Local Politics

 

 

     At the beginning of this post, let's acknowledge our right to freedom of speech and to petition our government. Let's acknowledge the desirability of community participation in our schools. These are fundamental and accepted. I will focus this post on how the use of petitions and other political organizing affect our schools.

     I will share that I am not a politician and don't have any political aspirations.  I am an Independent voter.  One might ask why have I chosen to run for an elected seat to represent District 2 on the School Board. Because I am a public school advocate. I don't view my service on the school board as political. In fact, you will not see me campaigning with signs posted all over our roadways. I engage in face to face, email to email discussions with people rather than give campaign speeches or give radio interviews that make promises on issues. I reluctantly offered the Forecaster and Times Record reporters responses to their questions they published. My personal opinions are secondary to actions/votes I may cast that support what is best for Brunswick schools, all children and their access to a great education.  What I support today may be different when a vote is called during a publically noticed school board meeting. My vote depends on all the information available to me at the time of my vote. As a school board member with responsibility as an employer, I want to see professionals collaboratively engaged in the work required to promote teaching and learning. As I shared in a previous post, School Board Roles and Responsibilities, just as soon as a school board member takes the oath of office, they represent the school department and make decisions that are in the best interest of the school department and all children within the schools. I firmly believe that politics have no place in school board deliberations nor the operations of our schools. Political actions only create winners and losers, the complete opposite of what I believe public education is all about. Political actions create divisiveness and bitterness, fueled by the press, public media and increasingly, the use of social media. More on the press and social media in a later post. Schools and the professionals who work in our schools open their doors, hearts and minds to all children who walk through the front doors every day. None of our children should find themselves in a school, program, class, or any other school activity that is the result of winning and losing political actions. We should encourage continuous active staff collaboration with each other to do what is in the best interest of the children they engage with. No staff should be put in the position of siding with one group or another of community members who are using the petitioning process or other political organizing tactics to win at something that they are promoting. It is hard work for educators today to meet the diverse academic and social needs of students. It requires a high degree of knowledge, perseverance, and teamwork. It requires a steady, forward thinking and moving staff.  Forward thinking. Forward moving. Aiming for great educational opportunity for all.

     Enter the petitioning process and our community full of politically active citizens who have no hesitation to use political organizing to influence the operations of our schools.  I have intentionally used the word 'operations' as opposed to a vision, direction-setting. I am amazed that many of our staff are able to stay above the political fray in their day to day activities and create amazing learning and social opportunities for all the kids they greet each morning.  It can be draining to collaborate with your professional peers and then realize that you may have to restart pending the outcome of a petition or other political process. It can be draining to realize that although you, your school leaders and school board are working to better the facilities that you work in daily, it may still be years before your new school is ready because of stops and re-starts caused by petitioning community groups, as well as other external factors. It can be draining to know that these political actions drain resources away from programs, services, supplies. Does anyone know how much inflation has added to the cost of a new school the school board has been planning for 6 years? Imagine what could be done with these millions of dollars - other school maintenance projects, other programs/services, reduction in tax rates.

     Let's ask ourselves - is there ever a time when petitioning and other political organizing does not create divisiveness, an aura of winning/losing, additional cost to the school department, additional cost to the town, additional cost to the taxpayer?  Is there ever a time when we can move forward without the use of petitions for the common good of our schools (and now our town)?