Has anyone ever heard of a Multi-Tiered System of Supports Coordinator (MTSSC) ?
Probably not. It was hard for us to understand too.
This came up at a Marysville school board meeting last week where the administration had the coordinator explain to the board how far the students are behind and how they might deal with the lost educational experience.
Board members asked questions, but also did a lot of head nodding so it was not clear whether or not they understood what was being said.
Many of the questions are a result of the outpouring from parents who came forward to let the board know how dire their situations are. Some even went into detail about the mental health issues their children are facing because of the speed at which the district has changed.
This begs the question-does the school have the right person in place to lead the staff to deal with the damage done? We think the board should find new inspiration and here’s why.
During the previous administration the Marysville Exempted Village was continually rated superior by the state indicating that teachers and administration worked hand in hand to provide a quality education. There was one high school principal who was here for 20 years and one athletic director that was on the job for 20 years as well.
Thankfully, the district didn’t have to deal with the coronavirus but did pass nine out of ten levies, some during a recession. This helped build the middle school, two elementaries, an intermediate building as well as an expansion to the high school that included a new track and field house.
School leaders also created a PIE committee that allowed the public to join in the discussion as pieces of the pie to help with community issues and determine a path forward.
Under the current administration there has been so much change including a second high school that has created unrest and turnover that the district has gone through three high school principals and five athletic directors in eight years. Additionally, from the teacher’s perspective they feel like the student experience is not what they were used to seeing before.
So what does the next 10 years look like?
Should we be hiring Muti-Tiered System of Supports Coordinators or more teachers?
We seem to have more questions than answers but feel that a district that is divided, fragmented and still searching for that teacher/administration fit is no way to prepare local students for tomorrow.