Mohammadkhani needed for public schools

On April 2, you will have the opportunity to place a key vote for the future of our community. I hope you take it; far too many of our citizens ignore it. I’m talking about your civic responsibility to elect the best candidates to our Springfield Public Schools Board of Education.

There was a time when the United States’ educational system was one of the world’s best and most effective. Our nation has tumbled from that position, and we haven’t hit bottom yet. Statewide, Missouri sits at the middle of the pack. The Children’s Educational Alliance of Missouri notes that in 2017 only two-thirds of our students were rated as proficient in English language arts. Only about half of our students were proficient in math.

Nationally, many states are closing that proficiency gap. Not Missouri. In fact, the gap continues to grow. As of 2018, Missouri public education ranked 48 out 50 states and the District of Columbia toward shrinking the proficiency gap. Not encouraging, especially considering that in 2009 Missouri and Massachusetts tied for the top spot out of all 50 states toward closing the proficiency gap.

Some states are finding answers. Why? I believe the key is leadership. No surprise. Pick any area in life. Everything pretty much rises and falls with leadership.

Recently I decided to check out the Springfield public education leadership for myself. Besides hearing about a growing number of discipline problems occurring across the district in the fall of 2023, I was taken back by the testimony of Laura Mullins, president of the Springfield National Education Association (SNEA). Mullins said she’s spoken with Springfield Public School officials multiple times to let them know their concerns, but nothing has changed. She said the district is relying too much on structures that are simply not providing the guidance, flexibility, or authority to handle disciplinary issues in the classroom. Serious disciplinary issues are not being resolved and Springfield teachers are frustrated.

Mullins went on to cite examples of disciplinary issues:

h Bullying with repeated threats of physical harm, despite a history of violent assaults;

h Threatening to shoot other students;

h Flipping chairs, writing on walls, upending offices and classrooms;

h Getting in teachers’ faces, putting fingers in their faces, and yelling at them;

h Telling a teacher to sit on their “male appendage” (Because this is supposed to be a family-friendly environment, I substituted the offensive word even though these are the words SPS is allowing students to use in our learning environments.)

Ms. Mullin’s testimony to the Springfield Public Education Board wasn’t the most disturbing issue that evening. It was the apparent lack of concern in response to what Mullins had shared. Though speaking for a 3,000-person teacher’s union, her words seemed to fall on deaf ears. In a follow-up meeting by the board in February to review Springfield Public School policy, the topic of discipline stirred up debate, but zero agreement on next steps. The superintendent of Springfield Public Schools along with four board members seemed to think policy changes weren’t needed despite strong evidence to the contrary. Dr. Maryam Mohammadkhani, representing the minority opinion on the board, took the time to provide a history lesson about the failing disciplinary policy in Springfield public schools. The response? “Things are just fine.”

As an infantry officer who fought for this country in Vietnam and served America for over three decades on active duty, I have learned the importance of discipline in the military as well in all areas of life. Its essential. The mission can’t succeed without it. Regardless of what age you might be, doesn’t it make sense that our students and teachers should be safe in the classroom? I think you would agree that today’s culture present many distractions. Rising disciplinary problems don’t have to be among those.

In the meetings I attended, several disturbing trends were readily apparent. The board president tightly controls the agenda, with little to no room for board input. Second, while policy clearly states that the superintendent of Springfield Public Schools works under the supervision of the school board, reality says differently. In the the most recent school board meeting, the board shied away from evaluating the performance of the superintendent. That’s not leadership.

Springfield voters, we can change this. Maryam Mohammadkhani is up for reelection on April 2. She has demonstrated a track record of bold, courageous, and smart leadership during her first three-year term. She is running again. Springfield Public Schools needs her leadership.

Dr. Mohammadkhani is a highly trained pathologist. She has applied her training and critical thinking skills toward creating educational policies and practices that will serve students as they strive to become significant contributors throughout many areas of American society.

Set your calendars to vote in the April 2 election. Elect Dr. Mohammadkhani to another term. She will not disappoint us!

Scott McChrystal lives in Springfield.