Proctor and Huckaby Take their Ball and Go Home

Well, theater lovers enjoyed quite the spectacle this evening!  After the closed session, the board members entered the boardroom and, like any other meeting, started greeting the spectators who were in attendance.  I saw Bill Proctor, Terry Huckaby, Rebecca Fox, Joe Adams, and Neal Howard.  Henry Dibrell is in Africa on a mission trip with the Amobi Okoye Foundation, and Robert Shaw continues to recover from major surgery.  The next thing I realized, the board members had all vanished!  Well, that prompted some chatter, but sure enough, in about 15 minutes in walk Fox, Adams, Howard and Robert Shaw! 

They started the meeting, and took votes on the closed session items.  Apparently, Shaw had not been present in the closed session, because he recused himself from the appeal of a grievance because he hadn’t been at the hearing.  As the votes were tallied, Mr. Adams noted that Mr. Dibrell was out of town and, “…Mr. Huckaby and Mr. Proctor have left the building.” 

What does THAT mean?  Did Proctor and Huckaby leave in order to close down the meeting for lack of a quorum?  Did a recovering Bob Shaw have to be called in to make sure 4 members were present so that the business of the district could be conducted? 

These theatrics are reminiscent of the shenanigans of the Texas Democrats who high-tailed it to Ardmore, OK to make a political point.  Or similar theatrics in Wisconsin and Indiana.  As a taxpayer, this just makes me MAD.  How dare they waste the time of the district patrons and of the employees present!  How dare they derail the work of the district!  Yes, it was “just” a work-study meeting, and nothing was voted on other than the personnel matters from closed session, but those are important votes that keep the district moving forward in an orderly way!  They also gave up their chance to ask questions and discuss the matters that were on the discussion agenda.  Since that is the only way that divergent views and values are factored into the decisions of the board, they failed in their duty as Trustees to be at the dais and to contribute to the decision.  For THEATER!  Shame on them!

Apparently, Proctor and Huckaby each handed the press a press release, so this was not the case of a spontaneous response to something that happened at the meeting.  It was a calculated political maneuver to… What???  Well, think about what THEIR agenda is.  I think it’s pretty clear they are willing to throw the work of the district under the bus in order to make a political point, especially now that there is an election in less than two months.  REALLY??  And how embarrassing for Katy ISD.  This district used to be the envy of others all around the State.  It is antics like this that will paint us a laughing stock….   And when we have a reputation as having a thoroughly dysfunctional school board, what businesses will relocate here?  What great teachers and administrators will want to work here?  What people will want their children educated here?  What will happen to our home values and quality of life?  

This weeks's school board work-study meeting was interesting, in a depressing sort of way.  The contentious atmosphere is turning into a circus, and no student is being educated nor any district property being maintained nor any goal-setting being done because of the circus.  Sad.  


Last week's meeting was capped off by School Board President Joe Adams attempting to offer a report to the other board members that he had tasked Mr. Frailey to produce.  Dr. Proctor interrupted with a Point of Order and demanded a Legal Opinion interpreting the Open Meetings Act.  Basically, he wanted to shut down any conversation about the report.  Since Mr. Adams wasn't offering it for discussion but just to hand out the report in written form, there was no conversation to shut down, but here is a big picture question:  Why is Dr. Proctor opposed to the discussion of things?  I thought he was all about transparency and fiscal responsibility?  Instead, he is demanding a lawyer be paid to offer an opinion to shut down discussion?  Hmm.  


An aside:  Sometimes I feel I've fallen through the Looking Glass:  Several months ago, the Board took up 2 questions: should bond "savings" be used to build an additional elementary school ($22 million-ish) and should the tax office be outsourced to the counties (about a $60,000 question).  The "fiscal conservatives" on the board were all over the small potatoes question, and it was Joe Adams and Rebecca Fox who put the kibosh on building a new school that we don't really need right now.  Thank you to them for continuing to steward my tax dollars...Did the other "news" blog report that?  No....  


Here is my main point:  All this spitting and spewing is not good for kids.  Frailey & Board: please, please, please:  Find the BIG PICTURE (student success) and keep your eye on the ball.  The report that was prepared by Mr. Frailey (it's on the KISD website) is over 60 pages long and must represent HOURS and HOURS of staff time, to defend a situation that two errant and big-mouthed board members have created.  The contentiousness in the Board Room is like pouring molasses on the Administration and that WILL impact students.  If I may mix my metaphors:  Stirring the pot is good for entertainment, but if everyone is rowing in a different direction, don't be surprised if the boat capsizes.  Do NOT be contentious just for political gain.  


Furthermore, that molasses isn't sweet:  Everyone from our highest performing administrators to the janitors will be looking for a more hospitable work-place.  Once they leave, who will replace them?  Or do the work?  And that molasses will continue to run-- right onto campuses, and then it will REALLY impact student success.  I know Dr. Proctor is very anxious that another "reformer" get elected in May, so that he can have "the power".  But to what END???  Yikes!  Have a goal, for heaven's sake!  And please let it be about students, and not power for power's sake...