School board meetings happen all the time, namely weekly when business items are discussed and voted upon. The topics cover all aspects of school district operations and policy, including student transportation and, as happened this week, exemplary leadership displayed by a school administrator.
It’s not news that the Beaufort County (S.C.) Board of Education voted yesterday to award a one-year, $4.2 million transportation contract to Durham School Services, with a provision that the contract could be renewed for an additional five years. It was also not surprising to read of some disent among drivers that they were happy with current contractor First Student. After all, it’s commonplace for a district to identify and proceed with contracts, projects or programs that promise to save taxpayer money, especially in this economy.
What stood out during the meeting, however, was a motion by Superintendent Valerie Truesdale asking the board to eliminate her performance-based bonus for all years remaining on her current contract. In fact, in October, Truesdale already asked for this year’s bonus to be removed.
“In my opinion, for me to benefit from the collective work of the district would not be setting the kind of example we should as educators,” she said. “My teachers work as hard as I do.”
Sure, the request could be seen as political posturing, evidence to the community that Truesdale is fiscally responsible. I have no idea of her future aspirations, but the cynic could definitely infer that she has an agenda. As with any high-profile executive, there will always be those who question job performance, as is indicated in some online comments posted to the story.
Despite whatever her true motivation might be, Truesdale rather should be applauded for taking such a step to show that she does not see herself bigger than the school district or its employees or, for that matter, better than the school buses or people who drive them that are responsible for ensuring that the children get to and from school in the first place. It is unknown if the money originally earmarked for her bonus might ever trickle back into school transportation coffers, but certainly it’s the thought that counts.
What do you think?
