Counting those Votes

Not to wear out the theme that school board meetings are more boring than televised bocce(or lawn bowling to the Joey Bag of Donuts crowd), I do need to point out a few things that may help enliven the proceedings.

First, let me propose each board member and the superintendent be issued a taser with a 50 foot reach. Each has one shot only during each board meeting. Actually, the superintendent should have two; one for each maverick. When a conflict flares, pop…szzzzz… followed by a howl. Put that on TV and with the swelling national audience, ad agencies will throw money at the district. Goodbye budget crisis.

Second, we need to jazz up speaker presentations. I don’t care who is speaking or who is making an education saving proposal: time limit—3 minutes. And, if the speaker is not on an Obama-like roll, he or she had better stop at the red light. Otherwise, a dye filled water balloon is launched; a kinda burgundy badge of boredom.

Third: Any outside speaker wanting to address the board must smell better than a Daniel Ruth “black beans and bourbon for lunch” belch. I’ve never understood why gadflies shun soap and water.

Lastly, and more seriously, I think it time for the board to show their electronic votes on a big board above the dais, just like the county commissioners do. And, those votes need to be shown on the board’s web site after each meeting. I believe the public deserves more openness when reviewing past agenda items and shouldn’t have to go through the communications office for that information. We need to know immediately who voted for what, and who didn’t.

On another subject, I hear a couple of soon to be retired Hillsborough educators are seriously contemplating a run at April Griffin next year. That’s if she runs again for school board. I’ve heard she is exploring a campaign for an open 2010 county commission seat. As the Rowdies used to sing, “that April is….a kick in the brass.”

posted by admin @ 5:19 PM