Editorial: School board cowards [school board has a duty to listen to its critics]

Albany Times Union ^ | Thursday, July 3, 2008 | ?

[Fitzy_888]

Someone once said school board politics can be the roughest politics of all. That wise person probably served on a board and faced voter hostility over proposed budgets and, on more than one occasion, the wrath of parents upset over a school policy affecting their children. All this for an office that comes with no pay and many hours of homework on educational issues and state regulations. And, oh, yes, school board meetings can get testy, even hostile, when there is a controversial issue. It all goes with the territory -- unless you are a member of the Guilderland School Board, that is. On Tuesday night, hundreds of people showed up to protest the reassignment of two popular high school social studies teachers to Farnsworth Middle School. And the board's reaction? Members walked out rather than hear what the public had to say.

That's unacceptable. We can understand the board's reluctance to discuss personnel issues in public. There are rules to be followed. These are private matters that must be resolved on their merits in accordance with state and district guidelines. That's especially true in disciplinary cases. The board's decision must be based on those guidelines, not public opinion, no matter how heated.

But board members also have an obligation to listen to the people who elected them, even when they might not like what they hear. The 400 people who came to the Tuesday meeting were upset at the school district administration's forced transfer of Matt Nelligan and Anne Marie McManus, who are obviously popular among students and parents alike.

The reasons for the transfer are vague. A district "culture inquiry" concluded that the two teachers were fostering a "locker room" atmosphere among staff. Mr. Nelligan was also accused of using a gay slur, but was later exonerated.

One reason the transfers have generated such controversy may well be that the social studies department has a history of academic success. Regents test scores are among the highest in the region. Not surprisingly, many students and parents are upset, looking to the board for answers.

Again, the board is bound by personnel policy and can only explain so much in public. But that does not excuse it from listening to its critics. At the least, the board should have given the public a chance to be heard, even if in an abbreviated comment period. Perhaps nothing that was said would have changed any board member's mind. But it would have been the respectful thing to do. Instead, the board chose to duck and run. Voters should remember that the next time one or more of these board members are up for election.

THE ISSUE: The transfer of two Guilderland teachers sparks protests.

THE STAKES: The school board has a duty to listen to its critics.

[Fitzy_888]

The teacher where critical of the Teachers Union funding the political campaigns of the members of the Board of Education.

The Board called that: "...fostering a "locker room" atmosphere among staff."