Missed opportunity, absence of leadership?

Where were school leaders?

State Superintendent Mo Green was at Hibriten High School in Lenoir on Tuesday, part of his “Mo Wants to Know” listening tour, a rare, open-to-the-public forum designed to harvest local concerns and comments on education.

Students were there. Teachers were there. Parents were there. Conspicuously absent: Burke County’s school administrators and elected officials. They were a no-show. No school board members. Not the superintendent.

How disappointing. It was a unique chance to share with Green the thoughts, hopes and prayers from Burke County’s residents concerning our public schools.

They missed a great opportunity to speak directly to the state’s top education official and strengthen lines of communication and relationships between Burke County and Raleigh.

They missed a great opportunity for the elected school board members to demonstrate to teachers, parents, support staff, and the community that they are fighting to protect, support, and enhance educational opportunities in Burke County.

The entire purpose of Green’s visit was to hear directly from local communities. To understand how Raleigh can support our students and educators. It was an invitation to sit at the table. The insight from these listening sessions could significantly shape the statewide comprehensive strategic plan.

Parents, teachers, and community stakeholders from around the region showed up to share concerns and build a connection with the man charting the course for public education across our state. Ninety percent of those attending were teachers, attendees said.

Burke County leaders should take every opportunity to inject themselves into the conversation.

Our school district has no shortage of concerns worth voicing. The shortlist includes teacher pay and retention, post-pandemic challenges, school safety, better funding, and the impact of Opportunity Scholarships (vouchers).

What kind of message does this send to our teachers and families — that when given the chance to advocate on their behalf, our district leaders didn’t show up?

Was it political? (Green is a Democrat and Burke school board members are Republicans.) We are forced to wonder why none of our elected school board members passed on the chance to go bend the ear of the state’s top education official.

Burke Superintendent Dr. Mike Swan has personally met with Green on several occasions. In those meetings, he has explained his priorities. That’s fantastic. We believe he could have reinforced those priorities in the public setting. Not only would that have strengthened his previous conversations with the state superintendent, but it would also have given district employees and parents a morale boost. They would have seen him stand up for them and the school district’s needs.

Burke has seven elected board members but not a single one attended. Yes, they have families and jobs and numerous priorities vying for their attention. We all do.

Leadership isn’t just about running meetings and balancing budgets. It’s about presence. It’s about advocacy. It’s about showing up when it matters.

Attending a listening session isn’t a partisan issue. It’s not about ideology or school board politics. It’s about responsibility. It’s about the basic duty of elected and appointed officials to seize every opportunity to advocate for the children and educators they serve.

We should know that Burke County officials weren’t alone in skipping the event. Few, if any, elected education or central office leaders from the 12 counties in the region attended.

Who did make the 30-minute drive from Burke to Caldwell County?

Several Burke teachers understood the value of attending. They showed up.

Students from Burke County also showed up. A familiar face, teen columnist and NCSSM student Christopher Pedro was there, emphasizing the importance of student voices in decisions made at the state level.

Let’s hope the absence of school leadership is not a habit. Our students can’t afford for Burke County to be missing from the table.