Letter to the editor

To the editor:
The recent letter from my former fellow Mehlville school board member Venki Palamand did indeed hit the nail on the head.
He wrote: “Board members publicly stated last year that they were ‘embarrassed’ by the low math scores. This year, the report from the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education is worse. Just 44.8 percent of Mehlville students scored at the proficient or advanced level in math. That is lower than last year and nearly 30 points below Lindbergh.”
When I left the board three years ago, we had a strategic plan in place. Our goal was to adopt best practices from the highest performing districts and measure Mehlville against those districts.
This has not happened. So I ask, where is the accountability? I see the same continuing issues that I fought before: frequent changes in math curriculum, diminishing rigor, lack of classroom time and emphasis on non-curricular agenda.
Teachers are not the issue. Our educators are not allowed the freedom to explore new methods. They are asked to learn programs. Students who are falling behind do not have access to help, so everyone is slowed down.
Having seen what our teachers do, we can’t ask them to do more without time to work with our students. Failing at math means failing to be ready for future careers.
The current board, while “embarrassed,” continues with the status quo and allowed this slide to continue. Well, enough is enough. Things need to change quickly.
Writing letters is fine, but we need to do more to make a difference. If you agree, make sure you let them know.
Ron Fedorchak
Oakville
Editor’s note: Ron Fedorchak served on the Mehlville Board of Education from 2010 to 2014.