Letter to the Editor

Was school board vote valid?

Sunday, January 29, 2012

To the Editor:

When North Clay Middle School was being planned, I was a school board member.

At the planning stage of North Clay Middle School, I asked the superintendent how placing our sixth-graders into this middle school would improve the education they were getting in our elementary schools?

I asked this three times before I got an answer.

The answer was, "We need our sixth-graders in our middle school to enhance the athletic programs at Northview."

No mention of any enhancement of the sixth-graders' education in North Clay classrooms.

When I was elected to the present school board, renovation of our elementary schools was in progress.

I asked that board to have meetings with North Clay sixth-graders' parents to evaluate their sixth-graders' current education.

Fellow school board members denied this approached repeatedly.

These sixth-graders in our North Clay school have been repeatedly denied their right to a progressive education ever since our middle school was constructed.

A big question now is, "Have our sixth-graders enhanced the athletic programs at Northview today?'

What is the status of these athletic programs? And sadly, North Clay sixth-graders were never promised any enhancement of Northview's educational status.

At the last school board meeting, an unusual agenda was presented.

Two positions voted upon as one item.

One position was for North Clay School and one position was for Clay City Elementary.

These are different type schools and should be administrated separately.

The individual who was voted into a transition position at North Clay Middle School was transferred from Clay City Elementary principal position.

This position includes sixth-graders.

In voting for this transition position, our current school board members did not ask for any past experiences nor for the evaluation of three contract positions this individual experienced at Clay City Elementary.

Lack of valid information, background and evaluation, placed this transition individual into North Clay Middle School position and another individual into Clay City Elementary principal position by using the same vote.

Both positions should have been posted individually.

Was this school board item valid?

Our school board attorney needs to advise our school board with an answer to this question.

School board votes are required to abide by state laws.

And our public needs to know how its school board functions.

Forrest R. Buell, board member,

Clay City