About the Board Meeting and Looking Forward...

You may remember that I was supposed to attend this past Monday's School Board Meeting. Well, let's just say that things didn't go as I had hoped. First of all, the School Board website calendar, and other public notices published by the Board suggested that the meeting was to take place at 5:30pm. However, when I arrived and attempted to enter the building so as to attend the meeting, I was informed by a gentleman at the door that the meeting wasn't until 6:30.

Naturally, I felt this revelation was strange since I had double-checked the time on the website. As I was leaving, I ran into a couple of ladies who were coming to the meeting as well. When I reported to them what I had been told, they weren't too happy. One of the ladies told me that her name was Denise Wiley, President of the local teacher's union. I told that I would try to remain in contact with her, but noted that I would now not be able to attend this meeting since I had another meeting to host at 7pm.

May I ask you a question? Yes you, the reader? Are you okay with the way your school board is being managed? Is it okay for we the people to experience such persistent difficulty in keeping tabs on the conduct of the officials we ELECT to represent our students? Is it okay for the minutes and agendas of their meetings to be so inconsistent in their availability in the age of the internet? Is it okay for our school board to tell the public that their meeting will transpire at one time only for citizens arriving to be told something different?

Why is it so difficult to hold our school board accountable? I believe in transparency, especially when the education of our children is involved. Is it too much to ask that we have easy access - via the Board's website - to the minutes and agendas of the governing body presiding over Newark City Schools? If it is too burdensome, then I suggest new leadership to ascertain that our school district get with the times and enable us to more effectively tend to the needs of Newark's next generation.

The need for a more transparent and more effective educational system in our district is why I have chosen to run for School Board this year.

Are you ready to join this campaign?