Republican candidate for Board of Education John Weldon has launched a website www.weldon2013.com/ and among the menu of issues he addresses is “Civility” with a link to a video of the raucous school board meeting in February featuring Chairman Ken Moales declaring board member Maria Pereira is “acting like you’re on Ritalin or special ed.” That exchange comes close to the video’s three-minute mark. Not Rev. Moales’ finest moment in a year loaded with controversy, but a number of other school board members also had their moments.
A website passage from Weldon’s “Civility” header:
We teach it to our kids from an early age. We teach them to play nicely with others. We teach them to not call each other names and to not interrupt when someone is speaking. As it’s currently comprised, Bridgeport’s Board of Education is completely lacking in civility. Name-calling, yelling at each other, interrupting each other and, at times, even being racist toward one another. What sort of example is that for the youth in our school system?
If elected, I will work to institute formal, concrete policies and procedures to deal with such negative and disruptive behavior so that, if it occurs, the offending party can be dealt with–even if it means being physically removed from the proceedings–so that the business of the Board can progress for the benefit of the parents, students and educators that the Board is there to serve.
Weldon is Republican-endorsed along with Joe Larcheveque and Steve Best. The Democratic candidates are Andre Baker, Howard Gardner and Dave Hennessey. The Connecticut Working Families Party line is Andre Baker, Sauda Baraka and Eric Stewart-Alicea. Five open school board seats are up for grabs. Two of those seats are reserved for minority-party representation.
*** It’s obvious many of the BOE members in that video are in much need of a good training session concerning “Roberts Rules of Order!” That in itself might have helped curtail some of the infighting by the BOE members who seem to have no regard for whomever has the floor or was chairing the meeting. If any majority BOE group at the time of a discussion decides to just interrupt to make and pass a motion without going through the chair, then why even have a chair? Better yet, why even follow any set of rules at all and just burst out and speak whenever and whatever you want! These kind of childish BOE meetings are just part of the reason very little was accomplished by the last outgoing BOE. Let’s see what the future new members will bring to the BOE meetings and Roberts Rules of Order! *** PRAY! ***
Mojo,
You’re absolutely correct. All the City boards, commissions and the Common Council should be issued copies of Roberts Rules of Order.
It might have saved Cecil Young from being assaulted by members of the Common Council. The case is still pending.
And … Roberts Rules of Order needs to be enforced with penalties when abused. It’s bad enough Bridgeport has a failing school system, much like most inner city type municipalities. If you don’t believe me then tell me what percentage of high school graduates go successfully to college.
“acting like you’re on Ritalin or special ed.”
There are some things Roberts Rules of Order do not address. Unless there is a new “What to do in the case of a juvenile or adolescent throwdown” section.
Nah Nah Nah boo boo.
Can’t teach these millionaires anything. They think they know it all.