Skip to main content

BOE: What Your Vote Means

Remember this?

 

Question, "What do you think the job of a Board of Education member is?" Please address the following:

1. What power does the position convey?

2. What is the best use of that power?

3. To whom is the Board of Education member responsible?

In summing up my impressions of the candidates' forum, I want to look through the lens of these questions, which I asked the candidates to respond to in the Spring.* The reason I asked these particular questions is that I feel that there has been a trend away from transparency and responsiveness, and that the process has shifted towards power being centralized from the top down.

I don't think that's healthy. I also don't think that's what the statute dictates, either.

Where things stand: board members Giles, DeLacy, and Siddiqui will remain. I want to be honest that I do not know much about Ms. Siddiqui, but at this point her record appears to be on the side of voting with the group. And the group has voted, pretty much, to rubber stamp the initiatives of the Superintendent.

Four members will be chosen in this election, which will determine whether the current top-down style of operation will continue. That is why your vote is so crucial. You are voting either to maintain the status quo, or to make a statement that it should be changed. A clear outline of how it might be different is provided by Bess Altwerger in her response to Question 5.

If you wish to maintain the status quo, you should vote: French, O'Connor, Smith.

If you wish to see more responsiveness and transparency, and a different balance of power, you should vote: Altwerger, Beams, Furman, Vaillancourt.

What about Allen Dyer, you ask? Well, he's a wild card in my opinion. Past experience, combined with his remarks at the forum, indicate to me that Allen Dyer remains firmly committed to Allen Dyer. We know he'll go to the mat defending himself. I don't think that serves either group particularly well. It is interesting that the status quo folks may be leaning towards Mr. Dyer, perhaps in a case of the Devil You Know, rather than the Devil You Don't Know.

But, we've been there before. Haven't we?

I should add that if you want to maintain the status quo you should probably vote for Ms. Vaillancourt as well, since a) she already knows how to do the job b) her vote won't count and c) you'll have someone who will treats you with respect at board meetings and answer your emails if you have an issue or a question.

I have been happy to see increased readership on these posts, as well as engagement through comments. Be respectful. And remember, posting under your own name gives you greater credibility in the long run.

*****

A footnote. In case you don't think transparency is an issue, were you aware that the Board recently voted 6-1 to suspend the Operating Budget Review Committee for one year? (Cindy Vaillancourt was the only BOE member to vote against.) The OBRC is the only committee that enables stakeholders and community to ask questions and provide input to the BOE regarding the operating budget. Candidate Dan Furman chose to speak directly to the Operating Budget process on Wednesday night, with an emphasis on greater transparency. Perhaps this is why.


*Candidates Christine O'Connor and Allen Dyer did not participate.


 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Getting Fresh

One of my favorite days in the Spring comes when this year’s list of Farmer’s Markets is released. That happened this week. New this year are markets in Old Ellicott City and the “Merriweather Market” which, according to the address, will be located here . I mistakenly thought at first glance that it was in the new-construction part of the Merriweather District. I find the name confusing considering its actual location. I’m going to guess that this market is an initiative of the Howard Hughes Corporation because the name seems chosen more for branding purposes than anything else.  Alas, the market in Maple Lawn is gone. The thread on the markets on the County Executive’s FB page will provide you with quite the education in who actually runs the Farmers Markets vs what people often think is going on. Short answer: they are not  chosen nor run by the county. Each market is an independent entity, sometimes started by community volunteers, other times supported by local businesses...
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

What Kids Are Thinking

  It’s a Monday in February, and if you guessed that a lot of Howard County students have the new cell phone policy on their minds, you’d be right. It will mean big changes and it will be stressful, no matter how much good we hope it will do in the long run. But on this particular Monday cell phones might not be top of mind, as amazing as that seems. Some kids will go to school wondering if they or family members will be seized by ICE. Some will fear that their parents’ employment will be purged by the ongoing rampage of Elon Musk and his cronies through Federal Government. Some fear heightened and renewed racism as programs that supprted Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion are vilified and destroyed.  Some worry that it soon won’t be safe for them to use the bathroom in school anymore. It goes without saying that some kids fear going to school every day because of the prevalence of school shootings.  And look! Here’s something new to fear. That old hate group, Libs of TikTo...
1 comment
Read more