By Nathaniel Bradow
A Brief Rant...
There isn’t much in this world that gets me
worked up. Generally I like to keep my opinions to myself when it comes to the
news I cover. I want to stay as objective as possible in my job, so tipping my
hand in my column isn’t a good idea. However, this time I feel it is necessary
to throw my hat into the fray.
The problems our school board is experiencing
stem from roots that are firmly rooted in the psyche of the public at large.
Change is hard. It’s painful. It comes at a cost, but more times than not, it is
necessary.
What gets under my skin about the current situation is the fact
that our communities are directing their anger in the wrong directions, namely
each other. Our school board has backed itself into a corner, and is currently
playing out the self-fulfilling prophecy that has divided the district for two
years. If you expect bias you will receive it. If you are intent on being afraid
you will find cause.
The only way around such division is through
constructive, critical conversation. We shouldn’t be finding ways to stay apart
but working toward collective compromise. That takes a great deal of time and
effort and, more importantly, the removal of emotion from the debate.
Sadly,
analytical conversation is the one thing that has been absent in any discussion
that has occurred in any meeting of the board I have covered. We won’t talk to
each other. We yell and whisper, but rarely find spaces for compromise. The only
thing conflict breeds is discontentment and division. The more divided we stay
the less power we will have. Because it isn’t long, gentle readers, until the
state will come back and tell us if we can’t pay for our facilities improvements
we will have to become one big county-wide school district. And unless we come
together soon our ability to control what happens in our district will be lost
for good.
The bottom line is, we can’t be content to pass our problems along
to others, because most likely none of us will like the result. If you don’t
have the ability to compromise you shouldn’t be in public
office.
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