There is a place in our public life for patriotic rituals such as the pledge of allegiance and the national anthem. In the absence of well-functioning democratic institutions, however, the words lose much of their meaning.
To truly foster patriotism, the Board should:
1. Investigate the reasons for the vote of no confidence.
2. Require the superintendent to pay back any improper reimbursements.
3. Require the superintendent to submit monthly expense and leave reports to the Board.
4. Get control of the budget. Find out what is in it and question every expenditure to insure that it is in the best interest of our students.
5. Pay attention to student performance. Don't take the superintendent's word for it when he says everything is going well. It is not in his interest to admit otherwise.
6. Have an outside, independent audit of all bond expenditures. Account for every penny and be prepared to justify every expense. Find out just how much was shifted to this year's operating budget.
7. Talk to your constituents. Find out what they think about our schools. Respond to their concerns. You work for them. Your first loyalty should be to the people of this district, not the superintendent.
That's the kind of patriotism that makes me want to sing the praises of our democracy!
That seems a reasonable list. If the Board would act upon any of those issues and not quit until a cogent answer has been given, it would go a long way in restoring confidence in the structure and processes of the school board.
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