All MPS All the Time

For MPS junkies, this week's Crossroads section is a bonanza: with an editorial, a column blaming MPS' challenges on school vouchers, letters expressing all sorts of opinions, a column by three school board members, and a discussion of the Neighborhood Schools Initiative by the superintendent.

Superintendent Bill Andrekopoulis acquits himself with honor, both for what he says and what he does not say. He puts the Neighborhood Schools Initiative in perspective, as a still incomplete effort, connecting it to the current efforts to further reduce busing. And he avoids the easy temptation that superintendents often fall into of blaming his predecessor for any bumps in the road.

The column by the three school board members inadvertently serves as an demonstration of why the current school board is largely dysfunctional. Even though two of the authors joined the school board before implementation of the NSI started, they embrace the temptation to disclaim any responsibility for how it was implemented.

The present school board is all about grabbing individual credit rather than developing a consistent vision. That comes through in the column where the three authors are generous in giving themselves credit for a hodgepodge of activities. Ironically, in several cases, one or more of the authors of this column attempted to derail or delay the initiative they are now claiming credit for.