WE WON!! THE BOARD FINALLY LISTENED AND REVERSED THEIR DECISION BECAUSE WE REFUSED TO BACK DOWN!! THANK YOU FOR STAYING LOUD AND KEEPING THE PRESSURE ON TO PROTECT OUR STUDENTS FROM THESE POLITICAL GAMES!! WE WILL CONTINUE TO WATCH THEIR EVERY MOVE TO ENSURE THIS NEVER HAPPENS AGAIN!!
March 1, 2023
Final supporters
We as a community wish to go on record that we believe the board’s action in firing Superintendent Brennan Asplen was thoroughly lacking in transparency and is a partisan political move. We believe that this is evidence of the board’s intention to put politics before our children’s education. Our children should not be used as political pawns.
If the school board refuses to reverse its decision on terminating Dr. Asplen, then as the next step, we call for the board to involve the community in a fully transparent recruiting process for the new superintendent. To regain the trust of the community, an independent search committee should be formed. This nonpartisan committee should include parents, students, teachers, and other community members.
We believe that Karen Rose should immediately resign from the Sarasota County school board. Ms. Rose spent decades in our school district as a teacher and a high-level administrator, much of it during the period that the achievement gap was allowed to grow unabated. Yet, she has moved to fire a superintendent who has only been in his position for two years, during which he was confronted with a worldwide pandemic, a massive hurricane, and a dysfunctional school board at the helm. Her attempts to hold him responsible for lack of improvement in the decades old achievement gap is simply absurd.
The public outpouring of support from parents, students, teachers, the media, and the larger community, is further proof that Ms. Rose stands alone at this juncture. It is time for Ms Rose to acknowledge that she is the problem, not Dr. Asplen. And the solution is to fire her, not him.
Updates
Reached 1,000 supporters
December 9, 2022
Reached 100 supporters
December 6, 2022
363 Comments
I am saddened to see the school board being used as a political arm. They were elected to serve the students if this district- it is not possible to come to a decision like this without previous discussion held in public, as per the Sunshine law.
As a retired teacher, I am disappointed and dismayed at the behavior of the new school board and their purely political decisions that are not in the best interest of the teachers or students in the Sarasota School District.
I’m genuinely scared for my son to start kindergarten. I’m scared to go back into the classroom next year after taking a year off. I’m shocked that this county I’ve loved to teach in for a decade has grown to be so divided and political in the schools. We have to fix this.
Our children have experienced a pandemic/endemic, a hurricane, and an unprecedented increase in testing. Please do what is best for them and retain Superintendent Asplen. When you treat dedicated educators in this manner, who do you think is going to show up?
What example is this school board setting for children? Please model reason, thought, diplomacy, kindness, compassion, and strength of character by admitting a mistake and asking Brennan Asplen to stay on as a Superindent.
Please either stop all of your hateful, false rhetoric or just go!
Do not fire Dr. Asplen. The highest standards of education must be upheld and must not be tarnished by politically-motivated feelings. Thank you.
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WE WON!! THE BOARD FINALLY LISTENED AND REVERSED THEIR DECISION BECAUSE WE REFUSED TO BACK DOWN!! THANK YOU FOR STAYING LOUD AND KEEPING THE PRESSURE ON TO PROTECT OUR STUDENTS FROM THESE POLITICAL GAMES!! WE WILL CONTINUE TO WATCH THEIR EVERY MOVE TO ENSURE THIS NEVER HAPPENS AGAIN!!
March 1, 2023
Final supporters
We as a community wish to go on record that we believe the board’s action in firing Superintendent Brennan Asplen was thoroughly lacking in transparency and is a partisan political move. We believe that this is evidence of the board’s intention to put politics before our children’s education. Our children should not be used as political pawns.
If the school board refuses to reverse its decision on terminating Dr. Asplen, then as the next step, we call for the board to involve the community in a fully transparent recruiting process for the new superintendent. To regain the trust of the community, an independent search committee should be formed. This nonpartisan committee should include parents, students, teachers, and other community members.
We believe that Karen Rose should immediately resign from the Sarasota County school board. Ms. Rose spent decades in our school district as a teacher and a high-level administrator, much of it during the period that the achievement gap was allowed to grow unabated. Yet, she has moved to fire a superintendent who has only been in his position for two years, during which he was confronted with a worldwide pandemic, a massive hurricane, and a dysfunctional school board at the helm. Her attempts to hold him responsible for lack of improvement in the decades old achievement gap is simply absurd.
The public outpouring of support from parents, students, teachers, the media, and the larger community, is further proof that Ms. Rose stands alone at this juncture. It is time for Ms Rose to acknowledge that she is the problem, not Dr. Asplen. And the solution is to fire her, not him.
Updates
Reached 1,000 supporters
December 9, 2022
Reached 100 supporters
December 6, 2022
363 Comments
As a retired teacher who has experienced good and bad superintendents, Dr. Asplen is extraordinary who got Sarasota through the most difficult times. He has integrity and the children at the forefront of his decisions.
I am saddened to see the school board being used as a political arm. They were elected to serve the students if this district- it is not possible to come to a decision like this without previous discussion held in public, as per the Sunshine law.
As a retired teacher, I am disappointed and dismayed at the behavior of the new school board and their purely political decisions that are not in the best interest of the teachers or students in the Sarasota School District.
I’m genuinely scared for my son to start kindergarten. I’m scared to go back into the classroom next year after taking a year off. I’m shocked that this county I’ve loved to teach in for a decade has grown to be so divided and political in the schools. We have to fix this.
Our children have experienced a pandemic/endemic, a hurricane, and an unprecedented increase in testing. Please do what is best for them and retain Superintendent Asplen. When you treat dedicated educators in this manner, who do you think is going to show up?
What example is this school board setting for children? Please model reason, thought, diplomacy, kindness, compassion, and strength of character by admitting a mistake and asking Brennan Asplen to stay on as a Superindent.
Please either stop all of your hateful, false rhetoric or just go!
Do not fire Dr. Asplen. The highest standards of education must be upheld and must not be tarnished by politically-motivated feelings. Thank you.
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As a retired teacher who has experienced good and bad superintendents, Dr. Asplen is extraordinary who got Sarasota through the most difficult times. He has integrity and the children at the forefront of his decisions.