I thought Wednesday night's meeting was very positive, upbeat, constructive. There will be several new positions that will be opening and posted. They will be looking at solving the problem of not enough lunch aides for Adkins School. They dealt with the issue of the contracts for Mrs. Selby and Ms. Silvey.
There is one thing that was brought up at the meeting that I would like to address. Mr. Bruns shared that he has heard the concern from Bridgeport Staff that city employees are hired over internal applicants. I understand what Mr. Bruns is talking about because I have heard the comments myself and I have read several comments along that line I think on MLive on several of the stories about Bridgeport. I think that the term "city person" is a very poor choice of words. When I first read the comments online and heard them around the school, my first thought was "was that meant as a racial slam?". Then I thought a little more and figured that it was meant more as a territorial term or issue, not racial. People need to choose their words very carefully and be sensitive to how it may be perceived by others, and how it may be offensive to some. I understand they mean people from outside the district. I also understand that they are concerned that internal applicants are being overlooked for positions within the Bridgeport District. In the business world, or school districts, it does build a better rapport with the employees if they feel that all the time and work they have put in will be rewarded when they have the chance to advance to new positions. It seems like common sense, practical, to hire from within first; But there will be times when the most qualified person is needed for the position and that person may not be a internal applicant. That is a tough call and one that I am glad I don't have to make.
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