The conversation was regarding the school board meeting on Monday. In addition to noting the presence of oft-absent board member John Marino and the fact that enrollment is down in NASD despite taxes going up, Owens main focus was on this:
But Nunamaker was responding to a point from local hellraiser Chris Miller (we need more like him), about why we don't throw the bums out.
"The vote's so lopsided appointing a 'yes' person or a 'no' person won't make a big difference," Nunamaker says. "If people want to see a change, they'll need to identify a slate to run. I can't imagine too many people not being able to run against most of these members and win if they were interested in actually taking the job."This hits the nail right on the head.
Owens continues by making the point that School Boards need to balance the Admin and Union who often support one another and that while difficult, it is not impossible to make this kind of change. He points to Northampton and Saucon Valley as two local districts where this has happened.
Speaking for myself, while I'd like to see a change, I also don't want to see draconian change. The last thing I want is a slate of anti-tax at all costs. We need to identify some people who support education and understand the difference between needs and wants.
Financially we are not in a good position and that means whomever goes on the board will have to vote for tax increases even after finding spending cuts. It will take many years to make the necessary corrections, but as Joe wrote - it is not impossible.
If there are readers interested in learning how to run for office or finding out more about it, feel free to contact me. I have information from the community event I hosted and would be more than happy to share it. Email editor@newsovercoffee.com
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