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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]imho, that's a cheap shot, to accuse TDK and MM of being "afraid to go against their friends".  They spent a lot of time to consider a difficult question.  They investigated the process and regulations.  They drafted a sound motion - whether you agree or not with the objective, it was well drafted and based on the regulations that the School Board has adopted.  They explained their position, reasoning and intentions carefully and respectfully.  Their decision to abstain made no difference to the outcome but indicated that they were of a different mind than TW and ES who voted against, and the "friends" who voted for the main resolution.

There's a lot of name calling and judgements being passed that show a basic ignorance about the challenges of being in a position of governing over decisions that are contentious.  I give them credit for undertaking to raise issues (fidelity to process and respect for regulations and transparency) that are important to protecting the integrity of the Board and its actions.  It took a lot of time and courage to take a stand for something when many are clamoring for an easy fix.

The decision to proceed is now fraught with complication and there will be a contentious debate over the appropriate name.  The (new) Superintendent will be distracted by this controversy, to the detriment of the rest of his duties, and the Stuart community will continue to be fractured as they lobby for new names.  Most people really don't care that much - as evidenced by the relatively small shows of support for a name change.  So, we have a small minority of outraged people whose actions are having a disproportionate negative effect on the whole system.  This is most unfortunate.

Good government is based on clear process; inclusive, transparent, equitable - this is the basis for achieving any just resolution to conflicts.  The fact that so many on the Board rejected this in favor of an ad hoc approach indicates that respect for governance at the School Board is weak - this is a big problem.  Kudos to Ms. Derenak Kaufax and Ms. McLaughlin for raising the concern in a respectful, intelligent and considerate way.[/quote]

That's an awful lot of words, but nothing in there to really support the conclusion that there are procedural problems in how the School Board handled this that only Derenek-Kaufax and McLaughlin were smart and courageous enough to spot and point on.

There are lawyers both on the School Board (Hynes and Moon) and advising the School Board, and they were comfortable that the Board was proceeding within its authority.  Prior to their hearing that TDK and MM might introduce a motion that would delay a decision yet again, many of the "keepers" were saying that the matter had gone on long enough.

Anyone who knows the facts understands that TDK and MM wanted to delay a decision because they didn't want to deal with the potential consequences on renaming Stuart on two schools within their districts - Lee and Woodson.  Kicking the can down the road further on Stuart would have given them the luxury of not taking a stand for, at a minimum, another three months.  Of course, abstaining does as well, to some extent, but it's a more obvious punt and abdication of responsibility.

And, of course, good government depends on integrity.  MM met with a group favoring the change in Stuart's name shortly before this week's meeting and told them unequivocally she would vote in favor of a name change.   She did not do so and, in fact, tried to postpone a decision yet again.  After this, she'll need to switch parties, because the FCDC will be unlikely to endorse her for any position ever again. [/quote]

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