Pennsylvania School Board Member to Parents: ‘I Don’t Work for You’

[el midgetron]

Quote

A Pennsylvania school board member, ostensibly disgruntled because parents are showing up at board meetings to voice concerns about education issues, penned an op-ed Sunday in which he responded, “I don’t work for you.”……

“Some members of my community appear to interpret this part of board meetings as the occasion to tell board members why they have the collective intelligence of a village idiot and how the school district ought to be addressing real problems. When the board does not fall in line with each and every demand, we are accused of ignoring the thoughtful, unbiased, sincere and righteous ultimatums of our community.”

Robinson said he preferred to write not as a “member of a school board,” but, instead, as a “member of my community who serves on a school board.” He responded to the concept that he works for the taxpayers of his community with the statement:

“No, I don’t work for you. I was elected by people who voted to represent you. It is not the same thing. You may also be surprised to learn every member of a school board is a taxpayer, too. I come from a long line of taxpaying men and women.”

https://www.breitbart.com/education/2022/01/23/pennsylvania-school-board-member-to-parents-i-dont-work-for-you/

The political left used to promote community involvement and political activism,. 

[Guest Xetan]

Pretty despicable. Stupid, too, saying the quiet part out loud.

[ethereal_scout]

IMO parents are supposed to be in overall charge, tax is just the means of funding it where parents are the overall client on behalf of their kids.

[Agent0range]

School board members don't get paid.

[Tatetopa]

On 1/23/2022 at 7:07 PM, el midgetron said:

The political left used to promote community involvement and political activism,. 

Still do. What parts of the school curriculum should the parents be in charge of math, science, history, sports, English language ?  Do parents decide what they think a high school graduate needs to get a job or go to college? 

It is not that is it?  Its arguments over masks or vaccines or political views.  When 100 parents show up at a school board meeting and there are 6,000 kids in the school district there might be a sizable number of parents with different views that are not at the meeting.  Political activism is not who screams the loudest and threatens violence first.  Or at least that is not how it used to be.

Wanna change something, have a referendum, ask the parents of all 6,000  kids, not 50 or 100.  

 

[el midgetron]

4 minutes ago, Tatetopa said:

Still do. What parts of the school curriculum should the parents be in charge of math, science, history, sports, English language ?  Do parents decide what they think a high school graduate needs to get a job or go to college? 

It is not that is it?  Its arguments over masks or vaccines or political views.  When 100 parents show up at a school board meeting and there are 6,000 kids in the school district there might be a sizable number of parents with different views that are not at the meeting.  Political activism is not who screams the loudest and threatens violence first.  Or at least that is not how it used to be.

Wanna change something, have a referendum, ask the parents of all 6,000  kids, not 50 or 100.  

Yeah that’s what votings for. 
It’s funny you advocates want to include all 6K but also marginalize these who are proactive in their participation .,.
Do you think all 6K parents can show up at a school board meeting? You guys only don’t like this because it’s is dissent to your agenda. The left used to pride it’s self on dissent. Not any more.

[Tatetopa]

36 minutes ago, el midgetron said:

Yeah that’s what votings for. 
It’s funny you advocates want to include all 6K but also marginalize these who are proactive in their participation .,.
Do you think all 6K parents can show up at a school board meeting? You guys only don’t like this because it’s is dissent to your agenda. The left used to pride it’s self on dissent. Not any more.

Participation in what?  Desire to wear a mask or not?  Desire to get vaccinated or not?  Desire not to teach CRT in public schools, that was a big one.  Desire not to let trans girls compete in sports with real girls?

Those are all community issues more than they are school board issues.  They are real for sure, but they are bigger than schools. 

Are you thinking that 100 screaming threatening people should get their way? Marginalize?   Victim talk here?  You are more aware than that.  These are the issues of our time.  School boards won't solve them.  Doesn't look like communities will solve them quickly either.

[the13bats]

34 minutes ago, Tatetopa said:

Are you thinking that 100 screaming threatening people should get their way?

A lot of bent knee head down blind worshippers and their pseudo messiah wanted just that on the 6th

[Myles]

It certainly was a dumb thing for him to say.   There is no question about that.  

I'm glad the local school my daughter went to worked hand in hand with the parents.

[+DieChecker]

Hey if this guy wants to shoot himself in the foot, far be it from me to stop him.

[Guest Xetan]

8 hours ago, DieChecker said:

Hey if this guy wants to shoot himself in the foot, far be it from me to stop him.

The problem is that it isn't really a shot to the foot. Society is pretty well split right now, and the fact that he feels comfortable and confident saying things like this openly, and the incredible amount of back-and-forth going on in public discussions surrounding this statement as opposed to the majority outright condemning him, indicates that this isn't a net loss for him the way that keeping his mouth shut and being forced to keep the majority relatively appeased would be. The extreme division in the public morals allows people like this to get away with things which would otherwise be utterly absurd, because half the people see him as being on "their side" and full-well know that what he's talking about is raising the children of their enemies to also be on "their side."

 

The only time any public figure is "shooting themselves in the foot" in modern day America is when they speak out against the team they've thrown their weight behind. This man hasn't done that. Not by a long shot.

[+DieChecker]

49 minutes ago, Xetan said:

The problem is that it isn't really a shot to the foot. Society is pretty well split right now, and the fact that he feels comfortable and confident saying things like this openly, and the incredible amount of back-and-forth going on in public discussions surrounding this statement as opposed to the majority outright condemning him, indicates that this isn't a net loss for him the way that keeping his mouth shut and being forced to keep the majority relatively appeased would be. The extreme division in the public morals allows people like this to get away with things which would otherwise be utterly absurd, because half the people see him as being on "their side" and full-well know that what he's talking about is raising the children of their enemies to also be on "their side."

 

The only time any public figure is "shooting themselves in the foot" in modern day America is when they speak out against the team they've thrown their weight behind. This man hasn't done that. Not by a long shot.

As true as that is, I've seen plenty of articles on "Woke" fanatics who have zero support and yet act like they've got the full moral, and social, high ground, and backing of their peers. Then fall flat when no one supports them.

Unless his fellow school board members support him, he's in for a recall, or getting voted out next election. Happens all the time. Happens a lot with religious/conservative board members also. They'll overestimate their support.

Edited January 27, 2022 by DieChecker