Guest Editorial: Middle school principal addresses board controversy
Mr. Editor,
I respectfully disagree.
For the most part I usually sit back and keep my mouth shut. I understand that for someone in my position it is always better to take the high road. However, I cannot take this public and highly questionable lashing of the Red Oak Community School District any longer.
This process started with a complaint filed by Jedd Sherman, followed by two additional complaints, a second by Sherman and one from Don Rogerson. In addition to being personally/emotionally attached to their complaints both men felt violations had taken place during a closed session. Since these discussions occurred in closed session, Sherman and Rogerson would never find answers to their suspicions unless an official complaint was filed with the Iowa Public Information Board. Their actions make perfect sense to me and we all anxiously await the response from the IPIB regarding those closed sessions. If these meetings were illegal, Sherman and Rogerson will get what they had been arguing for: release of the closed session tapes.
Both of these complaints, neither of which have been confirmed by the IPIB as in violation of the law remember, are what I assume brought Margaret Stoldorf into the picture. With Stoldorf came complaint number three and the continued dragging through the mud of board member ethics, lack of knowledge of open meetings law, and negative attention from local media outlets.
As a school administrator, I attend a fair share of board meetings. One I happened to miss was the special session Stoldorf attended. This one visit triggered an official complaint and has continued to receive attention 80 plus days later. Take a look at all other stories on the Express front page, Sept. 16. Would most people not agree everything other than this deserved to be the lead story? What exactly is the fascination in the already fixed complaint by a one time attendee? Is it politically driven? Is it to sell more papers or get more online views? Or is it small town politics once again occupying ugly front page attention?
The school board is doing what is in the best interest of restoring any trust with taxpayers they may have lost due to complaints accepted by the IPIB. The board is providing evidence they are in fact, more descriptive in their agendas, and continue to defend they acted appropriately when going into those closed sessions. Our board is made up of intelligent people who can handle multiple initiatives. These members have volunteered their time to make important decisions, which are in the best interest of students in our school district. It is up to Margaret Stoldorf, not the school board to end the resolution process.
Indeed Editor, you are right. The school board has made changes, and because of that they are in turn admitting they could have been more descriptive in meeting agendas, and have agreed will publish more descriptive meeting agendas in future. They have never been told they violated the law, why should they be expected to put that in writing? I would not want to put anything in writing I do not accept as fact, or even more concerning, as illegal on my part.
Our School Board was right in asking for a wording change, because just like the complainant, their individual reputations are at stake. The flaw in the newly created IPIB board is anyone can make a complaint and sit back while IPIB does all the work. Meanwhile, the public entity is charged with attorney’s fees, more volunteer time, a long drawn out media frenzy and the political question still looming in their minds … is being a part of this public board even worth my time?
Again, who has the opportunity to end it? For the board, it will take at a minimum a 3-2 vote. Any complainant can end it with a 1-0 vote. In this case, the ball has always been in Stoldorf’s hands because she started the game. She started the process and got what she wanted – more detailed agendas. What more do Stoldorf or the IPIB want?
It’s time to put this thing to rest. Sadly, in reality the school board will probably take your advice, just throw their hands in the air and plead guilty to something they have never been told was definitively against the law. It’s not right. It’s all politics and call me ignorant, but I don’t get it. As you can imagine I care deeply about not only Red Oak Middle School, but the entire community of Red Oak. For the life of me, I do not understand what any of this has to do with the students and staff that walk through our doors each day.
Respectfully,
Nate Perrien,
Middle School Principal