PTA Silenced

Today the Board of Education voted on an agenda item to turn 20 acres of public school land over to County Executive Ike Leggett.


What was most stunning about the discussion at the Board table was that at no time did any of the Board members mention that PTAs had never been heard from on this Agenda item. 


The organization where Shirley Brandman, Pat O'Neill, and Phil Kauffman were officers prior to coming to the Board of Education table was completely ignored in this rushed decision. 


There was no PTA or MCCPTA statement on school land needs in the public comment of today's Board meeting, and there was no mention made as to the exclusion of PTAs from this process during the Board discussion. PTAs meet monthly and a Board item with only 2 business days notice to the public guarantees that PTAs will not be able to meet and formulate a position prior to a Board vote.  


The last time the Brickyard Middle School site was up before the Board of Education for possible surplusing (at the request of then County Executive Doug Duncan) over 300 PTA and community members showed up at a public hearing to speak to the need for school land in the County. 


This time? PTA was silenced.