Supervisory Board of Groningen school group OPOS is resigning
The ongoing unrest at the Groningen School Foundation for Public Primary Education Slochteren (OPOS) has been calmed. In a letter to the municipal council, the supervisory board has announced that it will resign. Interim director Jan Paul ten Brink is going to restore peace to the school group.
Picture: Type tank
Last week, the regulators sent a letter to education alderman Erik Drenth of the municipality of Midden-Groningen, in which they submit their resignation immediately. "In our view, the new interim director appointed by us should be able to do his job well, whereby the position of his supervisory board should not be the subject of discussion," the letter states. 'Because we support the OPOS foundation, we don't want to stand in the way of its further development.'
Suspension
OPOS, a foundation with seven primary schools, has been unrest for months, explains AObdistrict driver Hayo Bohlken. It all started at the end of last year with the suspension of the school director of the Trispan by the then director Hester van Gorkum. “That caused bad blood,” says Bohlken. "Certainly because no information came out as to why she had been suspended."
The conflict started with the suspension of one of the school principals
The conflict grew and more and more employees from different schools turned against the administrator who only started working at OPOS in February 2018. Bohlken: "Against the will of the joint participation council (GMR), Van Gorkum became the candidate, even though she did not come from education."
Opposite to each other
Although the support for Van Gorkum among the staff was eroding, the regulators continued to support her. “It put the council and the workers on opposite sides,” says Bohlken. Then every step in the conflict was fought out through the regional media and went the city council also ask about the situation. Finally, in February 2019, Van Gorkum quit her job as a director due to all the conflicts. The supervisory board had to look for an interim director.
They found the new interim worker, but he only worked for the school group for a few days because his work at another school group could not be reconciled with his job at OPOS.
Manifest
According to Bohlken, the staff was enough. Two weeks ago, the employees therefore offered it to Alderman for Education Drenth AObmanifest. It states that there was no longer any confidence in the supervisory board. “That manifesto was signed by 80 percent of the staff,” says Bohlken. In the end, this was the deciding factor for the supervisory board to resign. "It was the last straw, they no longer felt confidence."
The manifesto was the deciding factor for the supervisory board to resign
New rvt
OPOS now has to look for new regulators. At the beginning of this month, however, the new interim director Jan Paul ten Brink started. He is still appointed by the resigned supervisory board and will start working on the current files. “We especially need peace and quiet,” says Ten Brink. “My assignment is to restore the connection and monitor the quality and continuity of education. I want to talk to everyone. ”
Interim director Jan Paul ten Brink: 'We especially need rest'
In the press release from the municipality, Drenth let us know that he initially interfered indirectly with OPOS, but now wants to discuss a new supervisory board with the GMR, the administrator and the school directors. The education councilor calls the departure of the current council 'an important step to regain peace, structure and trust within OPOS.'
