LETTER: Time for Clark County school principals, administrators to face spotlight

Excuse me if I am unsympathetic to Stephen Augspurger, head of the school administrators union, attempting to defend substandard leadership. In your Sept. 29 story, “No bad principals in Clark County, evaluators say,” he stated that “the job of the principal has grown more complex with each passing year, adding to the demands placed on school leaders.”

This exemplifies how detached many administrators are with the current classroom teacher’s demands.

I’ve been teaching 25 years, and I’ve attended more meetings, had more planning time sabotaged, sat on more committees and provided more class coverage during the past 10 years than I ever did in my first 15. I haven’t even mentioned that it has become difficult to make or find time to teach due to the never-ending testing schedule. This doesn’t include all other responsibilities and obligations that are part of the job.

I am deeply troubled that teachers have had to absorb more of the parenting role with each passing year. Welcome, Mr. Augspurger, to a workload that is beyond “complex and demanding.” The pressure and scrutiny that has been on teachers for years will now be yours, too.

Teachers just want to do their jobs, and now the system is taking steps to ensure that you do yours fairly and equitably. Our students and families deserve nothing less. The question is: Are district administrators up to the challenge?