Who’s really running Rowan-Salisbury schools?
Do Salisbury-Rowan residents ever question what Judy Grissom, superintendent of the Rowan-Salisbury School System (RSSS), does to earn her $193,826 annual salary plus perks (Salisbury Post 3/14/11)?
In the Post column of 9/13/11 that announced Dr. Walter Hart’s departure from RSSS to go to Hickory as superintendent of schools, his responsibilities listed in the same column were impressive. Aside from having served as the district’s athletic director “and worked with school personnel, parents and students to resolve discipline issues and complaints,” Hart also was shown as currently being “responsible for supervising the system’s 35 principles, a student enrollment of about 20,000 and managing a $20 million budget.”
If Hart was basically running the system, what does Grissom, the top person in the system, do? Is she is more politician than school-system boss, just biding her time until retirement while drawing her fat salary?
Does Grissom actually know what goes on throughout the RSSS, or does she let her top-heavy administration run things for her so she can save her energy for Grissom-friendly school board meetings — a board that agreed to give her an automatic 2.5 percent yearly salary increase or a 3-percent performance-based raise for meeting certain goals? Are those goals being met, and do they include academic achievement, which should be the basic reason for her job?
She was able to break away from lobbying for a new central office building long enough to have two retired RSSS members return to help her until Hart’s replacement is found. What a waste. If Grissom had even a modicum of executive ability, she would do a complete re-organization of her staff and assign new responsibilities to save money.
The RSSS badly needs to institute a TQM (Total Quality Management) and Six-Sigma program to change its management culture and increase its efficiency.
— Bill Ward
Salisbury
Is an apology in order?
I really appreciate Ronnie Smith and his untiring effort to inform the citizens of a highly questionable land purchase. Mr. Smith has served and continues to serve our community with due diligence and with uncompromising standards. I do not see where Mr. Smith would personally gain by questioning an action by those involved with the purchase of the property. In fact, he has been subjected to unreasonable actions by those Mr. Smith and his family have so loyally supported.
Thank you, Ronnie, for speaking up, and I believe that the truth will prevail as responsible people investigate these allegations. Count me in as you involve yourself in other worthy community projects in Rowan County. It would be a privilege to work alongside you.
— Dr. Jim Duncan
Rockwell
‘Choosing’ to be straight
To answer Ellie Mae Lambert’s contention (Sept. 28 letter to the editor) that gays “make themselves” into gays, my question is: When did she decide to be heterosexual?
I can’t recall when I chose to be heterosexual. It couldn’t have been when I was 4 or 20 years old.
Why don’t Christians praise God for creating hell? He’s a good God. According to what Christians believe, you may qualify for hell if you are a paraplegic and stare into empty space. All is takes is one heretical thought.
— R. Howard Andrews
Kannapolis