In the last newsletter, I wrote about the tumult in Martin County High School’s OPUS program. The parents and students had rapidly become disillusioned with the program when the new choral director was hired for this school year. Director Kylie Lowe was under internal investigation at the time that the parents and students spoke at the last board meeting. She was subsequently terminated during her one-year probationary period.

If Ms. Lowe was inadequate, it was for the best that she be immediately terminated. It probably means that this year’s seniors will have lost their final year to participate in the program. There is always an adjustment period when programs have new leaders. This seems to be more than that. The District did not perform its due diligence when selecting this person. Parents stated that her only qualification was that she was a graduate of Belmont College and an OPUS alumna. If that is true, when will Martin County begin to see that being born here is not a qualification for having a job here?