Times Editorial : Mixed signals
Posted on Wednesday, August 10, 2005
Maybe it's just us - read the letters; some folks seem to think it is - but we could have sworn plenty of people in this town held a pretty serious grudge against the Fayetteville School Board. So much so, in fact, that we were under the impression that were a school board election to occur in this atmosphere, those members facing re-election were in for a tough time. Talk about a bunch of hot air. On Monday, the filing deadline for Fayetteville School Board elections passed without a single person challenging the seats held by incumbent representatives Howard Hamilton (Zone 2) and Tim Kring (Zone 3). At the end of the day, both seats stood uncontested. We are certainly not singling out Hamilton and Kring as board members who need to be removed from office. They just happen to be the two up for re-election this cycle - and we're a little surprised no one is challenging them.
It's always been the understanding on this side of the fence that when private residents in elected positions face zero opposition to return to said post, it can essentially be taken as a sign that the overwhelming majority is quite pleased with the way things are going. And, in a community of 60,000-plus, it should never be the case that more than a handful of public offices go entirely unchallenged - especially in those positions that illicit the most controversy. Besides Mayor Dan Coody and the City Council, the board holding the strings to upset the most people in these parts is the Fayetteville School Board. Plenty of residents are naturally interested in the issues that concern the board. And, going by the amount of complaining Fayetteville folks have done about the school board this year, you'd think someone would have run to displace one of the board members facing election this fall.
But filing day came and went - and no one challenged the status quo. So, you'll forgive us, but at first we found ourselves trying to make sense of these mixed signals, and lost in a state of confusion. Why did no one else run? After all, it's not as if there's been a shortage of controversial issues of late.
For starters, the Fayetteville School Board found itself down for the count following a bruising fight this spring that witnessed the defeat of a 4.8-mill increase in the district's tax rate. Of late, we've seen the beginning stages of a debate that will lead to the rezoning of school districts throughout Fayetteville, which will inevitably leave some parties feeling shafted. From the phone calls we get, there's also a comfortable constituency out there that's still upset about the closure of Jefferson Elementary in south Fayetteville.
And then there's Laurie Taylor. The local mom has single-handedly created a civil war in Fayetteville regarding the propriety of certain, controversial books in public school libraries. Some people believe she's a hero; meanwhile, other's haven't hesitated to refer to her efforts as censorship.
Really, that's just scratching the surface. Good citizens attending school board meetings understand there are always controversial issues that generate the most heat, but that there are scores of additional issues which few people pay attention to, and yet are of crucial importance to the daily functioning of the local school district.
Perhaps this is the real reason few people ever actively join the public discourse - because it's a ton of hard work. Everyone likes to talk like they could do a great job managing Fayetteville's schools, but only a handful ever do anything about it.
Truth is, plenty of people try to paint a picture of discontent, but people act satisfied with the way this school board is handling things. They must be - or else somebody somewhere would have taken the plunge and made some kind of an effort against either Hamilton or Kring. After all, there's no denying the important issues this board helps influence annually - from millage elections to banning books to rezoning efforts.
We sincerely hope everyone remembers this moment the next time people have a problem with some decision regarding the Fayetteville School Board.
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