It doesn't add up …

Spectrum, by Beverly Erby

I would like to respond to Amy Menerey's May 23 article titled "Public testimony key to school district."

The article refers to statements made by Linda Menard, school board vice president. Ms. Menard said that public testimony at school board meetings is a crucial element to the process. She stated that, "it is extremely important and the reason everybody is there." She advises people that have concerns or complaints to come before the school board to relay those issues to everyone concerned. She says that public testimony brings the human element into the issues at hand, often with better results.

I agree with Ms. Menard that public testimony is extremely important. I further agree, that it does bring the human element into the issues, although this is not always a positive feature.

What happens when a person testifies at a school board meeting? I know what happened when I testified at the Feb. 5 school board meeting. I spoke to the board regarding my concerns that they were about to hire a person that was not fully qualified as the superintendent of our school district. I also wanted to know why they had made absolutely no effort to locate a "qualified" person.

That particular meeting was packed with parents, teachers and librarians that had come with their own concerns about the upcoming budget cuts. When I finished speaking, my words drew a loud round of applause and even hoots and whistles from the gathering.

What was the end result? Much later in the meeting, board member Larry Devilbiss responded on behalf of the school board with a short statement outlining the "legal technicalities" that made it possible for the school board to appoint Mr. Bob Doyle as the superintendent. He did not give any explanation of why the board felt it necessary to hire a person that could not fully perform the duties of the position due to a lack of proper certification. Nor did he address the issue of why no effort had been made to locate a qualified person for the position.

When the school board adjourned the "public meeting" and went into "private session" they voted unanimously to appoint Mr. Doyle, in spite of the objections and with nor further discussion. That, however, was not the end of the story.

A highly qualified payroll supervisor, who happened to be sitting with my daughter at that school board meeting, was fired the next day, which ironically was also her birthday. She was fired without notice. She was informed that "she was not a team player" and that "she did not fit in."

In addition, the day after that meeting, three certified letters were sent, addressed to myself, to my husband and to my son. These certified letters were from our family physician, informing us that he could no longer serve as our physician. No reason was given. Why then? We have good insurance and we pay our bills. We have referred a number of patients to him. The only possible connection is that his wife is an official at the school district. Had we, in fact, been "fired" by our doctor because I testified at a school board meeting?

This action has caused me no inconvenience. It has, however, caused me to question why. Why indeed, would my testimony at a school board meeting result in such drastic measures? And why does this official have so much influence over our school board and school administration? She is merely a department director. She is, in effect, an advisor not a policy maker. Why then would her husband refuse to serve as our physician?

We, the parents and citizens of the Mat-Su School District, need to find out the answers to these questions. We need to pay strict attention to what decisions are being made; whom these decisions are affecting; just exactly who is making these decisions; and why. We need to continue to put our concerns and complaints before the school board at the public meetings. However, at what cost?

Beverly Erby is a Palmer resident.