Clarke staff voices concerns over school’s culture

Multiple Clarke school staff members explained their feelings Dec. 9 to the school board about the culture of the district but withheld specifics about how certain staff members are being treated.

No board member or other school officials in the audience responded to any of the comments.

Middle school and high school instructional coach Joni Readout said she was taking a risk speaking.

“It’s not something I should be feeling,” she said about talking but fears it’s widespread through the district.

She said there may be “a target on her back for speaking for what is right, true and what is ethical.” Readout said the district’s climate is fear, distrust, rejection, threatened, lack of empowerment and cautious. Readout said she has never felt fear during her 16 years in education, until this year.

“I’m not talking about being afraid of our building principals or administrators within our school buildings. I’m talking about being watched and observed by people who are somehow giving information to people outside of our school buildings,” she said.

Despite no specifics were made about certain staff members, sixth-grade math teacher Gina Sickels alluded to administration in her comments.

“I’m not sure the district will withstand another turnover. This is the path that some of our district want to take. It’s difficult to find a leader able to hold individuals accountable with constructive feedback and specifics and support for continued growth. Someone who leans to lead with positivity and be equally accessible to all students and staff rather than focus on a few who can further their own agenda.”

Sickels said those people already exist at Clarke.

“We have a middle school principal, high school principal, AD and assistant principal who fit this criteria. These individuals cares about academic growth and emotional well-being for kids as well as their staff and accessible to everyone.”

She said the middle school staff appreciates the respect from the secondary administration. She said the high school principal shared the comment, “We are not hear to just teach kids, we are her to help our kids learn.” Sickels called that comment thought provocative.

After the meeting, Superintendent Kurt Devore said the district will not comment on personnel matters and provided a statement.

“Clarke Community School District is committed to providing our students and staff the best possible educational experience. We strive to ensure strong, effective leadership in every role as part of our mission to empower students to be life-long learners and embrace the challenges of a changing world. While we cannot comment on specific personnel matters, we want to emphasize that all staffing and decisions are carefully considered in the best interests of our students and school community.

Tonight’s school board meeting allowed community members to share their thoughts during public comment. While many of these topics are not expressly on the agenda, we respect the public’s engagement and welcome input on matters that reference our mission and vision.

As we look toward the future, we remain focused on fostering a positive learning environment, supporting our staff and working together with our families and community to ensure the success of our students. As a progressive district striving for educational excellence through the involvement of students, families, school staff and the community, we appreciate the community’s support as we navigate the decisions that keep our students at the heart of our efforts.”

Middle school math teacher Crystal Locke said everyone involved needs to be heard.

“If we are going to great lengths to remove multiple members of our leadership team and administration, wouldn’t we want to hear both sides? The number of district leadership personnel being pushed out should be a giant red flag to our board members.”