Transparency is one principle we’ve returned to often in writing about the current school board in Newberg, and the sense that board members are not being transparent with anyone but their ardent supporters. In the past two years, the board has not been transparent about a number of things, including the surprise no-cause firing of Superintendent Joe Morelock, the use of district funds to fight multiple lawsuits (and pay for attorney Ty Smith), the budgeting process, and the reasons why they’ve decided not to follow Oregon Department of Education policies.
Recently, two major decisions—the start time for all schools, and the change to trimesters—happened without much community input, making some parents suspicious and edgy. What other decisions will be made by this board behind closed doors, decisions that could adversely impact Newberg families? Parents who love their children almost more than life itself have every reason to wonder what shoe will fall next, and how those decisions will impact their children’s educations, and thus their futures.
So forgive us for being somewhat distrustful of the recent announcement that the Newberg School District will have a community forum on May 3—a chance, the Facebook post says, for the district to dispel “misinformation pertaining to district programs and processes” about schools. A clear and transparent school board would have communicated with all parents throughout the year, not only in the weeks before an important election and six weeks before the school year ends. As it is, this forum feels more like a campaign opportunity for school board incumbents, rather than a sincere effort to create trust with constituents.
The district is requesting questions be submitted before the forum. On April 28, to be exact. Parents are warned that there can be no questions about district lawsuits or about “anything political.” We understand the need to refrain from talking about lawsuits, but how is the district leadership going to define “political”?
Is asking a question about what services special education students aren’t getting political? Is it too political to wonder what professional development educators are getting, and whether Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion instruction is part of that development? Is it too political to wonder whether the board’s push for parents’ rights will mean that some parents’ rights matter more than the rights of other parents?
If this was truly an open forum, one that prizes transparency, we would have a sense of what questions people were asking, and why some questions were considered political, while others were allowed to stand. As with other aspects of the current board, though, transparency only matters when the narrative being spun is not only positive, but also positively toxic.
Newberg Neighbors for a Better Community 