I support Mike Morris as our school superintendent and believe he has provided high quality, transparent and stable leadership for the district. I agree with the School Committee’s positive evaluation. In reading about that evaluation, I was surprised and disappointed that the goals and standards on which the committee evaluates Dr. Morris did not include any reference to academic achievement or excellence. Our schools compete with charter, private, choice and homeschool options available to our families, and in order to win that competition our administration must explicitly strive for academic achievement for all students as the primary goal of the school system. The School Committees should be explicit in holding Dr. Morris and the schools to high standards of academic achievement just as they do in areas of management, teacher professional development, and social justice and equity.
Sanjay Arwade
Amherst