Board right in Vidrine vote

That sigh you hear is one of relief.

The Monroe City School Board, after a meeting in late June that was an embarrassment to this community and nearly ended in a fight, took its responsibilities seriously last week.

The board voted to open negotiations with the sitting superintendent, Brent Vidrine, for a new contract —one that will extend through the term of the current board members and into the next.

The board agreed to negotiate a 30-month contract. Vidrine has earned it, and the board deserves recognition for its common sense decision.

It’s hard to fathom why Vidrine’s position was uncertain.

Vidrine has exhibited strong leadership skills first as a principal, now as a superintendent who has contributed to educational excellence for the district. The district has raised its ranking by a letter grade and brought ACT scores up to historically high numbers.

Recent raw test data showed all of the city high schools have seen increases since the 2013-14 school year.

In another sign of success under Vidrine, Ann Cook, the principal at Cypress Point University Elementary School was named Louisiana Elementary Principal of the Year 2017. Cypress Point is a high-performing, high-poverty school. In 2015, the school gained 17.6 points on its Student Performance Score and was named a Top Gains school by the Louisiana Department of Education. The school improved from a C to a B, and it was within three points of an A.

The school system, under Vidrine, has shown pride and significant improvement.

Vidrine told the board he has plans to further the development.

He looks forward to extending his efforts to increase student test scores, which ultimately leads to better-ranking schools.

He also said the district is working on several capital improvement projects, including some that the public generally doesn’t see but are important to the continued safety and well-being of the students.

The momentum is strong. But the vocal opposition of board member Brenda Shelling was such that community leaders worried good sense would be tossed out the window, that the momentum would be derailed. It was Shelling who asked people to “stand up and claim the district for the future of our children.”

That’s exactly what the board did in the end, with Shelling the lone vote against the new contract.

It was refreshing to hear board President Rodney McFarland, who has not always provided Vidrine with firm support, say he believes Vidrine knows the district well, that they have a good working relationship he believes will continue to improve through continued efforts to improve schools and performance scores.

The cloud that hung over Vidrine’s future hung over the city’s future as well. Without stability and strength in the Monroe City School System, economic development would suffer. Growth inside the city would stagnate as people would turn even more to the parish school system. The question of whether Vidrine would be offered a new contract had alarm bells ringing at the Monroe Chamber of Commerce.

That sigh of relief we hear comes from the businesses and families of Monroe.

The 30-month contract will give the system time to build a long-term strategy, to provide the community peace of mind that, with this behind the board, the attention can return once again to the children of the system.

The contract will give the members of the next board time to get to know the system before having to wrangle over the superintendent’s contract.

The board’s vote to open contract negotiations served this community well. It was a vote to continue down the road that has demonstrated improved performances in the schools. It was a vote that paid attention to the community’s wishes. This time, the board got it right. And we’re relieved.