To the Board of Trustees
Kilgore Independent School District
Members of the
Board,
I
am writing today as both a taxpayer and a concerned parent of a KISD student.
Kilgore needs positive things happening to insure continued economic growth and
development. Recent events regarding our school district and the actions of the
school board do not reflect well on the community, and can only impact Kilgore
in a negative manner.
To
have smart, steady, sustainable growth we must move away from old ideas to
embrace new ones, and it’s possible to do this without compromising who we are
as a community. The old-fashioned, “good old boy” way of doing things must end
unless we wish to be left behind while other communities in our area experience
positive growth.
One
example of embracing new ideas can be found right here in town. Not too many
years ago, Merritt Tool’s business model was one of ninety percent oil field
and ten percent other industries. However, Merritt Tool’s leadership saw change
coming and embraced it. Their business model changed to one of ten percent oil
field and ninety percent other industries. This change in business their model brought
Triumph Industries and new opportunities to Kilgore.
Quality
educators do not want to work at a district in turmoil, a district where the
board micromanages things, especially when it is something that effects friends
of a board member or when a board member has a personal axe to grind. Quality
people do not want to live in a community where they are considered outsiders because
they weren’t born and raised there. Quality industries will not create jobs in
a city where the citizens are at each other’s throats over something as trivial
as a student not making a team.
Many
Kilgore citizens have lost faith in the board’s ability to make rational, impartial,
intelligent decisions regarding what is best for ALL the school children in our
district. They’re just afraid to say so because they are people you grew up
with, went to school with, go to church with, and even work with. They are your
friends, but as board members they, like I, believe you’ve lost your way, and
that you have forgotten that you are all elected public servants, with an
emphasis on servant. The teachers, parents, and children of the school district
DO NOT work for the school board, it’s supposed to be the other way around. If
you believe otherwise then you are wrong person for the job.
Effective
and respected leaders think of those they serve first and themselves last, if
at all. I am not impressed. Many of you are on the board for the wrong reasons,
and it’s time for you to go. So know this: change is inevitable, and it is on
the way.
Public
servants running unopposed in elections is not good for any community. Moving
forward, I am dedicating myself to getting our citizens involved in helping to remake
our school board to insure our students are capable of meeting the challenges of
the 21st century. I’ve read, and will read again, every document
related to the board and its procedures, and I will scrutinize every single future
decision you make. Every. Single. One.
One
of my concerns with the board in general has to do with Section IX of board
procedures. As I understand this paragraph, the goals for the board are set by
the board, and evaluation of completion of the board’s goals are determined in
an assessment…completed by the board. The circular logic of this item is quite
dizzying. The combination of a lack of independent oversight, and nowhere to go
when one is unhappy with board decisions does not seem healthy, for either the
citizens of the district or for the board itself. Are a list of the board’s goals
and the results of the self-assessment ever made available to the public?
Below
are some excerpts from the code of conduct you all signed when taking office,
along with a couple other items I found in school board documents.
·
Always
strive to put the needs of children above the wants of adults and make
decisions in terms of the educational welfare of ALL children in the District
regardless of ability, race, creed, ethnicity, social standings.
·
Accept
criticism without getting defensive or angry.
·
Be
open-minded and listen to the opinions of others.
·
Express
personal views in a positive and constructive manner.
·
Disagree
without being disagreeable.
·
Do
not harbor grudges from past issues or events.
·
Do not let personal pride, ego, grudges, friendships, or other
personal considerations influence decision making. (My personal favorite)
·
No
Board member or officer has authority outside of a Board meeting.
·
No
Board member can direct district employees in regard to performance of duties.
·
The
Board sets district policies, and supports the superintendent in his/her job of
managing the district and directing employees in district and campus matters.
Regarding
the Hi-Stepper drill team last fall, you failed horribly when measured against several of the items
on the list above. When questioned, the board stated at their April 2016 meeting
that the Hi-Stepper parents did not hear the testimony the board heard
regarding the case. What was that testimony? Did you receive testimony from
everyone, or just the family who complained? Has the board turned into a modern day
version of a Star Chamber, engaging in strict, arbitrary rulings and secretive
proceedings that benefit only the limited few who are “in” with the board?
In
my opinion and the opinion of many others, you did a great disservice to this young lady. You taught her that she doesn’t have to deal with disappointments in
life, because there is always someone who can fix it. You taught her that
rather than accept the decision of the judges and hold herself high with
dignity and grace, she can simply run away.
There
are times when the needs of the one outweigh the needs of the many, but this
was not one of those times. Some of you are good friends of the young lady's family,
so you felt it was your place to “help.” Some of you simply don’t care for the current drill team director and took this opportunity to make life difficult for her. Either way, it
was the wrong thing to do.
Regarding
individual board member behavior in monthly meetings, it is childish and
improper to try intimidating citizens by staring them down when they say
something you don’t care for. Behavior like this is beneath you all. It is not
proper for an elected public servant to behave in this manner, and it goes
against your code of conduct.
School
board members reaching out to parents in an honest attempt to solve a problem
is a good thing, and these efforts should be applauded. However, it is
inappropriate to speak with a parent privately on a heated topic once it
becomes a public issue, unless there is a record of the meeting.
Lastly,
it appears some board members don’t understand the fine art of detachment. By
that I mean keeping the roles of parent and board member distinctly separate,
because crossing that line is a conflict of interest. Parents have every right
to be disappointed and want changes when circumstances at school don’t always
work in their child’s favor. However, the code of conduct states that school
board members DO NOT have that luxury.
I
am planning to run for the school board next year in an attempt to affect
positive change and stop the board from the day-to-day meddling it is known
for. While it has done some good for the district, the present board has done
far more than their fair share of damage, and I am tired of it dividing our
community. To paraphrase words from someone far more intelligent and eloquent
than I; “You have done enough. Have you no sense of decency gentlemen, at long
last? Have you left no sense of decency?”
Our
community is in my prayers daily, as are our community leaders, including all
KISD board members. I will continue to pray, but until you all realize that you
work for the district and the community rather than the other way around, we
have a very, very long way to go.
