This is a speech I gave at the Sit and Bull Tavern in Indian Hills, CO on July 16th, 2015
Demos. This is the ancient Greek word meaning,"the people." The origins of this word anchor many of the ideals we cherish and fiercely defend. It is so ingrained into the fabric of the American psyche that all assume that governance and political determination rests squarely on "the people". At least that's the ideal. If nothing else, the American mindset has always been fastened to ideals. The Founding Fathers believed that we had an opportunity to recast how we governed ourselves; to reinvent the relationship between government and the governed. In fact, they believed that they could invert the equation - government is beholden to the people, not the reverse. Elected officials serve us; we do not serve them. This is an important principle. For this to work in practice, as we know, is another matter. At its foundation, we share an implicit contract between our leaders and constituents. This contract requires that we have a shared vision, open communication, and trust. The people have only one obligation - vote. In return, elected officials are entrusted to serve the people - even those who didn't vote for them. It seems like these are common sense values that should guide our interactions in everyday life. They are. That is the genius in its design. In the words of Bill and Ted, and no, I'm not talking about Mr. Clinton or Mr. Kennedy, "Be excellent to each other." Yet, even in its elegant simplicity, it's not foolproof. When it fails, the community feels like the contents of the package were mislabeled. Fool me once, shame on you. We don't like to be fooled. We don't like not trusting or believing in our elected officials. Unfortunately, this is where we're at - In 2013, with only 31 percent of the electorate casting ballots, Jeffco voters elected Ken Witt, John Newkirk and Julie Williams to Jeffco's Board of Education. Many want to believe their campaign promises to implement greater transparency, sound fiscal management and improved academic achievement. It's the kind of vision that is easy to support. It's motherhood and apple pie, and a perfect fit into the guiding principles of our shared vision in Jeffco. In the words of John Wayne speaking about John F. Kennedy, "I didn't vote for him, but he's still my president. I hope he does a good job." I didn't vote for Witt, Newkirk or Williams, but I still hoped that they would work for the benefit of the 86,000 kids and families in Jeffco. Whether we voted for them or not, or voted at all, they were entrusted to serve and support a nationally recognized school district. Instead, we're experiencing the painful hangover of buyer's remorse. Is spending $90,000 for an unprecedented attorney solely for the board in the best interests of the community? The kicker was how they did it: No discussion, no public comment, no definition of scope of responsibilities, in secret, and $90,000 of our tax dollars - gone. By the way, the attorney they hired, Brad Miller, also represents several school districts including Thompson School District in the same capacity. Is spending $45,000 on a superintendent search a good use of our tax dollars? Well, it could have been, but the candidate they selected wasn't on that list and came from neighboring Douglas County. Not only that, he has no previous experience and is receiving $280,000 a year in salary, perks and benefits. That's the second highest salary only to Liz Fagen, his previous boss in Douglas County. Is this sound fiscal policy? Is that transparency? Is giving nearly three-quarters of a million dollars in loans to two failing charter schools sound fiscal policy or promoting academic achievement? How about another $5.5 million siphoned from voter approved 3A mill funds towards charter school equalization? There's nothing wrong with charters in principle, but this was done despite the fact that a vast majority of Jeffco residents who took the Community Budget Survey who said charter equalization was their lowest priority. How are our priorities being taken into account? Where is the accountability? More recently, they only allocated $18 million of the needed $25 million to build a new school in the rapidly growing Northwest Arvada area, disregarding the advice of staff and pleas of parents and residents of nearby overcrowded schools. Is this promoting academic achievement, or supporting the community? The affronts and offenses keep coming like Top 40 hits on American Bandstand. Last fall, Julie Williams attempted to impose her own views on our kids' curriculum to the point that thousands of high school students protested by walking out of class. It was a black eye to Jeffco's reputation nationally and internationally. More importantly, it is indicative of how this board refuses and ignores community input. Take for example, The Jefferson, Alameda and Wheat Ridge plans: discussions with the community only occurred near its finalization. It was preordained and letting the community know was a mere formality and required. It took massive grassroots anger to reverse their decision to remove two nurses from Fletcher Miller that are so important to that community. If this weren't enough, they have turned a district that had nationally recognized administrators and a solid reputation for being a great place to teach and learn into a squalid organization rife with cronyism and nepotism, and with morale declining so fast that many highly effective teachers and staff have left or are looking for the exits at a rate far higher we've seen before. Now for the punchline: who will replace them? In the aggregate, there are enough straws to break a caravan of camels' backs. However, the issues in Jeffco can't simply be reduced to the notion of "rogue" board members. There's a bigger picture. There's a clear pattern so acute and pernicious playing out not only in Jeffco, but in other school districts like Douglas County and Thompson in Loveland. It's a damn the torpedoes, win at all costs agenda that has alienated friend and foe alike. So the real question is, who do they really serve? Our schools are the cornerstones of our communities. They are focal points for people living here.They directly affect our property values. They are a vital link to local businesses and services. They train our future employees. In other words, we all have a vested interest in ensuring that our public schools remain strong. They are a public good that benefits the entire community. Regardless of who did or did not vote for Witt, Newkirk, and Williams, they were entrusted to be stewards of that public good. They were entrusted to act in good faith on behalf of the community's 86,000 students, and the 12,000 employees of the school district. However, that trust - that contract - has been repeatedly violated. Instead, they are guided by outside interests and ideologies that have no place in our community. Our Constitution begins with three words that fully encapsulate our core values: We the people. Demos. We the people empower elected officials to act on our behalf. Not on the behalf of a mercenary lawyer, and certainly not for the benefit of outside interests. Nevertheless, this board majority appears to have placed a "For Sale" sign on our doorstep. Our community values aren't for sale or barter to the highest bidder. Franklin Roosevelt wrote: Democracy cannot succeed unless those who express their choice are prepared to choose wisely. The real safeguard of democracy, therefore, is education. Demos. We the people. It starts with education, and that requires everyone to stand up for the 86,000 students in Jeffco. Shouldn't we set a better example for them? Shouldn't we imbue upon them the real trust between elected officials and their constituents, or will they learn to believe that public service is self serving and cynical? I hope the former is true, because one day, they will be the ones who govern.
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