Chuck & other forum participants, in no way did I mean to imply that
someone seeking to fill this vacancy would do this "for fun" or for
some whimsical reason. As one who has served on my district council,
along with several nonprofit boards, I do not question that the SPPS
board must choose someone with the appropriate experience and skills
to serve.
There are no institutions more important than public schools for the
future of this city (or any city). Good schools contribute greatly to
our local economic and civic well-being, and not to accord them that
respect is foolhardy.
The person who fills this seat cannot run this fall, if I understand
the position announcement correctly, so the individual who is selected
might join the "thousands" of taskforces and commissions you mention,
Chuck, so they might prepare be ready to run in 2007. If we're always
reaching back into history to fulfill these vacancies, we fail to
develop the talent pool that will someday take care of us when we are
old and need good policy-thinkers. 'Not an encouraging thought.
I think Bill Finney and Gilbert de la O (and also Andy Dawkins, who
you did not mention) are good candidates, and the board will not be
without a strong pool to consider even if they receive no further
applications.
Chuck, I do not think of leadership as a game. Indeed it is a critical
and serious part of a healthy democracy. What I meant to emphasize is
that there is a dearth of leaders in some underrepresented communities
in this city. I believe that some lower-income or minority candidates
might be well-positioned to serve in this position as leaders, and
have a lot more at stake than most of us when it comes to public
schools.
However, most of the folks I know fitting this description are
stretched so thin with other responsibilities: single parents doing
their best with their children at home while putting in long hours,
immigrant parents working just to afford housing and health care,
young graduates with a boatload of student loans choosing high-paying
professional jobs so they can pay for their tuition that increased by
over 50% while they were in school, etc.
I can safely say that no board position where I served has been "fun,"
especially budgeting, board development, and dialing for dollars. As
Anne Carroll states in her related post, the 05-06 budgeting work will
be completed before the interim board member steps up.
What I want to see is someone who has the energy to talk to
legislators, hound the governor, engage the County, City and other
groups in seeing that our schools will continue to improve.
I believe that our current board does a herculean job at what they do,
spending much personal time (and money sometimes!) on this serious
work. The candidate they select will surely meet this challenge with
enthusiasm and vigor, if they hope to serve well.
Cristy
--
Cristy A. De La Cruz
Highland Park
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