Ridgway Colorado Schools

Posted by:

Erin Eddy

www.ridgwayland.com

November 19, 2008

We're just more than halfway through November, hurtling headlong into the hectic holiday season, and it's been quite a newsmaking month for the Ridgway School District.

First, the ballot box results came late on the night of Nov. 4, and for the mil levy override question that would provide funding for the new gymnasium and music room. Hurrah, it was good news: Approval by a margin of 968-639.

So after years of planning, looking for a site, getting an original property tax measure passed and having the gym facilities fall casualty to unforeseen cost hikes, we will now get to see the needed school expansion progress through to completion.

To all who have dedicated the countless (and mostly, unpaid) hours toward building facilities that match the district's aspiration for excellence, three words — congratulations, and thank you.

The other school news in recent weeks involves top-level leadership for the district.

First, Superintendent Douglas Bissonette announced (actually on Halloween) he would be stepping down at the end of the school year.

On the heels of that announcement, the School Board unanimously voted to appoint a familiar face, that of Don Batchelder, to the vacant fifth board seat. Bissonette accurately states that he will leave Ridgway Schools in very good shape.

"Students receive an outstanding education from caring and talented teachers, the schools are led by strong principals with a clear, student-oriented vision, the district is in strong financial condition, and Ridgway's reputation locally and around the state is exceptional," Bissonette wrote in his resignation letter.

As any current observer knows, Bissonette's leadership of the district has been not been without its critics or controversy. With the support of his board, he was not timid in making changes in the faculty where he thought they were warranted. And several of those ignited emotional protests and discord in the community.

Bissonette noted that his tenure was of six years, twice the state average for school superintendents. Those short job spans indicate that the top administrative post of any school system is among the most challenging anywhere. Superintendents must answer to a politically-elected board, manage other administrators and teachers, crunch numbers into a working budget, and oh, know a thing or two about education. Just may be the toughest job in town.

Our hat's off to Bisonette for taking on those challenges with a can-do attitude.

His pending departure was a direct factor in the selection of Batchelder back to the School Board.

That Batchelder, the former mayor, town manager and current county commissioner, is a good choice should go without saying. Indeed, the employment of the best qualified superintendent is likely the board's biggest responsibility. Batchelder's long background in working both as an elected official and as a paid administrator will contribute greatly to finding Bissonette's successor, and that he or she be best suited for the job.

The appointment keeps Batchelder, whose eight years on the Board of County Commissioners ends in January, in an official public capacity. Which begs the question: What's next for him next November, when the School Board appointment ends?

— David Mullings