Comments on: Resignation sparks petition drive for Reed to fill Eanes school board vacancy

By: JMS

JMS — Sun, 21 Jun 2009 12:39:24 +0000

I’ll bet that the superintendent chooses the replacement from her “best friend of the principal” list. The board will say okay. Just the opposite of democracy. (It’s their “general philosophy” as Strickland would say.)

By: rc457

rc457 — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 14:20:48 +0000

It’s interesting that only one person ran against an incumbent for school board in an election held just a few weeks ago but for some reason the board seems to think it’s more democratic to have people apply for the job. Any school board trustee should have to go through the process of campaigning so the voters can meet them.

By: About the petition ...

About the petition ... — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 22:40:10 +0000

No, the petition shows the board that the public isn’t going to sit back while Jim Strickland finds a way to appoint a seat-warmer. The petition is a message to the board that this process must be transparent and that hundreds are watching. It is an answer to Jim Strickland’s philosophy that any new board member should agree with him.

By: loud and proud

loud and proud — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 22:22:24 +0000

It seems the democratic process has vanished in the Eanes community. Actions speak louder than words, and hundreds of voters spoke through their actions in signing a petition supporting the appointment of Sharman Reed to the EISD Board of Trustees. Three trustees were loud and proud in their vote to ignore the wishes of those who elected them to serve. It wasn’t the board who suffered from a stampede last evening, rather it was they who crushed their constituents through their actions.

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 17:46:21 +0000

I agree. There is no more reason to pick someone based on a petition than there is to pick someone based on Mr. Strickland’s philosophy. The pick should be based on interviews of the interested candidates and to chose whomever is best for the job and for the school district, and not based on local board politics, be that Sharman or someone else. We don’t elect school board members by petition, and circulating a petition only obfuscates the issues by trying to stampeed the school board into going along with whomever is the loudest.

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 17:34:05 +0000

I would agree with David Perkins except that if the trustees are allowed to appoint someone, we, the public, have NO WAY to assess that individual’s mix of skills, where as in the case of Sharman Reed, we have. If we don’t appoint Sharman, then we definitely need a special election, because it is not reasonable for Mr. Strickland to appoint someone that shares his philosophy. We need someone who shares the public’s philosophy

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 17:26:58 +0000

More than 500 taxpayers have signed the petition , indicating their belief that Ms. Reed not only took the initiative to campaign for a school board seat, but exhibits the ‘right mix of skills’ to move Eanes ISD forward in a manner that will re-establish a board that functions with integrity and in collaboration with all members of our community. Her record as an involved parent in our schools and a leader in Austin is exemplary! What more could we want?

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 17:26:23 +0000

This really concerns me. This isn’t like hiring a staff member. School board members are supposed to be democratically chosen to represent taxpayers of a public entity. It really disturbs me that the board spokesman said he wants to choose someone who shares “the board’s philosophy.” I didn’t know boards have a “philosophy.” I thought they were supposed to be monitors for the public trust.

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 17:25:44 +0000

I think the fact that Sharman has been gathering 100 signatures per day, including several people who supported her opponent in the recent election, demonstrates that she has wide spread support and the confidence of the community. Given that so many of our friends and neighbors are out of town (as evidenced in our grocery stores and roads), this is pretty phenomenal. I trust that this board will listen to this outpouring of support and select a true representative of this community to join them.

By: Appointment

Appointment — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 17:19:26 +0000

The online petition now shows over 300 people find it rational that EISD spend money on students and not elections of choice. However, if Mr. Strickland’s quote is accurate, it would appear that he already has a person in mind who will do what he wants done. That should not be allowed to happen. Trustees, if you won’t appoint Sharman, please hold a special election. The voters and students of EISD can’t take another board member who ignores them.