Publicola story about Mary Bass
SoulNerd writes about Mary Bass. Is she an insightful and effective advocate or is she an ineffective objectionist?
Tuesday Open Thread
The speaker list is up for the Board meeting tomorrow; not as packed as I thought with just four people on the waitlist. The majority of the speakers are speaking on high school boundaries (with several wanting to talk about Ballard High). There are only three of us speaking about the Green Dot resolution asking the City to not grant the zoning departures that Green Dot has requested. It's me, long-time watchdog, Chris Jackins, and the head of the Washington State Charter Schools Association, Patrick D'Amelio. (I knew Mr. D'Amelio when he headed the Alliance for Education and Big Brothers and Big Sisters; he's a stand-up guy.)
Comments
Mary has served with a variety of people on the Board. One group was not kind to her at all and she really was alienated from those people. However, there were many like-minded people elected over the years and yet, Mary was still the lone vote on many issues. I find it hard to believe that with so many different people Mary could not find (or get) consensus with no one.
Or is there nothing that she could do to move Director Sundquist, Director Carr, Director DeBell to her side of the vote? Is it a futile effort? Could someone more eloquent or more persuasive succeed where she has failed?
In the end, I don't think anyone could get Director Chow or Director Maier to change their vote. They believe that the Board's role is to support and facilitate the Superintendent's decisions, so they would never vote against the Superintendent or staff's recommendations - and they never have. It is pointless to work to change their mind on a vote because it would require changing their understanding of the Board job.
Honestly, the two things that scare me most about Wilson Chin are the fact that he is endorsed by Cheryl Chow and that he comes from the same organization that gave us Peter Maier.
Are the other Board members as hopeless as those two?
Mary takes an informed and principled stand on issues. It is not her fault that other board members are unable to think independently and separately from their big-money supporters--even in the best interests of the students and the district. School closures, fiscal irresponsibility, mold and water problems in our schools, opening school district contracts to more women and minority business, fighting for the rights and jobs of school bus drivers, disproportionality in academic achievement and disciplinary actions, opening board meetings for direct input from citizens to board members and the superintendent--Mary has stood firm on each of these issues.
Mary is the senior member on the board, and can get into the heart of issues more rapidly than most of her colleagues because of her experience and knowledge. They have access to the same information she has, but usually can't seem to analyze it with any depth.
Mary has been proven to be right time after time on the most important issues, even as a voice supported only by one or two other members.
So that board, after being forced to admit the huge losses and to commission the Moss Adams review, were never really chummy with Bass...The next crew got elected under the premise that they were progressives but when the feet were to the fire, only Sally Soriano held to her ethics. The others sold out to the business interests and gave us an unqualified Superintendent who never even went through the vetting process. They allowed school closures when the data did not support the district arguments but the desire of the business interests demanded them. They allowed closures even when it was shown that disadvantaged children were impacted disproportionately.
Mary fought against all of those things. Without her, the rubber stamp for the business elite get their way without any resistance at all.
I think Mary Bass is right.
But being right isn't enough for you to win in Seattle Public School politics. In fact, it isn't even a factor. I want to know what Director Bass could do to help the right side win the vote. It may be that:
"It is not her fault that other board members are unable to think independently and separately from their big-money supporters--even in the best interests of the students and the district."
Or is there something she could do to help them do the right thing?
Maybe there isn't. In that case, there is nothing that Ms Smith-Blum or Ms Cullen or Mr. Helmstetter could do either.
In life, in our relationships both personal and work, we have to be able to listen to another side, persuade, compromise and find consensus. Being right doesn't stand by itself. And, you run the danger of seeming stubborn because, as adults, we know you might be right on one point in an argument but that there are rare instances of a simple yes or no answer being the end all to a discussion.
I don't buy the argument that the entire Board is controlled by outside interests. Influenced, maybe but frankly, as noted by the thread about the Gates Foundation giving money to states for the Race to the Top, clearly SPS and the Board aren't on the good side of Bill Gates. He's a pretty big outside interest.
I think it is more the issue of those Board members who believe that if the staff has done due diligence, that they will vote for what the staff says. That's a problem.
Lastly, Mary moans a lot about not having staff to help her research issues. Mary, of all the Board members, has had a steady stream of supporters (including me in the past) who offered all the time to help. I don't think she ever took anyone up on the offer (certainly not me) and continues to complain about lack of time and staff.