Many of you know me and you know I am a regular at these
meetings. The reason I brought my girls
with me tonight is twofold. I want you
to see them and I want them to see you.
Call it maternal pride, but part of it is because I want you to
see the children who attend our schools.
I want you to think of them, along with your own children every single
time you make a decision about our district and its place in our
community. It IS about the children. Every single decision you make about this
district from staples in each building budget to the benefits packages for
their teachers EFFECTS them.
Other reasons are because I want them to see you. I want them to be able to look you in the eye
and look me in the eye when I tell them that I believe every single person in
this room is here because they really want to make our schools, their schools,
the best we can. I believe that. I do.
But please don't ever assume that our children don't hear the things
adults discuss and that they don't read the paper. Mehlville School District is their
world. When they hear or see it in
print, they pay attention. They are
watching us, all of us.
These children may not understand the adult politics and they
certainly don’t understand
the Foundation Formula. But the
truth is most of the adults don’t either. OK, I'll just say it, there are probably only
2 or 3 adults in this room who understand the Foundation Formula well enough to
explain it, (and I'm not one of them) but the children understand tone and they certainly understand
respect. They can tell when adults are
being ugly to each other. As a parent
and a community member, I beg you to PLEASE consider them, all of them, when
you choose your tone and your language and remember they ARE watching and they
KNOW its about them. Please be
respectful of each other in the way you conduct business that is ABOUT
them. Our children, MY CHILDREN deserve
that.
Let’s please go into this with the mindest that like
police officers, firefighters, soldiers that teachers are one of the good
guys. they didnt do it for recognition,
or the money, or the easy hours. Like
the other good guys, they are part of honorable professions. I will go so far as to say that there isn't
an educator in this room, who hasn't personally, with their own money bought a
school supply or a coat or shoes for a child who needed them. and there isnt anyone in this room who
wouldnt do the same in their position.
They ARE the goodguys. As such,
lets not question their integrity, especially publically with
grandstanding. Hold them
accountable? Definitely. It's the whole reason my husband joined the
Finance Committee in the first place. He
was chasing the metaphoric tiki torches.
Before he found out they never existed in the first place. But PLEASE lets do it appropriately and
respectfully, because this stuff ALWAYS filters down to the kids. You wouldnt believe what conversations come
up on playgrounds at lunch tables among children. Its the very thing that would make a mother
of a 7 and 9 year old bring them to a very dry adult meeting simply to reassure
them they can trust the people who are in charge of their entire world.
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