Columnist Bill Hanlon: Taking away public oversight of school boards dangerous

EDUCATIONAL research and common sense indicate that parental involvement in education is an extremely important factor in determining increased student achievement.

In a letter to the editor, one of the state's leading legislators wrote:..."The county school district form of governance, the State Department of Education and, yes, the State Board of Education, were all created by the Legislature to form the state's system of public schools. The Legislature established the current system and it can certainly modify or eliminate components that are not working."

That's a threat! But is not against board members, it's really against the people. What this senator is saying is that he does not trust the public to go to the polls and select local or state school board members. His argument sounds like this, some boards are not working, the system is broken, therefore the Legislature must do something about it. What then occurs is some legislator appoints a panel, commission, committee, council or bureau, under some other name than board, and presto, the people now have little or no say in their public school system. It's the old bait and switch game. The public will be baited into believing there is a problem, then the switch of authority is made to an appointed group. Your right to vote is eliminated. This does not sound like a democracy to me.

Not only is your right to vote for that office revoked, but so is your ability to participate. Typically, the new group will not have to meet the requirements of the state's "open meeting" law. That allows these unknowns to make decisions behind closed doors.

Simply put, parents will not be able to participate in the governance of schools. They will be pushed out.

What separates Americans from people in other countries? Clearly its our Constitution, the Bill of Rights, and the opportunity to choose the people we'd like to represent us. We call it a democracy.

The right to vote is taken for granted by too many people in this nation that choose not to voice their opinion at election time. While that is a shame, what is absolutely scary is some politicians trying to take the opportunity to vote away from the citizenry.

If you are thinking that can not happen in Nevada, you are wrong. It already has and some legislators are trying to expand the powers of appointed officials as well as shield more from the open meeting law requirements.

During the last session, the Legislature created a number of panels, committees, councils, bureaus, and commissions. Two of those don't have to meet the open meeting requirements, the Legislative Committee on Education and the Legislative Council Bureau on Educational do not have to meet the requirements of Nevada' open meeting law. Accountability was also shielded from this law. I thought these groups were being funded by tax dollars, what's the big secret? What's wrong with meeting the requirements of the open meeting law? Are we supposed to be too stupid to understand what these legislators or their appointees do?

Adding to this secrecy, the Legislative Committee on Education approved bill drafts placing Assessments, Technology, and the Standards Council under the Secret Bureau of Accountability. What can be seen here is an erosion of parental involvement and the people's right to vote and participate in favor of legislators leaders appointing their friends to committees that will no longer have to be responsive to the voters for their actions. These appointees will not only be insulated by not having to be responsive to the voters, their actions will also be hidden because their meetings won't be subject to Nevada's open meeting law.

Next time you hear legislators telling you they want to eliminate an elected board, that will be nothing more than a smokescreen that will diminish parental involvement and take away your right to vote and participate in government. There will always be school boards, they might be called other names to camouflage the dirty deed, but they will exist.

Isn't it ironic that the very people that say they support school choice, want increased parental involvement in schools, and demand public school accountability want to take away your ability to choose your school board member, want to diminish parental involvement, don't want to be held accountable for their actions and shield themselves from the open meeting law requirements?

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