The End of the CAC as We Know It

The Superintendent of Schools, Dr. Kevin Maxwell, has gotten his way with disbanding the Countywide Citizen Adisory Committee (CAC) as it has existed for many years.  The apparent issue between the existing CAC and the superintendent seems to be a difference in what each sees at its role: 

The superintendent believes the CAC should only discuss issues that have been put on the agenda by his office and the CAC members believed they were to bring to the table issues that originated at the individual school's level.

After recent resignations by a couple of CAC chairs, the battle was taken on by Joanna Conti, former candidate for county executive.  I'm told she took on the job assuming that if one just approached the superintendent and Board of Education(BOE) members reasonably and with a clear plan on how to revamp the CAC, that the administration and BOE would see the value in working with the existing CAC.  

In the end she was just as frustrated as previous CAC chairs and members when it became apparent that the talk was falling on deaf ears. 

The newly constituted Executive Comittee will consist of 29 members, including two from each feeder system and the members will be selected by the School Board members. 

We've all seen how well that kind of process has worked with the lack of citizen involvement in school board selection resulting in no applicants for the job. 

The main problem with the "top down" control of the new Executive Committee will be when the superintendent and School Board members get blind-sided by something that would have previously been brought to their attention through the old "bottom up" process.  Communication is an important tool and this process will kill the give and take that previoulsy existed.