We have learned that eternal vigilance is required if a free people are to remain free. We have only asked for a reduction or elimination of rules, mandates, and regulations that are adding to the inability of the public to participate in the education process in Gilmer County. (I borrowed most of this from the Tea Party announcement this morning.)The Board of Education is out of control and to quote the chairman she says “they have no issues; that if other people had concerns they would be at the meetings or work shops, and no one shows up.” Well, friends and neighbors, you need to show up.

No one shows up because it is futile. The way it currently works is: they have a workshop on the Thursday before the monthly Tuesday board meeting. Materials have been put together in a binder for the board to consider. These meetings are open to the public, but these materials are not made available to the public so the public has no idea what they are discussing, what the numbers are or even what the issue is, for the most part as there is very little discussion. And, the public cannot ask questions, provide additional information the board may not be aware of, or even express how they feel on the issue. If you try to speak you are told you are out of order.

At the last work shop meeting I was trying to get the BOE to discuss with those in attendance the purpose of having a Town Hall meeting. Wanted to discuss how it could be used to their benefit and help put them back in touch with the community. I was told I was out of order, that I cannot ask questions at the work shop and that I was on the agenda for Tuesday. When I asked “wouldn’t it be better to discuss this informally at a work shop instead of a formal presentation at a board meeting?” Not only did they not answer my question, but they all looked at each other, got up and all WALKED OUT and went into “executive session” away from the public. I asked the room of people remaining if they wanted to hear what I had come to say and they said yes, so I went to the front and addressed the group for 30 minutes WITHOUT the board.

This is the arrogance of our current Board of Education. If you attend a regular board meeting, those notebooks that they approved on the previous Thursday are there, but again nothing available for the public. Now they move through the agenda bringing up Item 1, Tab B, make motions, ask each other if there is any discussion, vote and move to next item. So if you attend the meeting, you are not allowed any input UNLESS you requested AT LEAST 24 HOURS IN ADVANCE, to be allowed to speak. However, you must disclose your questions, and the board will then decide if there is time for you to speak.

Major issues come up in this county each month, things that directly affect you and me, things such as closing Oakland Elementary, outsourcing the custodians, buying a new central office, buying 200 acres of timberland way out 382, buying more school buses, deciding to throw out a child’s lunch if they have overdrawn their lunch card, etc. And when citizens show up to ask questions, complain, provide additional information, disagree or whatever, they are prevented from addressing the board, and if you do address the board and ask questions as I did in September, you are left standing there. Standing there waiting for the answers. When you ask are they going to answer your questions, Mr. Dorsey tells you that “we don’t answer questions at meetings. You can only ask questions. If you want answers to your questions you could have filled in your address and then we would have responded in writing.”

Come to the meeting Tuesday, October 11, 2011. I am on the agenda.