Post by Chris_Wendt on May 11, 2012 11:10:45 GMT -5
It was important for me to prioritize requirements and desired outcomes before voting for the next member of the Wantagh school board. In my opinion, what the Wantagh School District needs most is an excellent leader and some excellent followers.
Our urgent need for a new professional educational leader seems to have been fulfilled by the hiring of Phillip D’Angelo as our new Superintendent, starting July 1. However, his success and ours depends upon his being accorded the full respect of the Board of Education to follow his leadership, meaning, that the individual board members each give him ample room and time and space to do the job for which he has been hired so that our students, our parents, and we taxpayers all get our money’s worth from this most critical investment.
This may seem like an odd statement for me to make, but I have spoken with the last three people who sat in the Superintendent's chair, and I have spoken with other administrators and stakeholders, and there is a definite need for board members to personally become better followers of the professional leadership of our school district.
How the four incumbent board members will interact with the new Superintendent once he is sworn-in, how well each of them follows his leadership is something each of them will have to decide and act upon individually.
However, we—you and I—are about to elect the newest member of the Wantagh school board, and this issue of accepting and following the Superintendent’s leadership, for me, was paramount in my own decision for whom to vote.
Of the three candidates, only one clearly indicated an awareness of this situation, the need for “follow-ship” in order for “leadership” to work. That candidate is Peter Brasile, and I recommend that you read his profile on Patch. (Hyperlink-Click!)
Speaking with Peter Brasile at the Candidates Night event, I was personally satisfied that he has a keen perception of this serious situation which has been very clearly evidenced by so much turnover in key posts in our school district. He noted that, in the military, the people in charge of any unit that lost so many key people would be held accountable for what is going on, and would be expected to fix the problem. He told me privately what he thought the underlying problem was, and I agree, privately, with his assessment.
I had gotten to know Peter Brasile while I was on the Board of Education, during the time he was co-founding the Wantagh Football (& Cheer-leading) Club. He was very well organized, totally dedicated to and focused on accomplishing the mission to create that club and he made it work for all concerned. He had a “can-do” attitude, and he got it done with his founders team. I want to emphasize the teamwork aspect of that very successful and lasting undertaking; Peter Brasile was definitely not a one-man show, and he is quick to point that out even today, giving full credit to all who worked along side him to get it done.
Peter Brasile is his own man, capable and self-confident, who looks you square in the eye when speaking with you, and who is also an engaged listener during conversation. His 14 years experience in the military, some during combat in a leadership role, have served him well, instilling within him respect for people and an ingrained sense of duty and mission, especially for taking personal responsibility for all of his endeavors. While all candidates can point to activities and participation around Wantagh, Peter Brasile can point to a real significant, vital accomplishment from his work in Wantagh on behalf of our children.
Peter Brasile gets my vote. I hope you will consider giving him yours.
Sincerely,
Chris Wendt
Our urgent need for a new professional educational leader seems to have been fulfilled by the hiring of Phillip D’Angelo as our new Superintendent, starting July 1. However, his success and ours depends upon his being accorded the full respect of the Board of Education to follow his leadership, meaning, that the individual board members each give him ample room and time and space to do the job for which he has been hired so that our students, our parents, and we taxpayers all get our money’s worth from this most critical investment.
This may seem like an odd statement for me to make, but I have spoken with the last three people who sat in the Superintendent's chair, and I have spoken with other administrators and stakeholders, and there is a definite need for board members to personally become better followers of the professional leadership of our school district.
How the four incumbent board members will interact with the new Superintendent once he is sworn-in, how well each of them follows his leadership is something each of them will have to decide and act upon individually.
However, we—you and I—are about to elect the newest member of the Wantagh school board, and this issue of accepting and following the Superintendent’s leadership, for me, was paramount in my own decision for whom to vote.
Of the three candidates, only one clearly indicated an awareness of this situation, the need for “follow-ship” in order for “leadership” to work. That candidate is Peter Brasile, and I recommend that you read his profile on Patch. (Hyperlink-Click!)
Speaking with Peter Brasile at the Candidates Night event, I was personally satisfied that he has a keen perception of this serious situation which has been very clearly evidenced by so much turnover in key posts in our school district. He noted that, in the military, the people in charge of any unit that lost so many key people would be held accountable for what is going on, and would be expected to fix the problem. He told me privately what he thought the underlying problem was, and I agree, privately, with his assessment.
I had gotten to know Peter Brasile while I was on the Board of Education, during the time he was co-founding the Wantagh Football (& Cheer-leading) Club. He was very well organized, totally dedicated to and focused on accomplishing the mission to create that club and he made it work for all concerned. He had a “can-do” attitude, and he got it done with his founders team. I want to emphasize the teamwork aspect of that very successful and lasting undertaking; Peter Brasile was definitely not a one-man show, and he is quick to point that out even today, giving full credit to all who worked along side him to get it done.
Peter Brasile is his own man, capable and self-confident, who looks you square in the eye when speaking with you, and who is also an engaged listener during conversation. His 14 years experience in the military, some during combat in a leadership role, have served him well, instilling within him respect for people and an ingrained sense of duty and mission, especially for taking personal responsibility for all of his endeavors. While all candidates can point to activities and participation around Wantagh, Peter Brasile can point to a real significant, vital accomplishment from his work in Wantagh on behalf of our children.
Peter Brasile gets my vote. I hope you will consider giving him yours.
Sincerely,
Chris Wendt
