"This is not just a test," Veyra said, her voice firm but never cold. "It is a public measurement of our credibility. If something goes wrong, we will not make excuses.
We will fix it before the students even feel it. If a system fails, you will say it failed plainly and tell me what you did next."
The words didn't echo. They landed and stayed, the kind of words that sit down and expect you to make space for them.
"There will be no bias. If a child does well, they will be placed where that work is rewarded and where it will demand more of them.
If they struggle, they will be placed in an environment where they can learn without being overwhelmed. You will not punish spectacle with spectacle. You will not reward noise. You will count."
She stopped there, not for reaction, but for silence to catch up. Around the table, heads nodded in steady rhythm.
The logistics chief scribbled something and underlined it twice. Ardis glanced at her pen like it had just earned a promotion.
