DEAR DAWG: Snort here. Rip Snort. Intrepid Reporter. Friend of the Truth.
Trouble comes to Serenity Falls ISD, Dawg. We have two new board members who are stirring the pot, sticking burrs under the saddle, fomenting insurrection. At the most recent meeting, out of nowhere, board member Heather Soft (yes, that’s her name) made a motion to change the name of the district to SERENITY FALLS INTERDEPENDENT SCHOOL DISTRICT. This surprise motion was quickly seconded by our other new board member Misty Hope (yep—real name).
Ms. Soft supported her motion by citing numerous sources for the idea that excessive “independence” is fracturing our society, that we should recognize that no man is an island, that we are all in this together, that the “self-made man” is a myth and that we should recognize that the achievements of one individual person actually reflects the collective efforts of the entire web of interrelated, interdependent entities that work together. “It takes a village,” she said, which caused a few fellow board members to give her the side eye, wondering if she is, perhaps…..a Hillary supporter.
Ms. Hope joined right in, bemoaning the myth of the rugged individual and how it has led to isolation, drug abuse, depression and suicide at record levels. She argued that a change of name for the school—from Independent to Interdependent—would send a strong message of support for those seeking healing of our divided society.
To say that the rest of the board was surprised would be an understatement. Board president I.C. Jones quickly ruled the motion out of order as there was nothing on that night’s agenda about changing the name of the school district. Soft and Hope were heard to grumble afterwards about a “power play” by “the man” to crush those who speak “truth to power.”
I think this will not be the last we hear of this, Dawg. Your thoughts? SNORT.
DEAR FRIEND OF THE TRUTH: Wow! Exciting times in Serenity Falls! It’s good to see fresh insights on the school board. The Dawg holds it that diversity of thought on the board is a good thing, as long as the board members are respectful of each other. As far as the legalities, your board president did the right thing in shutting this down. Changing the name of a school district is a big deal and it would have to be specifically listed as an agenda item before the board could even discuss it. So it sounds like Ms. Soft and Ms. Hope need a little schooling on the Texas Open Meetings Act. But their next move, no doubt, will be to ask the board president to put this on the agenda for the next meeting. When that happens, Mr. I.C. Jones should take a look at board policy regarding how things get put on the agenda. This is probably at Policy BE Local. Many boards require an item to be added to the agenda at the request of two board members. If that’s your policy, you are headed for an interesting board meeting! Keep us posted, Snort!
DAWG BONE: SOFT AND HOPE LEADING THE WAY IN SERENITY FALLS. SOUNDS ABOUT RIGHT.
One more week until our summer break, Readers.