Board of Education

On April 19, I attended my first Board of Education meeting. Maddie met me there after school. It was a very odd mix of old meets new. With minor changes in dress, it could have been a scene from the 1950's--a moment of silence, a student leading the Pledge of Allegiance, recognition of principals and vice principals, another student singing a popular inspirational song and Amazing Grace, lots of awards certificates punctuated with photos for the local press. The meeting was as much pomp and circumstance as it was business. Only the topics of discussion connected the meeting to the 21st Century.

And sadly, most of those connections were about the current fiscal crisis. On a happier note, year's National Board Certified Teachers were recognized along with the county's winning Battle of the Books team. But then the hard business began. A PTO president rose to speak about staff shortages in his school and the local county NCAE rep urged the county to sign on to a resolution urging the legislature to "Fund Schools First". Lots of Roberts Rules of Order.

I wasn't sitting in a good position to either hear or see. The Board was clearly visible, but guest speakers had their backs to the audience and some of the discussion was too technical and specific for the casual observer. Clearly, reading the newspaper report the next day would have been more informative and we left about half way through the meeting. I did not get a feel for how much the board responded to its visitors--if their concerns were really considered, or just politely listened to. On the surface, the emphasis was on tradition, patriotism, and decorum. What happens beneath that surface, I could not tell from this one visit. Food for discussion when I see Maddie next.