EDITORIAL: School board must answer questions

Williamsburg’s County School Board has been up to their elbows in problems the past few months. Considering the massive reorganization that took place within the district at the beginning of the year, one wonders just how “organized” the entire group really is?

Since district superintendent Ralph Fennel was put on administrative leave at the start of the summer, a number of other problems have come before the board; prompting tons of called meetings, briefings and work sessions.

Budget problems have been a major concern and rightfully so. Inventory has been reported missing, purchases are being made that can’t be explained or rationalized and all the while local schools continue to be in need of repairs and updates.

With all these problems, plus rumored lawsuits pending against the district and board itself growing louder day-by-day, one wonders when the massive bubble of stress, scandal and questions is going to finally pop?

If things are as bad as they appear, the after shock from that bubble could be quite ugly. Linda B. Huell, interim superintendent of the district, has obviously been put under an enormous amount of pressure by the board’s constant demanding of solutions to problems that they may very well be the cause of. Looking back, it is a wonder that Huell and her staff have been able to produce the answers they have, given the short amount of time and extra projects thrust upon them. Finance questions have been a constant, with self-audit requests and the like being called for every week. In each meeting there is a new task, a new theory, a new tail for mainly Huell and Christine Green, district chief finance officer, to chase.

November is fast approaching, and with it colder weather and bleaker forecasts. Does the board plan to continue with this pell-mell, lack of strategic direction?

Or will the winter months provide a ray of sunshine and an Indian summer, where clarity will be provided through answers that come directly from members and not deflected down the administrative line? Under this board’s tenure, the direction of the district has been anything but positive. Time to start answering questions.