The result of the vote that took place at the Franklin City School Board meeting this past Thursday came as quite a shock. And not just to the three board members who failed in their attempt to once again elect Edna King as chairman of the board, but also to those in the community who have been following the saga of Franklin’s public schools for the last several years.

The nomination of Dr. Andrea Hall-Leonard for the position of school board chair, and the four votes cast that saw her immediately seated at the center of the dais for the remainder of the meeting, left Mrs. King and her two supporters visibly shaken. The mere fact that King seemed so utterly shocked that she, of all people, could be replaced is one of the myriad reasons that it was her time to go.

To describe King’s tenure as school board chair as rocky would be a gross understatement.

Poor student performance, lack of financial oversight, complete disregard for public transparency and several embarrassingly incompetent appearances before a dumbfounded state school board are just a few of the documented debacles that will define her legacy.

The purpose of a school board is to provide guidance and oversight to the lead administrator hired to manage the day-to-day operations of the school system. But with respect to the superintendent-school board relationship in Franklin, the tail has been allowed to wag the dog for far too long.

Whenever charges of questionable practices in the central office have been raised, and there have been many, rather than lead a transparent inquiry to find the facts, King sought at every turn to make excuses and provide cover for both the current and previous superintendent. Even requests made by the Virginia Department of Education for insight into policy or financial lapses have been met with stonewalling or outright silence. That’s no way to lead an organization. Especially one funded by taxpayer dollars that determines the quality of education our community’s children receives.

Dr. Hall-Leonard takes over a school board whose public image, quite frankly, could not be worse. But that also presents her with an opportunity, if she focuses on a few key items, to be wildly successful as the board’s chair.

First, she needs to lead a more transparent board. Transparency means letting people know what’s going on with the schools, good or bad. The schools in Franklin and, more importantly, the children who attend them, really belong to the people of Franklin who pay the bills.

The board doesn’t have the right, or any good reason for that matter, to keep the facts about what is taking place from parents and stakeholders. A lack of transparency automatically leads to a lack of trust.

Second, she needs to be willing to be accountable. Granted, the school board chair is only one of seven votes on the school board and is part of a group decision-making process. But she is responsible for orchestrating the process and is the public face of the board.

If mistakes are made, which they will be, own up to them. Don’t pretend like they didn’t happen. It’s always a lot easier to explain how one made a mistake than it is to answer for why one tried to cover the mistake up. There are hours of video footage of her predecessor taking questions from the state school board that prove that statement true.

And finally, she needs to be responsive. When the public has questions, they deserve to be answered. When the press is seeking information, the public deserves that it be released. When the state school board has concerns, they need to be addressed.

The school board works for the residents of Franklin. And school board chair is not a position of personal privilege but one of great public responsibility. Those facts seem to have been lost in the shuffle in recent years, which is why it was high time for a much needed change. If Dr. Hall-Leonard will embrace the role her colleagues have bestowed upon her with these ideas in mind, I have no doubt that she will be successful in helping this school system find its way.

Tony Clark is publisher of The Tidewater News. He can be reached at tony.clark@tidewaternews.com.