Elite girls school row comes to a head

The Australian: Elite girls school row comes to a head [March 12, 2005]

I think the parents are right! This school appears to be locked into Victorian protocol and we are not only in Australia we are in the year 2005. It's a bizarre story from where we sit getting the bits and pieces of news. The parents are clearly articulate and well qualified and appear to have a genuine interest in the welfare of the staff and the students. Susan Preedy also appears to have the support of the parents and students and it is unclear whether the staff support her or not. That is the crux of the issue to me. The governing council is trying to keep everything quiet and perhaps more from the point of view of the classic Victorian "discreet" protocol than for any other reason. Certainly the 3 key women have said virtually nothing to the news and so the outsider looking in it as baffled as the parents appear to be. The ex headmistress, who in this millennium should be called the principal, has returned to England and is not returning and the school appears to be currently cobbled together administratively.I don't know the origins of the other two women. Maybe they want an Australian principal for an Australian elite school. The school is obviously not dealing with change and may have thrown the baby out with the bath water. It is very odd for parents to go against a governing council in a school in such a determined manner so it leads me to believe there are some serious issues. I read of one parent talking about "transparency" and though I abhor the use of this word I think it's what needs to occur. Institutions like schools, hospitals and churches need to be organised in such a way as to be openly run and directed. Newly appointed,well credentialed, principals shouldn't find themselves running off in a state of distress and turmoil. Parents shouldn't find themselves having to find a way to stabilise their child's school. It's all very odd. We have enough education experts, sociologists and and business people in our community to create a decent, long term resolution to the school's problems. Unfortunately, they may continue to choose the Victorian approach and try and fix it themselves.