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I am
strongly in support of GCISD’s administration and staff
and commend their ongoing efforts on behalf of our school
district. I also take very seriously my responsibilities
as an elected board member to oversee specific functions
in the district and to ask questions that probe the issues
that face us. I do not see strong advocacy in favor of
both positions as mutually exclusive, as was presented by
supporters of this resolution on September 22, 2003, and
thus was—and am unable—to sign such a statement.
Following
is a written copy of my position, which I read at the last
board meeting, and the resolution sent to me for support
and on which I based my response.
RESOLUTION REPLY
In good
conscience, I am unable to sign the resolution before us
tonight. It is my opinion that signing this document
restricts ALL members of this board from upholding the
responsibilities to which we swore allegiance when we were
elected.
What are
our responsibilities? The District identified the major
responsibilities of board candidates as including fiscal
management of the district, making policy, setting goals,
and evaluating the performance of those individuals
assigned to supervise the completion of these tasks to the
board’s satisfaction. As each of us campaigned for
office and participated in public forums, we were
questioned about our understanding of these obligations,
and we swore to uphold them as elected board trustees.
I feel
that we have a responsibility and obligation to ask
questions, research evidence and trends in favor of—as
well as against—proposals and policies, and question
voters and taxpayers about their perspective on these
issues. Some of these questions are tough to ask and may
be even more complex to answer.
This
resolution, in my assessment, creates a no-win conflict
for all who sign it. By signing, board members in effect
abdicate their sworn responsibilities to ask for needed
documentation, pose tough or uncomfortable questions and
make difficult decisions if these actions might at any
time cause any employees to feel their ability, work, or
integrity is questioned. Not signing the document, on the
other hand, falsely implies a lack of support for the
district and all who work in it, instead of a lack of
support for this resolution. The resolution also, in my
opinion, sets a dangerous precedent by inappropriately
offering a blanket apology for unnamed trustees’, and I
quote from the resolution, “constant demands for
information”. The ability of any management group, such
as a board of trustees, to do a very difficult and
sometimes unpopular job hinges on its access to
information and its ability to conduct a healthy,
professional exchange of potentially conflicting ideas. I
am also concerned about possible legal exposure to which
we may expose our school district.
For the
record, I support the current and future efforts of
dedicated staff, administration, AND board members in
GCISD—the groups and the support should not be mutually
exclusive, as proposed by this resolution. I also support
the need for access to information and the right to
conduct discussions, heated though they may be, on such
issues. Signing this resolution requires that I make an
untenable compromise and choose one over both.
It is
each of our charges to challenge one another to perform to
the peak of our ability and to overcome or get over
personality conflicts that likely will arise when
committed people disagree—in any business setting. It is
my goal that we can focus on our major responsibilities,
as defined by GCISD, and encourage the many dedicated and
valuable individuals in the district—including staff,
administration, trustees, and voters—to work
cooperatively to ensure we meet the challenges before us.
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