About the "fractured" board
My letter to the Herald-Mail about their September 25th article
Oct 7, 2016
School board member reacts to ‘clearly fractured’ label
To the editor:
This letter is in response to C.J. Lovelace’s article (Sept. 25) about the “clearly fractured” Washington County Board of Education:
The BOE I was elected to four years ago was already well on the path of relationship dysfunction.
Much of the interpersonal conflict on the BOE could have been mitigated over the years at retreats designed to address those types of issues. Other Maryland BOEs take advantage of retreats as recommended by the Maryland Association of Boards of Education and the National School Boards Association. I have asked for such retreats. The answer from the “majority”? Not interested.
One of my first questions as a new member was to ask when the board would be conducting its annual performance self-assessment as called for in policy. The answer? The “majority” voted to rescind the policy they had been ignoring for years.
I believe that BOE business meetings should be meetings where board business is conducted in public and should not be scripted performances where members go through the motions of voting on issues that have already been discussed, questioned, and decided ahead of time through email and private conversations with the superintendent. Questions asked by board members should be asked and answered in a way that all members, and the public, as much as possible, are able to benefit from the exchange of information. If taking time to ask questions at BOE meetings “slows the wheels of progress,” then so be it. Sometimes it is necessary to slow, not stop, the wheels of progress to keep children, parents, teachers and taxpayers from being run over. I’ll continue to advocate for future boards to schedule more work sessions which allow for more free-flowing discussion where questions and answers can be heard by all.
I’ve chosen to limit discussion of school system matters with the superintendent to times when all board members are present. I’m one of seven, and all seven of us should be privy to the same information. And, contrary to Mrs. Brightman’s claim in the article, I do communicate with her. The emails the reporter read for this article clearly prove that. Mrs. Brightman seems to prefer communicating by phone rather than by email. For me, it’s about transparency. I have never refused to communicate with her. However, since the controversy surrounding her conversation with an acting county commissioner, I have only reluctantly spoken with her outside of meetings without witnesses.
At times I’ve disagreed with the means proposed to achieve Dr. Wilcox’s vision. I’ll continue to question those means when warranted. I’ll continue to listen to the students, parents and citizens of our county, and advocate for BOE business to be conducted as openly as possible. I’ll also continue to advocate for a team-building retreat to create a better atmosphere in which the 2017 Board of Education can work. And, I’ll continue to bring my very best to the table as I work and serve respectfully. The students and citizens of Washington County deserve nothing less.
School board member reacts to ‘clearly fractured’ label
To the editor:
This letter is in response to C.J. Lovelace’s article (Sept. 25) about the “clearly fractured” Washington County Board of Education:
The BOE I was elected to four years ago was already well on the path of relationship dysfunction.
Much of the interpersonal conflict on the BOE could have been mitigated over the years at retreats designed to address those types of issues. Other Maryland BOEs take advantage of retreats as recommended by the Maryland Association of Boards of Education and the National School Boards Association. I have asked for such retreats. The answer from the “majority”? Not interested.
One of my first questions as a new member was to ask when the board would be conducting its annual performance self-assessment as called for in policy. The answer? The “majority” voted to rescind the policy they had been ignoring for years.
I believe that BOE business meetings should be meetings where board business is conducted in public and should not be scripted performances where members go through the motions of voting on issues that have already been discussed, questioned, and decided ahead of time through email and private conversations with the superintendent. Questions asked by board members should be asked and answered in a way that all members, and the public, as much as possible, are able to benefit from the exchange of information. If taking time to ask questions at BOE meetings “slows the wheels of progress,” then so be it. Sometimes it is necessary to slow, not stop, the wheels of progress to keep children, parents, teachers and taxpayers from being run over. I’ll continue to advocate for future boards to schedule more work sessions which allow for more free-flowing discussion where questions and answers can be heard by all.
I’ve chosen to limit discussion of school system matters with the superintendent to times when all board members are present. I’m one of seven, and all seven of us should be privy to the same information. And, contrary to Mrs. Brightman’s claim in the article, I do communicate with her. The emails the reporter read for this article clearly prove that. Mrs. Brightman seems to prefer communicating by phone rather than by email. For me, it’s about transparency. I have never refused to communicate with her. However, since the controversy surrounding her conversation with an acting county commissioner, I have only reluctantly spoken with her outside of meetings without witnesses.
At times I’ve disagreed with the means proposed to achieve Dr. Wilcox’s vision. I’ll continue to question those means when warranted. I’ll continue to listen to the students, parents and citizens of our county, and advocate for BOE business to be conducted as openly as possible. I’ll also continue to advocate for a team-building retreat to create a better atmosphere in which the 2017 Board of Education can work. And, I’ll continue to bring my very best to the table as I work and serve respectfully. The students and citizens of Washington County deserve nothing less.
electMelissaWilliams.com
Committee to Elect Melissa Williams : David Williams, Treasurer
Committee to Elect Melissa Williams : David Williams, Treasurer