The Cost of Standing on Principle

Last night as I was leaving the School Board meeting all I could say to my teacher friends was "I'm so sorry." The ongoing tension between the Board of Education and the Board of County Commissioners has once again left school employees caught in the middle.

This latest disagreement centered on funding for employee bonuses. The BOCC offered money with the stipulation that it be used for classroom teachers and teaching assistants. The Board of Education ended up declining the funding because they believed the commissioners were overstepping by dictating how the money should be distributed. The BOE wanted the flexibility to include all certified staff, not just classroom teachers.

I understand the BOE was caught between a rock and a hard place.

A school board should have the authority to make personnel decisions without another governing body telling them exactly how to spend every dollar. If one board starts setting those precedents, it's reasonable to wonder where that authority ends.

But I also think there's another side to this.

Last year's discussions revealed what appeared to be a significant miscommunication over terminology, specifically, what "certified staff" actually means. That misunderstanding should never have happened. At the time two sitting county commissioners previously served on the Board of Education and should have understood the distinction between certified staff and classroom teachers. A clearer conversation from the beginning could have prevented much of the confusion.

Unfortunately, what could have been resolved through communication has instead seemed to evolve into an ongoing power struggle. From the outside looking in, there's been far too much pettiness between the two boards, and while elected officials argue over authority and principles, school employees are the ones paying the price.

That's the part I struggle with.

By declining the funding, the Board of Education stood on principle, but it also turned away money that would have gone directly into the pockets of classroom teachers and teaching assistants. These are employees who show up every day for students, often stretching limited resources, putting in long hours, and giving far more than their job descriptions require.

Would it have been better if every certified staff member had been included? Absolutely. School counselors, media specialists, instructional coaches, and other certified employees make invaluable contributions and deserve recognition as well.

But when the realistic choice is between some employees receiving additional compensation or no one receiving anything, I believe accepting the funds would have been the better decision.

Compromise doesn't always mean surrendering your principles. Sometimes it means recognizing that an imperfect solution still benefits real people.

The Board of Education could have accepted the restricted funding for classroom teachers and teaching assistants while continuing to advocate for additional compensation for other certified staff. They could have made it clear they disagreed with the stipulations while still ensuring that at least some of the employees received something.

Instead, another chapter has been added to what increasingly feels like a rivalry between two governing bodies that should be working together.

As someone running for the Board of Education, I believe voters deserve to know where candidates stand on issues like this. My opponent was among the board members who voted against accepting these funds. I understand how he may have come to this decision, but I don't agree with him. If I had been serving on the board, I would have voted to accept the money, provide bonuses to the classroom teachers and teaching assistants who were eligible under the BOCC's conditions, and continue working to secure additional compensation for the rest of our certified staff by advocating both on the county and state level.

The citizens of this county don't benefit when the BOCC and the BOE spend more energy defending turf than solving problems. Neither do the employees who dedicate their careers to educating our children.

Healthy disagreement is part of government. Personal grudges, political point-scoring, and unnecessary power struggles shouldn't be.

At the end of the day teachers, staff and kids need to come first in our school system, not egos.