Talk With Tracy: Can't we all just get along?!!

A lot happened at the BOE on Tuesday night. I was late so I will only comment on the part I was there for (family takes priority over being a gallery member). I will reiterate my request for the BOE to form a Community Outreach or PR sub-committee to managed public relation and educate the citizens about educational management. Offer key members of Ft Lee seats on the public side of  this committee.  For those of you who don't know, out BOE is a committee based board, Curriculum, Finance etc. The Board president organizes and selects committee members.

Well, the district goals seem standard enough. No surprises, we are still plugging away at what seems like a list that gets more robust in nature rather than longer and/or shorter. The same goals as previous years, and we seem to add objectives laterally rather than take on new ones. It would be nice to update the big ones as successes, and we all know what has to be done to check them off next year and take on ones that will make us move from good to great! (referendum) The schools are another year older, we all know what aging does to the old buildings and of course, more crowded than ever. Curriculum is delayed and the usual challenges that come about in a school district. Standard stuff. 

The first BOE goal  is focused on themselves as a individuals on a board; this surprised me because the first priority should be to manage the goals of the district through the administration and represent the needs and wants of the town of Ft Lee.  Objectives and steps can easily be written and attained for this broad goal, but it should have been FIRST! The administration actually does the work, and the BOE should be ensuring that progress is being made on specific district goals (these would be objectives to the goal) and it is balanced with the community wishes (again, objectives). I want them to think, ''Hey, Dr. Superintendent, how’s that curriculum coming or what is happening with the test scores in the middle school?” Unfortunately, the very reason for the Boards existence only made it to second place. And yes, I am angry that they put their personal needs before those of  our children and the town.

Instead, they created a emotionally based conglomeration of what should be reasonable expectations of behavior. It just should not be a goal. Self management is part of the job. Now I know my views are not popular and I do view the Administration as managers/consultants and the BOE as representation of Fort Lee, but come on, it has to be better than this!

Goal 1: “Improve communication and working relationship among board members focusing on confidentiality and trust.”

They should have attained this ‘goal’ as individuals, before they decided to run for a public office, won an election, and took an oath. Isn’t this part of the Oath? Their first goal is nothing more than reasonable expectations, it should not be a goal at all; good working relationships is a requirement and it is what we (the public) expect from each of them; each memeber is an adult, who took on the responsibility as an elected state official. Each of them needs to act accordingly. Check your personal and political agendas at the door, there is no room for them, act mature enough to make decisions and shut your mouths when talking to the public about specifics, even when pressed.  Use your emotion as motivation to make the best decision and not as a decision-making tool; do not fault each other for different opinions, listen to each other. You should have known what you are getting into, its not an easy job, but get over yourselves and get along! . Respect your position, act with honor, and act with self- control, dignity, and objectivity and remember what you are there for! You are there for children and the citizens of Ft Lee. You do need to put the effort into becoming a team, a unit and board with common goals; through that you will alleviate some of the ‘feelings’ about not getting along. But as the number one goal for yourselves for the year, no way. Your team will change next year, so it should be an ingrained expectation, not a goal.

We all have to step up our game to encourage growth.

Now we as the public have a little work to do ourselves. Keep it quiet in the gallery (me tooJ), until it is our turn; then be respectful of each other and the BOE members. When the meeting is not 'open',  we have to stop talking and commenting to the BOE members and the BOE members need to stop talking to the gallery. (thanks for that word, Dave). Keep the dramatics and time siphoning rhetorical to a minimum. Say what you have to say, in a respectful and effective manner.  It is a formal meeting. Now,  a BOE/Community Outreach meeting would be a place for casual discussion that we (me included) love so much. That is where the formality can be loosened a bit, while maintain productivity and free flow discussion.

We need a Community Outreach Committee as a productive means of discussion. It would offer the BOE an opportunity to connect and manage the people of Ft Lee to what they do as members.

Thanks.