Idea for Discussion: Change the Board Campaign

I'm thinking of making a web site called "Change the Board" in which I - and others - would advocate for the replacement of the school board majority elected in 2007. The site would have a general argument for replacing the board majority in general and would also have specific arguments for replacing each of the four individual board members.

The web site would be just one part of a whole campaign. There would be other parts than just the web site. It would include press efforts, rallies, truth-squads (to critically examine board campaign claims), online ads, and maybe even some yard signs. I'm thinking that we could promote "Change the Board" as an independent effort separate from each of the individual challenger campaigns. I'd like to try to build some momentum behind "Change the Board" that could support all challengers.

The costs on something like this could be pretty minimal.

Would this add to challenger campaigns or detract from them?

Thoughts?

Comments

Half truth abound said…
Love the idea of exposing half truths.
cascade said…
No challengers in 3 of 4 races = little ability to change the board. Only 1 month left to file.
Anonymous said…
Filing takes place in one week during June. Candidates may declare at anytime, but official filing is still one month away.

I am 100% for a truth site as outlined by Charlie. Go for it.

-- Dan Dempsey
SC Parent said…
Please! That would achieve economies of scale. Just need candidates.
Patrick said…
Excellent idea. Now we just need people to run.
Disgusted said…
Harium extended Goodloe-Johnson's contract on the heels of a damning state audit.

When voting to extend Goodloe's contract, Harium looked into MGJ's eyes and stated "it is a calling". So inappropriate.

During a budget meeting, Sundquist told the board to accept the district's proposal. Unknown to the public at the time, there was an ongoing criminal investigation involving Silas Potter.

Why would anyone trust district HQ ?

Even if we don't have opposing candidates, we have elected city officials endorsing this non-sense.
Charlie, why should the Seattle Times be the only one with a Truth Needle?

I say yes.
mirmac1 said…
count me in!
Jan said…
This is a great idea. Is it possible to put clips of board votes on links? One of the real wake up calls for me was watching these folks muddle their uninformed, unthinking way through obviously flawed Board votes. Synched up with text describing the underlying flaws of those votes, I think it could be devastatingly revealing.

The truth site is also a good idea, but only if the editor is willing to view claims with really unbiased eyes (e.g. - not sure I could do it; WAY too much skin in the game). While I didn't agree with all the ST truth meter articles in last fall's election, I also felt as though there was an effort there to be fair to both sides, to give each side credit if any was due. So they were reporting things as half true, or mostly false, when I thought they were D***ned lies -- but in some cases, I had to concede there was a "weak" truth there -- and the effort was more credible than if they had been clearly on one side or the other.
Juana said…
If you could include a list of issues and how the running for re-election board director voted that would serve as a quick reference.
Anonymous said…
Jan said...

"This is a great idea. Is it possible to put clips of board votes on links? One of the real wake up calls for me was watching these folks muddle their uninformed, unthinking way through obviously flawed Board votes. Synched up with text describing the underlying flaws of those votes, I think it could be devastatingly revealing."
---------------------

Using a Mac and iShowU software from New Zealand, it is easy to make the clips from Seattle Channel's School Board meeting broadcasts.

What takes the time is finding exactly what portion to clip.

Here I clipped entire testimonies but any length can be clipped.

-- Dan Dempsey
Anonymous said…
Juana -- The List is a great idea.

-- Dan Dempsey
Maureen said…
mirmac1, 'in' for the web site, or 'in' to run for Board?!
Anonymous said…
Sundquist will have at least one opponent in West Seattle. I think the same will be true for Carr.

-- Dan Dempsey
Jan said…
Here is another thought -- but maybe it is too tangential for the great web site idea that Charlie is proposing.

Some time ago, Charlie or Melissa called for the Superintendent (and by implication, her boss, the Board) to come up with a comprehensive list of every project that is part of the Strategic Plan; when it was proposed as part of the plan, when (if ever) it was dropped or quietly allowed to die, whether it is complete (and if not, how much is undone and what is the schedule and cost), how much was spent on it, whether it is slated to be dropped, or delayed due to funding issues, etc.

As far as I know, that has never happened. How successfully could we put together a list, and at least some of this information -- and then ask the Board members up for election, during the Campaign season, to speak to the results (or the information gaps). After all -- they know this stuff, right? Because of all those reports they required? And if they don't know it, hmmm. What does THAT mean?

Maybe, it is as benign as -- gee, MGJ bit off way more than District staff could accomplish, and we were naive to have believed her assertions that she could successfully complete all this stuff -- and we won't make THAT mistake again. But committing all this stuff to paper is the first step in tracking from here on out, and is a prerequisite to any thoughtful analysis of what needs to stay, and what needs to go, in light of this year's budget.
Anonymous said…
Charlie,

Go for it!

ken berry
dj said…
I think it is a great idea. Trying to get eduction news from the Seattle Times is like trying . . . Oh, forget the analogy. Just can't do it.
mirmac1 said…
Maureen,

Aw shucks, I can't run for office. Every other word I said on the campaign trail would have to be bleeped out. Kinda hard to debate when your hands are in a death grip around the neck of your opponent.
Plus you get the people at Publicola and the Stranger (who really, really think they know this district)to have to take a backseat to people who do know this district.

At election time, you get these wannabes who know surface detail and not much more. No one can know everything happening in the county, city, district, etc. but it surprises me at the number of pundits who try.
Charlie Mas said…
I've set up a blog to discuss the Change the Board campaign:

www.changetheboard.blogspot.com
Greg Linden said…
Definitely support this. If you need to raise funds for the ads, rallies, signs, or other activities, we, and I am sure many others, would contribute. Thanks for doing this, Charlie.

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