On Wednesday the Franklin School Board announced it has selected Annalee Bennin as the new superintendent of Franklin Public Schools.

In making the announcement the board stated, “She was part of an exceptional pool of candidates.”

Sorry, but that’s a joke. She was not. The two finalists she beat out were horrible.

For the sake of parents and children in the district we wish Bennin well.

An instant observation of mine is that like so many educrats Bennin tosses the “equity” word around and did so in her initial obligatory platitudes.

“The core values of equity, personal growth, stewardship, well-being, and innovation align with my purpose as an educational leader,” she stated.

Equity. First ‘core value’ Bennin mentioned. Right out of the shoot.

Christopher Rufo is a senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute. He writes:

“Equity sounds non-threatening and is easily confused with the American principle of equality. But the distinction is vast and important.”

Equity does not equal equality.

Robert Longley is a retired urban planning professional with nearly 30 years of experience in the areas of land use planning, zoning code development and administration, and geographic information systems.

“Equality refers to scenarios in which all segments of society have the same levels of opportunity and support. Equity extends the concept of equality to include providing varying levels of support based on individual need or ability.”

Another writer, Ellen Gutoskey adds, “Equality has to do with giving everyone the exact same resources, whereas equity involves distributing resources based on the needs of the recipients. Equality is about dividing resources into matching amounts, and equity focuses more on dividing resources proportionally to achieve a fair outcome for those involved.”

Want a quick vision of equity? Think affirmative action.

Finally, a note to the Franklin School Board. You hired Bennin. For the umpteenth time, she works for you, not the other way around.