Rubberstamp school board

Dear Editor,

When I was on the school board, there was two-sided debate on the issues. When the district administration brought a plan to the board, it was examined, critiqued, often modified and improved, and sometimes an alternative plan was put forward. Votes were often 6-0, but sometimes 5-1 or 4-2.

Once in a while I would get a complaint saying, why can’t you all just agree, get along? I would reply, sure we can do that. We can pass a policy that says everyone must agree with the superintendent or the chairman, or better yet, me. All the votes will then be 6-0 and all will be “happy.” We’d laugh, and usually they’d get my point.

Sad to say, I think we’ve got a board that has ended disagreement, with all just voting with the district administration and the board leadership.

This new board recently concluded its second year. I combed through their meeting minutes and reviewed all their votes and how each trustee voted (leaving out procedural votes like approving minutes or adjourning a meeting). During the past two years, there were 156 action item votes.

Only one item was voted down over the two years. Only seven items did someone vote “No”. Most all the votes were either 6-0 or 5-0 (someone absent or abstaining). The board went as many as 10 meetings in a row without a dissenting vote on anything.

This is a rubberstamp school board.

I also examined the votes of each board member over the past two years. Former superintendent Betty Bagley and chairman Brian Swords voted with the administration recommendation or the board majority 100 percent of the time. Betty Garrison, a former school district administrator, voted with the administration recommendation 99 percent of the time. Shannon Haskett, the Pickens trustee, was also at 99 percent. Those four might as well just call it in.

Phil Bowers voted with the majority/administration 97 percent of the time. Henry Wilson was 94 percent.

In contrast, my last two years I voted with the administration/majority 63 percent of the time.

There are many problems that follow when the board falls into rubberstamp mode, and I’ll detail one here. For instance, under the state law, the school board is given review and judicial authority over all district administration decisions. If an employee thinks they’ve been wronged by the district office or a parent treated unfairly by the administration, they can file a grievance to the board. When presenting such a grievance to the board, the administration recommends the board not hear the complaint and accept the administration’s decision on the matter. The board then can vote not to hear the grievance, thereby affirming the administration’s decision, or vote to hear the case and render a final decision, sometimes reversing the administration’s decision.

This board has abrogated this responsibility, and has yet to vote to hear a grievance case. Employees and parents are learning no matter what, the district office’s decisions are final — there is no longer recourse to the board, and the employee or parent just has to accept the district office’s decision, fair or not. Quite sad.

Alex Saitta

Pickens

Response to Fowler’s wall column

Dear Editor,

This is a response to Olivia Fowler’s “Let freedom ring from wall to wall.” Using your words, I suppose I’m one of those people who are

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