BY: ANTONY LAUDICINA
I’m fairly busy, not unlike my fellow residents in Tabernacle. There is always somewhere to go, something to do. I don’t have a lot of free time and attending Board of Education (BOE) meetings was never very high on my priority list of things to do.
After all, the contact that I had with the educators in Tabernacle had been favorable so I wasn’t really concerned. Also, let’s face it, nobody really likes going to BOE meetings, they are long, always on a work night, stuffy and very procedural. You really don’t know what is going on unless you’re a board member, as most of the work is done in committees. So it was with some reluctance that I started to attend.
I attended a meeting and it was what I had expected; long, stuffy, on a work night and procedural. I was surprised at the number of citizens who attended. As citizens petitioned the board with concerns and questions, you could not miss the angry undertones. I decided not to draw any conclusions, and took copious notes instead.
I attend the next meeting as well and found the same situation as the first. Frustration on the part of the Board and the Public was evident. The meeting raged through the night. Obviously there was a problem, but I reserved judgement on the causes, being under-informed about the issues, not knowing where the truth of the matter lay.
Each meeting I attended the level of frustration grew. The inability to communicate continued. It is evident, that something needs to be done to mend the rift and bring back a level of cooperation and harmony. We, as a community, need to correct the situation and find a way bring transparency and trust back.
