“Things do not change; we change.”

I wish I could take credit for the title of this post, however, the author of that line is Henry David Thoreau. How right he is (and was).

It seems that every time there is an election, all the politicians are running on “change.” I guess what they understand is that people always want change. Is it that we are never satisfied where we are now? Maybe. Or is the real meaning of “change” simply a desire to strive to make things “better” than they are now.

Going back to Thoreau for a moment; it seems we change and things don’t change. If we want improvement, then what things about us must change to move forward and improve the Board of Education and education in general? That’s a tough one.

Therefore, from this point forward, I want to address “change” as improvement. That improvement will occur when we change. Does that mean changing to new Board members? Well, I know at least one guy that should be there. ;) All joking aside, here are a few of my thoughts on change and improvement.

1) Board meetings should stay focused solely on education matters.
It’s been too embarrassing and potentially dangerous lately. I can’t even bring my kids anymore. We should not need to have police at the meetings, but unfortunately that need does exist.

2) Increase the number of Board meetings.
Not to a crazy amount, but certainly a few more. These additional meetings can be the time for the public to talk more in detail with the Board. Meetings specifically designed for public comment with more back-and-forth allowed during the 5 minutes.

3) Better communication between district and parents.
First off, I think it’s pretty good now so I’m not knocking it. I get email updates all the time; whenever I call about issues related to my kids, they get back to me instantly. My emails to teachers and administrators are answered within minutes sometimes. What I mean is that not all parents share my experience. We just need to find out why and make it better.

4) Taxes, taxes, taxes.
Everyone is working hard and paying taxes. I’m paying around $6,000 a year. We rented a house on 7th Street for $750 per month when we moved here in 1991. That’s only $9,000 a year total, which is less than many people’s tax bill today. But guess what, I don’t see our taxes going down. That’s the reality of the situation. Anyone who promises “Lower Taxes” is simply lying to get elected. Don’t buy that line, “Lower taxes” ain’t happenin’. That’s why we must...

5) End the waste.
We cannot waste money having our highly-paid administrators spending time defending themselves. Either we trust them to do their jobs and work with them or we let them go. I am in agreement with the former. We have to be efficient with every dime. That means NO lawsuits, NO fighting, and NO revenge politics.

My question to you is, “What changes/improvement would you like to see?” Please click on “comment” and post your ideas—thanks!