activity with the coronavirus on the horizon early in 2020. COVID-19, as the virus came to be known as, proved to be challenging for all school boards across the nation and it still is for the current board. How effective was last year's school board has mixed reviews from the community, as there were controversial topics that were discussed and voted on by the seven board members. Two topics that stood out beside how to confront COVID-19 was the renaming of Robert E. Lee Jr. High and the implementation of the "flex day". The "Lee" issue has been settled, but not to everyone's satisfaction, and the jury is still out concerning the flex day. The board had a new president at the beginning of 2020 when it elected District 5 board member Betty Ward Cooper to lead the board. Now the time has come for board members to elect its officers for the new school year. Will the board stay with Cooper or do they want someone else to possibly take the board in a different direction?

It will be at the first school board meeting where we will know who the majority of board members want to lead them. Supt. Brent Vidrine can only sit on the sidelines as the board makes its decision. There are some things board members will have to consider when they make their decisions for president AND vice president. One of those considerations is that whoever is chosen as president, be aware that great responsibilities comes with the position. But more importantly from a power standpoint, that individual as the president sets the agenda for all board meetings. The superintendent "works" for the board, and must answer to the president of the board. He/she will "set the tone" of related school business for our children and the community. MCSB is comprised of 5 Black and 2 White members. We know that in years past that even with a majority Afro-American school board, a White individual has been elected president. Sources say that 2021 may be the year. District 3 member Bill Willson has served as president, which leaves District 2 member Jennifer Haneline as the successor to Cooper. History has shown that it can happen.

Even though the board is elected locally, politics will always play a part in who they are(who they support) and that is usually revealed in the comments that they say. Yes, it usually comes down to who is a Democrat and who is a Republican and who they cast their votes for. That IS their right. But after having gone through one of the worst and most divisive presidential election in history and witnessing what just happen at the Capitol, who the next school board president may indeed "set the tone" on where the board goes. We can be sure that there may be some "jockeying" to see who has/needs the votes from certain board members to ensure that the "right" person is elected as the next board president. Speaking of the next president(U.S.), let's hope that the prayers offered up for the outgoing president, will be offered up for the new incoming president.