The frenzy that has ensued over Bremerton School District (BSD) Superintendent Bette Hyde’s future with BSD is spilling into a disruptive mess.

The parliamentary guidelines for conducting a public meeting were pushed to the wayside Jan. 8, as the district’s school board meeting turned into a public sparing match. The focus of the regularly scheduled board meeting was shifted to Hyde, with all other business taking a back seat.

Not only was this circus-act-of-a-meeting allowed to continue, delaying other agenda items, but the board unanimously tabled extending Hyde’s contract to an unspecified later date. What exactly was accomplished at this meeting besides allowing chaos to mar the possibility of proper business being conducted? And since when are motions from a board member ignored? Someone needs to take control, because it is currently nonexistent.

The school board continues to point fingers and drag its feet when it comes to making a decision on the superintendent position.

When Hyde first retired last April, the board had until August to find a new superintendent. It had two candidates, neither of whom the board chose — which was its right.

When Hyde decided to come back as interim, it was for a one-year commitment to allow the board to conduct a proper search.

It wasn’t until December that the board held one study session on the No Child Left Behind Act with a brief mention of the superintendent search. At that meeting, board member Louis Mitchell asked if Hyde would be willing to extend her stay as interim and was told that question would be asked at the next regular board meeting in January.

At the Jan. 8 board meeting, the public came out in force demanding answers as to why the board didn’t follow through with its decision in August to conduct a superintendent search and only held one study session before seeking to extend Hyde’s contract for another year.

Will the board ever do what it says it’s going to do, so the priority can once again be directed to what’s most important: the education of students in the district? From the looks of it now, all attention is being placed on who doesn’t get along with who, who said what and who didn’t say what. Enough already. Make a decision, stick with it and let’s move on.