Next Tuesday, the Franklin City School Board will meet in closed session to discuss, according to the published meeting agenda, “the performance of the superintendent of the school division.”

What will really be discussed, practically speaking, is the future of the superintendent of the school division. The division superintendent, Dr. Michelle Belle, is currently under contract with the school board until June 30, 2014. Under the terms of her contract, the school board must provide notice at least 6 months prior to the contract’s termination of whether it intends to renew her contract or not. That means a decision must be made by the board, and communicated to Belle, no later than the 31st of this month.

Plenty has been written and discussed in recent months, much of it on this very page, about the topic at hand. So much so that it would seem pointless to rehash most of it now.

But what does seem important to remind ourselves of, especially on the eve of such an important decision to be made, is the reason so many have engaged in these months of vigorous debate – the children of Franklin. At the end of the day, they are the ones most negatively impacted by underperforming schools, regardless of whom or what is to blame.

We urge the school board to remember whose fate is truly in their hands when they decide whether or not to extend of the current superintendent’s contract. The children of this city and their future depends on it.