Dear Editor:
A school board member near Kansas City showed me a copy of the training manual the Missouri School Board Association uses to train Missouri school board members. The MSBA tells school board members not to have split votes on issues on school board agendas. They tell them to maintain school board discipline and speak with one voice and to present a united front to the public.
A school board member near St. Louis told me they achieve unanimous agreement by trading emails and hash out the school board agenda before the meeting and achieve 7-0 votes at the school board meetings with little or no discussion.
A school board member near Moberly said the superintendent meets with school board members one on one at least no more than two board members at the same time to discuss school board business before school board meetings and that is how they achieve their 7-0 votes at school board meetings.
Last week I was talking to a school board member near Kirksville about the state auditor showing the St. Joseph school board president cancelled checks with his stamped signature endorsing checks for eight to ten thousand dollars going to more than 80 administrators in the district and he said he did not know anything about them. The school board member and his school board allows the superintendent to spend up to 25 thousand dollars without bringing the matter before the board for approval. I told him that may come back to bite him and the other board members. He said he tried to tell the other board members but they are controlled by the superintendent. I reminded him of the old adage "Power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely."
It would be my hope that if we do have two new members to the Jefferson City school board they will not tolerate any kind of school board behavior that circumvents the open meeting law in Missouri.
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