Aug 24

Aug 24 BJ Murphy: School Board decision paves way for more diversity

The Covid-19 pandemic has greatly affected everyone in 2020 and will affect us for years to come. I will leave some of the national debate about the economic stress, masks, hydroxychloroquine, or other issues to the pundits. On a local level, the recent potential 18-week decision by the Lenoir County School Board exposed a servant leadership deficit catching parents, teachers and even administrators by surprise.

As a parent of two daughters within the Lenoir County Public Schools (LCPS) system, I am gravely concerned with the way a majority of the board, which consists of all men, chose to address our Covid-19 educational dilemma. Many neighboring districts and counties are going with a plan that involves remote learning for four weeks, which seems like a reasonable balance given Governor Cooper’s current directives. The governor could change course with any press conference or Executive Order, therefore the four-week delay was designed to give administrators and school boards more data and the flexibility to make better decisions.

Some daycares with assistance from LCPS and some private schools are already welcoming students back. Granted some universities started on-campus learning, off-campus partying is changing that rapidly.

After LCPS administrators conducted a painstaking survey of parents and teachers, including an extension of that same deadline to increase the chance for feedback, on July 27th a majority of the board came off as flippant by disregarding the very input they sought. An option not even available for thousands of stakeholders was confusingly put to a vote (and just as confusingly defended at the next board meeting). Thereby leaving kids home completely for nine weeks, with no concrete plans thereafter, except that 3rd-12th graders are in limbo for another nine weeks.

Obviously, this angered many parents, and quietly infuriated several teachers and administrators. Just as obvious is the lack of communication between board members who supported the rushed proposal with their board peers, administrators and LCPS staff. They completely failed our community by not vetting their own motion through the same channels they were seeking input, nor did they openly consult with the very folks charged with carrying out their directives.

This pandemic is making it tough for businesses to make payroll, for parents to work during the day, for folks to work out a daycare plan, and for teachers to give students the education they deserve. No one can underscore the complexity of this type of decision because it affects so many, which is why there was such an effort to include all stakeholders in the decision-making process. The majority-approved plan, or lack thereof, has caused parents to protest the perplexing decision and lack of leadership.

As a former elected official who won and lost re-election campaigns, I can attest that your seat on a board is not guaranteed, it must be earned. Luckily for our community, two at-large seats are up for grabs on November 3rd and two mothers from Lenoir County, Michelle Cash and Nancy Gilmore, have qualified as write-in candidates in spite of the board’s recent voting faux pas.

I considered detailing their backgrounds and many reasons why they individually deserve an opportunity to serve. As engaged mothers, they have just as much a right and pedigree to serve on that board as all the current board members.

Supporting their candidacies is just as much about diversity as it is in restoring servant leadership. Currently, all LCPS board decisions are made by men.

Our society often discusses the need for more female representation to reflect our diverse population, and on November 3rd we have an opportunity to embrace that opportunity. Both women would make great additions to the board and bring balance to the conversation.

The issue here is the failure of the school board by completely disregarding our community’s desires for a balanced approach to learning.

Their non-stakeholder-based decision will have ripple effects for more than the potential 18 weeks. In a time when many are taking to the streets yearning to be heard, it is even more hypocritical to ask for people’s opinions only to completely disregard them.

Our kids deserve adults who listen and lead…and mothers who fight for them...as that is what you are elected to do.