By JAN LARSON McLAUGHLIN
BG Independent News
Bowling Green’s new school superintendent is not shy about communication – and not just Twitter and Facebook – but old-fashioned face to face time.
Francis Scruci been hosting regular coffee klatches with citizens, but now he’s looking at narrowing the focus of the discussions and drawing more input.
So once a month, Scruci plans to host public workshops. Each will focus on a specific topic, such as drug testing, delivery of instruction, school funding or the impact of charter schools.
“I want open and honest dialogue,” he said.
The superintendent has asked that all the school board members also attend the workshops. So the gatherings will be like a second meeting a month for the board, but one with more interaction with the public than is possible at regular board meetings.
“The community, staff felt disconnected from our board and schools,” Scruci said.
Anyone will be allowed to speak at the workshops and no decisions will be made during the meetings. “There will be a climate of collaboration,” he said. “It’s not adversarial.”
Scruci presented the idea last week during the first such workshop, this one focusing on the future of school buildings in the district.
“We want interaction with our community,” he told the audience. “We want dialogue.”
“We have to have the entire village working together for the good of our schools,” Scruci said.
The superintendent stressed that anyone wanting to talk to him need not wait until the monthly workshops. In addition to the coffee klatches, he said citizens are welcome to drop by his office at anytime to talk.
“We all care about kids. We all care about the community,” he said.
