Let’s talk about transparency in governance. The city of Appleton in my experience has been very good about fostering a transparent environment around government activities and supporting public participation in policymaking. Meeting agendas are typically posted well in advance, the agenda packets are normally quite comprehensive, barring technical issues meetings are all recorded and made available in a timely manner, and when large groups of people ask to give public comment during committee and council meetings they are given ample time to speak even if it takes several hours.
Contrast that with AASD. The agenda packets they provide are flimsy, up until two months ago they did not record their meetings or make those recordings available after the fact to the public, and they are currently not permitting public participation/comment at their board meetings.
Controversially, when they voted to cancel in-person education 2.5 weeks before school started they did not clearly state in their agenda what they would be voting on and they refused to clarify even after the Post Crescent asked them to explain what the meeting was about .
They made a big deal about sending out a survey and seeking the input of parents and staff as to how the school year should look. 87.9% of parents wanted at least some type of in-person instruction and 72.5% of teachers were comfortable returning to the workplace with safety precautions in place; however, the administration unilaterally and without appropriate public notice chose to cancel in-person instruction. Since that time they have refused to have an open and honest discussion with parents about this decision or allow public comment at their meetings.
The administration’s refusal to meet with parents with medical backgrounds seems discriminatory to me. They should not be denied an audience simply because they’re educated professionals. There are entire college courses devoted to the writing of business letters and the art of shutting people down while still sounding professional and Clara Kopplinger’s letter to the parents wanting to meet certainly demonstrates those techniques. In her words I see a marked attempt to direct the discussion away from issues that parents are concerned about and want to see addressed.
The fact remains that the AASD administration’s choice to shut down in-person learning is at odds with multiple other area school systems who are successfully providing onsite education to their students. It also seems needlessly draconian in light of recent research that indicates daycare students are not major sources of coronavirus transmission to adults. It’s also resulting in a lot of poor outcomes for students both academically and emotionally.
It is inappropriate to take a controversial stance that results in a lot of harm and then not be willing to sit down and discuss it with parents. If the administration feels they lack the health expertise to explain their decision and discuss it with parents they could bring Health Officer Eggebrecht into the conversation. It wouldn’t be that difficult to facilitate a meeting between Superintendent Baseman, Health Officer Eggebrecht, and concerned parents to talk about the various health concerns at play here, both coronavirus and otherwise.
In some respects, I don’t have any skin in this game given I have no children in AASD schools, but I am a taxpayer, and, as a taxpayer, I believe very strongly that people in positions of governance should carry out their duties in an open and transparent manner with an aim to serve and not hold citizens at arm’s length.
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