School leadership has failed
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Editor,
Prior to the Polson School Board meeting on Feb. 14, a school board trustee stated that superintendent David Whitesell and principal Rob Hankins had already offered the position of assistant principal at Polson High School to Marlin Lewis, a math teacher at the high school. This deal was made before any action had taken place to non-renew current assistant principal Shawn Hendrickson “without cause.”
Since David Whitesell has become superintendent the procedure for hiring administrators has changed. He is now the only person that screens applications, interviews, and hires for these positions. There is no longer any school board or staff input as to who they think is the best applicant for the position. Shawn Hendrickson was the last administrator to be hired with school board and staff input. It seems as though Mr. Whitesell is trying to create an administration that feels they owe their jobs to him. I can’t help but wonder now if Mr. Hendrickson was terminated “without cause” because he might not agree with everything Mr. Whitesell does. Is an administrative team full of “yes men” in the best interest of the students?
The position of assistant principal is currently being advertised and the closing date is March 21. The most qualified person for this position is Mr. Hendrickson. Now, apparently someone with no administrative experience has been offered the job. When that happens, you’ll know why Mr. Hendrickson was not renewed “without cause,” because David Whitesell and Rob Hankins had other plans. Ethically speaking, this is morally incomprehensible.
Clay Bird
Polson
