Abbott Takes over Houston Schools

Are we going to get details or just chose sides now?

 

Didn't Desantis do the same in FL (Broward?)

 

This is happening all over the country.

Red States Are Fighting Their Blue Cities

 

Small government and local control are good, unless the locality elects Democrats. Then, it's bad, and we must strip away their power to elect their own representatives.

 

Why would political affiliation matter for a school board?
Are they typically partisan races?
I don’t think in my area their political affiliation are noted(I could be wrong) don’t recall looking at that in the past.

 

Do you think this has anything to do with it?
“ Morath said the board has failed to improve student outcomes while conducting “chaotic board meetings marred by infighting" and violating open meetings act and procurement laws. He accused the district of failing to provide proper special education services and of violatingstate and federal laws with its approach to supportingstudents with disabilities”

Or is it just because it’s Dem run?

 

Knowing the political affiliation of a SB candidate is an indicator of how that prospective member will regulate the board. Two years ago the Mesa County's (- you know, home of the infamous former Mesa County elections supervisor, Tina Peters who was arrested for tampering with voting machines and scheduled for trial this summer, and largest city in Congresswoman Lauren gun toting Boebert's congressional district 3) area 51 school district added 3 newly elected members to the 5 person board. The three of them - 2 women and a man ran as a team supporting each other and supported by one of the several conservative political action groups that have sprung up to promote and support far right candidates.

The first action they made was to elect one of their team as chairman of the board. With their slim majority they can virtually ignore the two members who were already on the board. The second thing they did was fire District 51's attorney who was terminated so they could hire a conservative legal team out of Colorado Springs, despite a local ordinance stating an attorney retained by the local school board must practice in Mesa County. Colorado Springs is on the eastern side of the Rockies, 300+ miles, a plane ride, or a 4 to 5 hour drive away.

More recently they voted to close a middle school at the end of the academic year on extremely short - 10 day - notice to the school's staff, faculty, students, and parents. A public meeting with no published agenda was announced on a Friday afternoon the day before a Saturday afternoon meeting where discussion was limited before they voted. Attendance and pushback were poor due to the short notice.

This past week the 3 lock step board members voted to exclude the Marillac Health Clinic that was planned for the newest Grand Junction High now under construction. This clinic was included in plans for the new school that had been drawn up before the newest members were elected. They found a reason to exclude the clinic that has no bearing on the running of the clinic - a law suit filed by a former employee charging discrimination.

The reasons for having a clinic are sound. Parents unable to take children to appointments, illness, injuries, psychological counseling for students inclined to suicide.

"There are 70 school-based health providers in Colorado. They offer students wellness checks, sports exams, strep tests, care for chronic conditions like diabetes, mental and sexual health care — and some offer dental screenings. They often see underserved children and youth who have limited access to health care. More than 40 percent of Grand Junction High’s students are eligible for free and reduced-price lunch and a third are students of color."
Despite pleas from students, school board rejects health clinic for new Grand Junction High School

One of the three insisted they were basing their decision on their doubts the clinic would be good for all of the students who will attend the new school. Adding there were parents who did not want the clinic in the school.

They did offer to assist the clinic in obtaining land across the street from the school property, but Marillac turned down the offer insisting they must be in the school and available to students who might otherwise not feel comfortable leaving the school to go to the off campus clinic. Marillac has obtained funding for the clinic but forfeit the funds if the clinic is not in the school.

Yes, Colorado’s school board races are becoming more politicized. Here’s why (Published in 2021)

"The uncivil behavior, threats, attacks, intimidation and threats to board members’ children, has become too much for some. Paul Pitton, who resigned recently as vice-chair from Mesa County Valley 51’s board, said in his resignation letter, “Politics have crept in and have no place in the public school system.”

"A board member in the Garfield RE-2 School District also resigned last week. In her resignation speech, Katie Mackley said she could no longer do the work of cultivating innovation and achievement in the district.

“'Unfortunately, the important and real work of the Garfield RE-2 School Board continues to be upended by community members who choose to place personal politics and social media notoriety above the education of students in this district,' she said. 'This is not the community I grew up in.'”

The district recently instituted a mask mandate because of high quarantine levels among students. Mackley said board members have been maligned on social media, screamed at, and stalked in public. One of her children has become the victim of retaliation.
----------------------------------

The former vice chairman of the Mesa County District 51 school board resigned from the board before the last election wrote this in his resignation letter, “Politics have crept in and have no place in the public school system.” His resignation opened the third vacancy allowing a majority comprised of the 3 new members


The question - Given the intimidation, threats and more, will people with experience in schools continue to run for school board?

In light of all this I would say yes, political affiliation does matter.

 

Giving the benefit of the doubt on motive, this is still a very un American, big government move. This is not conservative governance.

A citizen is free to support moves like this (whether they are legal or not), but they shouldn't call themselves conservative.

 

It's 100% because it's "Dem run." Like DeSantis's removal of Andrew Warren, the Republican claim for why they're doing it is merely a pretext.

 

I would. Come to the Birmingham City Schools and I'll change your mind in 15 minutes. It's so rife with corruption over the decades that families have been leaving the city for years. Everyone outside of Alabama thinks Birmingham is the most populous city but you would be wrong. Birmingham isn't even 2nd or 3rd, but now 4th. Remember Jefferson County? The largest county in the US to ever file for bankruptcy? It includes the city of Birmingham. I wished Alabama would take over the entire county and throw out all politicians.

 

If you choose the side of the state kicking out people from elected office and replacing them with handpicked partisans, what side is that?

 

So, you're citing a partisan state official justifying the takeover?

 

As always, when confronted with the question of what is the true correct course of political action, the real question is “who decides?” The answer that America adopted to best safeguard liberty is no one in particular. As @exiledgator alludes above, the American conservative answer added to no one in particular that this decision-making body should include only those closest to the situation. Often the answer given by these new republicans, like Trump, Abbot, and DeSantis, is that they themselves should decide.

 

Florida legislature moving forward with a constitutional amendment on the 2024 ballot to make school board elections partisan.

 

The centralization of power with republicans is nothing new, and it’s nearly impossible for Republicans to govern if democracy keeps getting in the way. So we now have a political party (republican) that’s following the teachings of Karl Marx finding they can govern easier via a communist form of government with Communism, a centralized form of government led by them only that is often authoritarian in its rule.

Republicans are now neo-communist.

 

I think people need to reckon with the fact that our republican system allows the same sort of authoritarianism as another country calling itself a republic too, like the USSR or China. Same systems of government! And basically the same level of commitment to democracy too it seems. Local governance is not guaranteed under our Constitution and if its guarantee of republican governance at state level cant be used to stop things like this, what good is it?