Letter to the Editor...

It was very nice to hear from a student (below)!  Excellent letter!

You are right, of course- the School Board cannot say why they have done this.

Except...

In this week's Express, that's exactly what they are doing.  

Except...

There was no WJUSD Board Agenda item about sending a letter to the Editor.

This is not a personnel matter, by any stretch of the imagination- sending a letter, that is, no matter the topic, so it cannot have been decided in Closed Session.

That would be illegal.

Even if they THOUGHT it was legal, and made the decision in Closed Session, they would have had to report their decision to send a letter in public session- as the law requires.   Hmmm...

Nope.

So, one of several things has happened:  the Board as a group broke the law, an individual Board member broke the law by sending a letter in the Board's name, or the Board allowed the Superintendent to break the law by writing and submitting a letter in its name.


Hmmm.  Only the Express knows for sure...

Additionally, we can assume that not all Board members agreed with the letter.  If so, it is unconscionable that they would sign a letter to the Express as "The Board", and not say specifically from whom it is coming.  A majority action taken by the Board at their meetings can be reviewed for the vote tally, to see who voted aye and who voted no.  That's what the official minutes are for.

In this case, though, a public statement sent out trying to cover their asses for a very unpopular decision that they have made, demands that they be specific.

On a more global note, the subject of broadcasting School Board meetings on the Public Access cable channel has come up a few times over the years.  The School Board, officially or unofficially, has always declined to do so.

If this brouhaha over George Griffin has shown us nothing else, it has highlighted two key points- first, we now know why the School Board has declined to have their meetings fully open and accessible to the Community, and, second, why it is so important and critical to the open governing of our School District that the broadcasting of meetings be commenced immediately.

It is 2010.  People should not have to choose between being at home with their families or being aware of what is happening in their School District.  Not when they can have both.

If this mutiny against the current Board takes shape, and a slate of candidates emerges from those who are so angry about this decision, as well as how badly it has been handled, IMHO it is this idea of open government and televised meetings that should be the bedrock of their campaign, and of their mission.

Go figure.