Skip to main content

Your Turn

Tonight is the first of two meetings where you have an opportunity to voice your opinions and concerns about the Howard County School System. Tonight's meeting, which will be held in the George Howard Office Building, will adress (among other agenda items) two proposals:

  • Bill to elect Board of Ed members by district (Weinstein,Atterbeary)
  • Bill to address transparency and access to documents (Miller, Turner)

I'm sharing the photo above because I think it says a good deal about where many people are right now in regards to the school system. For the most part, people just don't reach out to elected officials for redress if they feel that their concerns are being handled respectfully and in a timely manner. The momentum which brought about this kind of intervention is significant.

We do know that the Board is aware of these goings-on because they a) tried to prevent any Board members from testifying, and b) voted to condemn the legislation before the meetings were even held.

Everyone knows I hate public meetings. Barring a family emergency, I will be there. I do not intend to speak, but I believe that there will be an opportunity to sign in as "in favor of" or "opposed to" the two proposed bills. And that matters. People in the room--it matters. Bodies in chairs--it matters.

This is our turn to have a say. "Democracy in action." If you care about these issues, please try to come. If you are unable, or if you are going to attend but hate public speaking, send an email voicing your thoughts. I would suggest Delegate Vanessa Atterbeary for electing members by district, and Delegate Warren Miller for the transparency proposal.

Take a look at this piece by former Board of Education candidate Lesie Kornreich if you want a good look at this issues involved in changing how we elect Board Members. She covers the topic well.

Tonight, and next Tuesday night, are our "We the People" moments where our participation or lack of it will make a huge difference to our children's futures. Please find a way to participate and be heard.

 

 

 

 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Teacher Gifts

Today is the last day of school before the Winter Break. It’s a good time to remember the far-reaching nature of our public school system. You may not have children. You may have sent your children to independent schools. It matters not. You will be impacted one way or another. Yesterday I read a long thread on Facebook about several waves of illness in the schools right now. There’s influenza A and norovirus, I believe. And of course there’s COVID. Apparently in some individual schools the rate of illness is high enough for school admin to notify parents.  When I was little the acceptable holiday gift for a teacher was one of those lovely floral handkerchief squares. (I don’t know what it was for male teachers. They were rare in my elementary years.) These days the range of teacher gifts is wider and I have fond memories of Target gift cards which I have written about before. I think it’s safe to say that giving one’s teacher Influenza, norovirus, or COVID is not the ideal holiday...
1 comment
Read more

They Can Wait

This is not a typical Saturday post. That’s because, in my community, it’s not a typical Saturday.  Oakland Mills High School, after years of deferred repair, needs massive renovation. It’s pretty simple: when you don’t fix a problem it gets bigger. The school system itself said the the OMHS school building was  "no longer conducive to learning" back in 2018.  2018 .  But Thursday the Boad of Education voted to push it out of the lineup of important projects which will be given the go-ahead to proceed soonest.  In my opinion it’s a terrible decision and sets a dangerous precedent. To explain, here’s the advocacy letter I sent in support of Oakland Mills High School. I was rather proud of it. I am writing to ask you to proceed with needed renovation at Oakland Mills High School in the most timely and comprehensive manner humanly possible. I have read the letter sent to you by the Oakland Mills Community Association and I am in complete agreement. You are extremel...
1 comment
Read more

Separate and Unequal

  Remember “Separate but equal”? Remember how that really meant that Black schools languished in  broken-down buildings without adequate heat or toilet facilities, with cast-off, ragged learning materials, underfunded and largely ignored? The Supreme Court struck that down in 1954. The evidence was clear that separate was not equal. Plessy v Ferguson had led to - - no, endorsed - - deeply unequal schooling and opportunities. We tend to think of Brown v Board as being purely about racial integration. It was not.  It was about the logical consequences of segregation. And they were not, not, not equal. The ruling in 1954 didn’t transform public education for non-whites into a land of milk and honey by any means. But it articulated some essential truths in a way that made including everyone a legal precedent which could be relied upon and built upon. It was better than what came before it but it rested upon unsteady ground. It did not necessarily change the hearts or minds ...
1 comment
Read more