The American Association of School Administrators has entered the fray. I'm guessing that there is some unhappiness about these developments out there on Grant Avenue. It just might be a good time to honk louder and longer as we drive by. Where is that guy with the locomotive horn under his hood when we need him?
So, it looks like the District is going to have to spend some of their damn-scarce money to defend their stupidity. The matter of the personal liability of the Board members will be interesting to watch, too. Civil Liberties, Due Process, and Public Meeting laws are very serious matters.
As anybody who has paid attention knows, this thing between the School Board and its constituents has gone way beyond their personal grudges and dismissal of George.
Every time I think things will settle down, I'm wrong. Hope usually springs eternal with me, but my springs are getting a little spongy these days.
This week they swore in the new Board member at their meeting on Tuesday, and we are thrilled to have her join the Board. Unfortunately, her swearing-in was not on the Agenda for the meeting. Of course, the legal notice of the meeting was on a bulletin board in a locked Admin building over a three-day weekend, so nobody could see it anyway.
Is the swearing-in a big deal? Probably not, and it definitely would not be if this were an isolated incident. We all know it's not.
And I've been thinking about what our expectations of the W.J.U.S.D. Board might be as we move on from here. We will definitely move on, but it remains to be seen whether we will be moving forward or not.
At some level, it's a bit embarrassing to have to even think about such a list. It's 2010, for goodness' sake.
Oh well. So, here goes...
- We expect meetings to have the legally-mandated public notice 72-hours in advance and in a public location. Inside the closed and locked Admin building is outrageous. And let's be a little more classy than a window of the office, huh? A nice little glass-faced bulletin/notice board is not that expensive.
- We want the School Board meetings televised, starting as soon as possible. That means this calendar year. It's not that expensive to do, Wave Cable can help acquire the equipment needed- or the Board can talk to the City Council about using the Council Chambers. Citizens, Teachers, and Staff should not have to choose between attending a Board meeting and being with their families.
- We expect all Agenda items to be discussed, and questions from the public answered, including items on the Consent Calendar. This idea that the Consent Calendar is some sacred refuge, and can be routinely used to avoid questions and evade inquiring minds is a joke.
- Since the Agenda can be modified once the meeting has started, citizens must be allowed to speak and ask questions about items on the Agenda, even if the discussion has already started. And they must be advised, as the law dictates, that giving their name and address is voluntary.
- We expect Board members to be adults. Disagreeing, arguing, questioning somebody's statements- these are all acceptable and expected roles for Board members, but the rolling of eyes, the audible sighing and laughing, and the shouting down of other Board members and staff- yes, pretty much acting like perfect jackasses- is unacceptable.
Government is a trust, and the officers of the government are trustees; and both the trust and the trustees are created for the benefit of the people. -Henry Clay
The will of the people is the only legitimate foundation of any government, and to protect its free expression should be our first object. -Thomas Jefferson
