After news broke about questions regarding district leadership in Cherry Creek last spring, I heard immediately from members of the Cherry Creek Education Association, the union representing nearly 3000 CCSD educators, of which I proudly serve as president. Educators across the district spoke about feeling betrayed, sometimes embarrassed, by what they’d heard. They sought answers and were left with more and more questions.
At the end of May, we conducted a survey of our membership to understand the broader perspective of the thousands of student-facing educators we represent. The data indicated that while they still had faith in their colleagues and in the building administrators they see every day, they also saw a failure of leadership at the top.
Our state affiliate CEA stepped in to help us gauge whether what was happening internally was also being felt outside the district. The results of that poll match what we’ve heard from members, even months after the news cycle had passed. While 82% of respondents agree educators are the bedrock of the district, the same can’t be said for central administrators and district leaders. This district has always enjoyed overwhelming support from its families, the voters, and the employees. However, that same poll shows our residents are very concerned about the lack of transparency and accountability on the part of district leaders.
CCEA has a long history of working alongside district leaders, often behind the scenes, because we believe collaboration best serves students. Given that history, we’ve waited to see how the Board and returning district leadership would handle all the turmoil. Speaking publicly isn’t an action I take lightly, but over the past few months, educators have seen no evidence of a change for the better; in fact, we’re concerned about initiatives that keep arriving without educators’ input. Yet, we continue to do our jobs in spite of this uncertainty–because that’s what educators do.
The Board’s search for the next superintendent provides an opportunity to either rebuild or further erode already-broken trust. While the Board did hire a search firm to conduct focus groups, the process has been almost identical to the searches of the past. Now is not the time to do what we have always done.
I am asking the Board to listen more actively to the voices that are most important to the community–parents and educators. The Board must share its criteria for the next superintendent, and it must release the search firm’s report in full. I’d also ask the Board to consider running this process out in the open, similar to the way we hire school principals. That means including parents, educators, and students on the screening committee; naming finalists publicly, where possible; extending the timeline, as necessary to conduct a thorough process; and holding open forums for stakeholders to meet candidates.
Whoever becomes our next superintendent will need educators and families behind them from day one, and that starts with a process we can see and believe in. When the Board announces their final selection, we must know they were chosen from a pool of outstanding candidates, and they are ready to build and extend trust with the professionals and the parents who care deeply about the future of CCSD.
I feel fortunate, after almost thirty years, to still spend every morning in a classroom with students. They remind me every day what’s at stake, which is why I’m speaking up now. We owe it to our students and the educators who serve them to get this right.
— Carlye Holladay is president of the Cherry Creek Education Association