Letter to the Editor

Board member: Board currently functioning in a 'puppet fashion'

Sunday, October 28, 2012

To the Editor:

I have been a school board member multiple times and observed their functions.

Our current school board tends to function in a puppet fashion with someone pulling its strings.

There are times when pros and cons are needed before voting on an issue.

The past two school boards have repeatedly blocked me from serving the schools in my district: North Clay Middle School, Northview High School, Staunton Elementary School, and Clay City schools.

This is pure puppet fashion.

I was denied holding board meetings with sixth-graders' parents at North Clay three different times.

I was denied any recommendation and experiences that a Clay City Elementary Principal applicant had in becoming placed in this position.

No recommendation existed and there were experiences that would not have supported her principal position.

This was a true puppet selection.

No pros or cons exited by our school board.

This did undermine Clay City's Elementary School.

It did undermine Clay City schools.

This was not to occur after our state departments' approval of Northview High School.

Renovation of our seven elementary schools was done at a $26 million price tag with the Clay City school area paying $6 million (25 percent) and receiving 4 percent of the renovation projects.

I believe that education in both high schools can be improved by electing two different school boards to serve our two school systems.

When I asked our current school board to consider this -- a work session was in my mind -- it appeared in a puppet fashion on a board meeting agenda and voted out by our school board.

Now is the time to review the 1982 State Department's Northview construction approval and to determine whether it was to be temporary or permanent.

This could have strong effect on our student's education.

There are times when our school board needs to ask questions, apply pros and cons to the answers, discuss with our public and then take action.

To do otherwise supports a puppet school board.

Forrest Buell,

Clay City