Compiled by Kristy Edenfield
HERE are the questions asked by the audience on index cards during the recent Conversations with Dr. Dionne Hoskins-Brown and Mr. Roger Moss, hosted by The Savannahian at Front Porch Improv.
“Your opponent supports higher salaries for teachers. Didn’t teachers get a series of raises under the previous superintendent? Are salaries closer now to being competitive with other school districts? Or were the salaries so low that we need more raises?”
Roger Moss:
“Over the last few years teachers have received raises each year. I believe quality teachers should receive bonus pay.”
Dionne Hoskins-Brown:
“Governor Kemp approved two raises for teachers during his term and the school district included professional staff in those raises. Teacher salaries in Savannah are pretty much in line with Georgia, though Georgia can be about $5,000 less than the National average. The rate of pay is also affected by credentials and time of service. The cost of living in Savannah does a lot to exacerbate pressures on a teacher's salary. That, and the fact that teachers are having to do more and more on their own time to keep up with state standards demands.
Anyone in any job would feel discontentment in that kind of situation.”
Question:
“How will you ensure parents are treated as equal partners in education - especially around literacy, communication, and the consistent application of grievance policies?”
Roger Moss:
“Positive parental involvement greatly enhances a student's success in school. There is a fine line that should not be crossed. That line is respect for teachers. While the teacher may not always be right, there are established norms in policy regarding how grievances are to be addressed.”
Dionne Hoskins-Brown:
“I think we need to have policies that outline the boundaries of discretionary decisions by school leadership. I believe that will help set expectations on how the board expects its policies to be followed.”
Question:
“Are you open to the idea of students who graduated from the Savannah Chatham County Public School system coming to a board meeting, letting you know what programs and classes helped them when they got to college or entered into the work force?”
Roger Moss:
“We welcome students to speak at our meetings. I would actually like us to have better data about where our students end up after graduation.”
Dionne Hoskins-Brown:
“I would absolutely be open to hearing from former students and I think that that would be great in many different formats. The school board meeting could be one but that might be a very good activity for the professional Senate to hear it may be a good community town hall or evening Forum or afternoon seminar something that may appeal to folks outside of a board meeting. I suspect that folks would be happy to hear an hour of this testimony so I would love to talk about what that could look like and what kind of space could be prepared for it and how to engage graduates from a broad spectrum of careers.”
Question:
“What is your vision about the use of cellphones in middle school following updated research of mental health and other states' policies forbidding them?”
Roger Moss:
“Cellphone policy is now a state issue and law.”
Dionne Hoskins-Brown:
“I would support removing cell phones from middle schools. I was not a fan of bringing phones into our schools when we approved them, but I supported the effort to use them as an instructional tool. As much as they can be helpful, I think their role as a distraction and a tool for misbehavior outweighs their benefits.”
Question:
“Are current, board-approved, grievance policies being followed as written, including the 10-day response expectation - or are they being treated as guidance? And how will you ensure accountability moving forward?”
Roger Moss:
“The 10-day response time has greatly improved during the current administration. The policy concerns acknowledgement, not resolution. Some grievances need further investigation.”
Dionne Hoskins-Brown:
“I have to say that I honestly don't know if they're being followed 100%. I would presume that they're not because I have heard of a few complaints. They have not been many, but I have heard them. I suspect that having site-based control is impacting compliance. Site-based leadership is inherently discretionary so it may be impacting the implementation of our grievance process.”