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September 29, 2005
Fowler & Colburn Comment on School Superintendents at East Ridge Education Committee Meeting
On September 26, 2005 ~ Monday Night ~ in the library of the East Ridge Middle School, EREC hosted an event in which Tennessee state senator David Fowler (R-District 11) stood in for TN state representative Jack Sharp (R-District 30). East Ridge representative Sharp had been slated to speak but is now fighting lung disease, complicated by a disabling cough. So Fowler filled in. After Fowler's speech, Hamilton County School Board Member Debbie Colburn (D-District 8) spoke. I attended the meeting along with about 30 other East Ridgers.
Senator Fowler
Fowler addressed various educational issues that are winding their way through the state legislature, including talk by a few legislators that our state make every county school superintendent position an elected position. The senator does not believe this notion has much muster although he noted that some county commissioners would like to see this change.
School Board Member Colburn
Colburn warned that the "elected superintendent" idea is highly risky to the community and dangerous to our children. She argued that mixing politics with educational professionalism would only hurt academic professionalism. She strongly opposes such a change.
Colburn also talked about the call by County Commissioner Curtis Adams (R-District 8) to sue the school board over breaking the Sunshine Law. She told the audience what she told the press: namely, that one school board member received the news last of Jesse Register's retirement, and therefore later than all the others, because that one member would have informed the media immediately, something the other members were trying to prevent so that Register could control his own timing for his retirement announcement.
In addition, she explained to us that the contract that pays Register $150,000 for consulting in 2006-2007 is necessary because of the transition period and because of some grant money attached to having Register still employed. She also pointed out that this was much less money than the "buyout" by Curtis Adams offered last year (about $450,000).
Of course, some community members are still angry by the "consulting contract," but at least this is a contract, i.e. ONE YEAR'S PAY for WORK. Adams' BUYOUT, on the other hand, would have been nothing more than a GOLDEN PARACHUTE, i.e. THREE YEAR'S PAY FOR NO WORK.
Of course, many community members are correctly upset because they believe that all business should be done in the public's eye, not in private. I must concur for it is the nature of democracy to be open and straightforward. And that seems to be the spirit of the Sunshine Law. So it was certainly unwise for a few board members to act in isolation without notifying all others. That said, we all know that the present political tempest among our elected officials on the commission and school board creates endless finger-pointing, where every pot calls every kettle black.
Maybe we need a Sunshine Festival which brings all of these parties together with the goal of being friends in public rather than politicians on the war path.
| By wjbailes | 08:49 PM
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