A Board Member and Opinion

A Board Member Speaks

“I do not appreciate or agree with your take on the topics related to our Superintendent and regionalization. Please use facts and not put your personal opinions out there.”

That’s the comment VeniVidiScripto received in response to an article on the blog referring to the Henry Hudson superintendent, regionalization and the decisions the people of Highlands, Atlantic Highlands and Sea Bright have to make.

All well and good. As a proponent of everything Thomas Jefferson stood, fought for, and defended, I respect and appreciate everyone’s right to opine on anything in the blog. The option, of course, if things offend, upset, anger or scare a reader, is simply not to read it.

Normally VeniVidiScripto would not respond to a comment like this. Everyone has the right to an opinion in the United States. And to express it. Thank you, First Amendment.

But this comment is especially sad and disturbing. Because it begins with

“As a BOE member…….

So, a Board member who just approved putting the regionalization of two towns, not three, on a special ballot that will cost the taxpayers a few thousand dollars thinks it is proper to tell me to NOT PUT my personal opinions out there?

A Board member who authorized, read, and at some time agreed with the opinion of the expert taxpayers that Sea Bright should be included in any regionalization plan thinks it is proper to tell me to NOT PUT my personal opinions out there?

A board member who thinks she has the right, which she does, to “put out there” her opinion thinks that I should not put my personal opinion out there?

Is that what happens to people once they get positions of power, control or duty?  Why is it the opinion of a Board of Education member that a citizen does not have the right to express her opinion? Why is it that a board of education member feels she can “put out” there that the writer has not used facts, but doesn’t feel she should identify what facts should have been used?

It is a sad commentary on the individual when “as a board member” one feels that gives her the right to silence or order or tell everyone else they do not have the right to have an opinion.

A board member is elected, sometimes appointed, by the people to represent the people.

A board member, like any elected official, needs to listen to the people in order to represent them.

A board member needs to hear from the people their opinions, their ideas, yes, even their suggestions, whether she likes them or not.

Maybe if the opinion of this board member is similar to that of other board members, it explains the problem the taxpayers  and parents who want their kids to have the best education possible are having with this whole idea of regionalization.

It certainly makes it appear that board members are not listening to the people, not listening to the expert they retained; they appear to be listening only to the superintendent, their paid employee who has a personal interest in how the situation is resolved.

The board members appear to NOT want input from the people. Heck, they don’t even want the input from the expert they retained. So why on earth should a taxpayer feel her opinion should be heard?

Why should it come as a surprise when a board member writes “as a BOE board member,”….. as if she has more rights now that she is a board member, than an ordinary citizen?

Perhaps it isn’t entirely the fault of the board member.

Traditionally, and ironically, the largest part of the tax dollar is spent on education. Yet so many times it is so difficult to get candidates to run for the board of education.

Traditionally, and ironically in view of the huge amount of tax dollars poured into education, very few people attend meetings, and fewer yet even understand everything that goes on at meetings.

Traditionally, and ironically, voters do not turn out for special elections. Even school board elections receive fewer voters than other municipal elections.

Many boards have members who are parents of children in the school system they are selected to oversee. Those board members do not always vote the way they feel; they fear retaliation in some way against their child in the school.

Perhaps it is time to call for a state law to prohibit board members who have students in the district from serving. Perhaps it is time to call for a state law to prohibit members of teachers unions from serving on boards of education since they may feel a closer need to represent the union to which they belong rather than the people who put them in office.

These are only opinions. Mine. And thank you, Mr. Jefferson, thank you First Amendment, for preserving my right to express them. Publicly. And often.