The Echo

Jodi has left a new comment on your post "DOJ Ambassador Speakers Available to Address a Wi...":

LOL - I didn't even see FOIA listed there... I got all excited about some of the other topics. I wanted to sponsor some community events at the school last year to include Internet safety and Predator awareness but I never could find any resources to do it. I am so calling on this next week!! :)

Now your question - no, there was no oath. There's nothing in the law, and I agree there should be. An oath isn't going to stop someone who is really interested in doing wrong, but it's a step that should give you pause to think about what you are undertaking and it gives the community a very specific set of standards to hold you to.

I guess Reach was luckier than I realized in the composition of our new board. We have folks who have a significant amount of board experience and really understand the fiduciary responsibility it entails. They also understood how a board is supposed to conduct business - Roberts rules, sunshine laws, committees, etc. I wasn't as familiar with some things like the fine points of Roberts Rules but spent time researching on my own, and have learned a lot from my fellow board members. That being said, a refresher course is never a bad idea.

Which leads me to another random thought... going through this probation experience over the last year, our mantra has been 'We want to learn, please teach us'. Hours and hours have been spent learning the detailed mechanics of the financial/funding process, for example - we've sought out people with experience and LISTENED to what they have to say. Our school is better for it. There is no room for personal arrogance here - you can't walk into a situation like this thinking that you know better than everyone else. We've put much effort into the process for things like contract bids and HR policies. Evaluation of a single person's salary has meant researching data at the state and district levels, the mid-Atlantic region and other comparable areas of the US, etc. - the bidding and evaluation process for our new modular classrooms went beyond what was required but it was the right thing to do. And EVERYTHING is documented and replicable.

It makes me very upset to see what some folks are doing right now because it makes all of us look bad. There truly ARE schools out there with boards who take their responsibilities very seriously, and who are doing very good work. In the end it's about making a high quality education available to all students and to do so in a manner that respects the citizens who provide the funding. Anyone who isn't up to the task of doing that, needs to get out.