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Food For Thought

by Martha Shinley

From the Soapbox

I had to quit covering the Hazen School Board meetings when they changed the date they meet. It now conflicts with the DeValls Bluff City Council meeting, which I also cover. So, we shuffled and Nathaniel now covers the School Board. Nonetheless I am keeping up with it.
One of the main things I think people should remember is that this mess was not originally created by anyone on our local level. It was caused directly by the state government under Mike Huckabee and Ray Simon’s leadership. Their goal was one school per county and I believe it will eventually end up that way. However, we do have to deal with this mess and none of us are doing that very well.
None of these school board members are bad people. They have different ideas and all deserve to be considered. However, I would remind them that they are under time constraints, and their delays have already cost us valuable funding.
Since the board has not appointed anyone to replace Christian VanHouten, it will be up to the Quorum Court to appoint one.
I agree with Matt Donaghy and Greg Metcalf; all the usable property that the District now owns should be utilized. That means that the DeValls Bluff facility should be used to the extent that it can be. And the District may have to purchase modular buildings as Donaghy recommended.
Compromise is key and I urge the board members to compromise. Don’t just pay lip service to the idea that the kids have to come first. Donaghy is right in that we cannot keep the DeValls Bluff campus open for only 65 students and Hazen’s auditorium is terrible. Greg Metcalf is right that Donaghy’s numbers on the cost of the DVB campus appear inflated and we have to look at the long-term picture. Everyone should bite the bullet in this situation.
There is no doubt that there are problems on the school board and at the school. Those problems have to be identified before they can be solved and no one seems willing to drag the problems out in the open in a constructive way (emphasis on constructive) and deal with them. There should be no name-calling or finger-pointing, period. I am praying for objective, constructive dialogue, but honestly, I don’t believe it will happen. That said, I’m pulling out my soapbox anyway.
I think the idea of choosing a superintendent without strong ties to either community was a good thing. However, to my knowledge, the board hasn’t asked him to do one of the major things that needed to be done. That is to compile a list of employee positions with job descriptions, a hierarchy, and all the pertinent information about those positions. Note that I did not say a list of employees - I said positions. There’s a big difference.
You should create job positions to fill the District’s needs, you should not create job positions because you have X number of employees. There is a RIF policy for a reason. Why did the board create an undefined “Administrator” position, especially since there are already too many administrators by Donaghy’s own admission?”
Don’t misinterpret what I just said. I don’t have a problem with Charles Eads. I have no opinion on whether or not he should be working for the District or in what capacity, but I have a problem that an undefined position was created and approved for no given reason. That shows a serious lack of planning.
No one planned how to combine the DeValls Bluff and Hazen Districts or took a leadership role. (I know this, I was there, watching closely) That lack of planning and leadership has created a multitude of problems. We can’t go back, so let’s move forward - Identify the problems objectively and make a plan to tackle them.
Here’s one problem - I believe, without a doubt, that the vast majority of those executive sessions the school board is having are unnecessary and should be stopped.
It’s time the school board quit throwing up smokescreens in the form of executive sessions and actually talked and listened to each other respectfully and constructively in a public forum.
Fake executive sessions only increase suspicion and feed the rumor mill. I’ve quoted the Freedom of Information Act on many occasions. “Executive sessions will be permitted only for the purpose of considering employment, appointment, promotion, demotion, disciplining, or resignation of any public officer or employee. The specific purpose of the executive session shall be announced in public before going into executive session.”
This board has never announced the specific purpose of an executive session; they only give a vague, “We’re going to discuss personnel issues.” I firmly believe they are breaking the spirit of the Freedom of Information Act if not the letter of the law. They need to stop and clear the air.
Board members also need to listen to their superintendent and ask questions in a non-confrontational manner until they have complete answers. Then they must make a decision that benefits the District.
It’s time to ignore the naysayers, stifle those trying to create problems and get down to business. Board members have to understand that once they become board members, their first allegiance is to the school, not to their “zone” or constituents or to any one group, but to the District as a whole. “Constituents” need to back off and let these board members do their job without harassment and threats.
This consolidation was never going to be easy and, in my opinion, was botched from the beginning by leaders who failed to lead and a slew of others who went off spreading gossip and rumors because they thought they knew what was going on when they did not. Most of the people I’m referring to never attended a board meeting, but to hear them tell it - They Knew. Others simply had their own agenda. Some of those folks are still causing problems.
I urge you to read the Arkansas School Board Association Handbook, all 128 pages. It takes some time to load but it’s worth it. You can find it on-line at:
http://www.arsba.org/Assests/PDFS/ASBA_Handbook.pdf