As I write this letter, the [Fayette County] Board of Education has selected Dr. John DeCotis as its candidate to be Superintendent of Schools. At the time you read this I assume he will have been named to that high office.

I want to assure you that John is an excellent candidate for this position. He and I have worked together in one capacity or another since 1983. I know him to be a person of the highest moral character, a knowledgeable and wise professional educator, a hard worker, and a loyal friend.

His experiences at the elementary and secondary levels as well as the system office level make him aware of all areas of operation of the school system. Without any reservation I commend him to you in the full knowledge that he will be fair, open, and honest as he sits in the chair of Superintendent of Schools.

I know that all of us have specific ideas about how teachers should teach, how principals should operate, what the curriculum ought to be, how discipline should be administered, and how money should be spent. (And lots of other educational issues as well.)

Please remember that the Superintendent of Schools has to weigh all sides, consider all options, listen to a multitude of opinions, and then make a decision. There is no way the Superintendent can possibly please every person with every decision.

Knowing that and knowing John DeCotis, I also know that he will make the best decision he can, considering all the facts he will have to consider.

I have lived long enough and have had enough experiences to learn that when someone the caliber of John DeCotis comes along, we need to support him when he makes a decision in our favor, and be careful before trashing him when he makes a decision which does not go our way.

There are appropriate and civil ways to disagree without making personal attacks on good people doing their jobs to the best of their ability. I wonder if we couldn't agree to disagree when necessary without being filled with rancor and discord. We would all be better off working together rather than attacking those with whom we disagree.

We have a chance for a new start. Let's take it. The Fayette County School System is, with all its faults, the best system in the state of Georgia. With John we have the opportunity to keep it that way and improve it. By working together (all of us) it can happen.

Bob Martin
Fayetteville