"Don't be like Kansas City"

The Independence School District is not unique in its efforts to present a united front to its constituents.  However, like your mother always said, you don't jump off a cliff just because everyone else is doing it.

Board members likely are told to avoid "micromanaging" because we don't want to end up "like Kansas City."  (As if the extensive problems of that district were solely caused by over-involved school board or community members.)

New board members are probably told that "Laws are like sausages, it is better not to see them being made."  (Or something like that.)  (The quote is actually from Otto von Bismark.)

The School District is part of the Missouri School Board Association (WEBSITE).  They pay over $11,000 as dues to this Association.  As part of the package, school board members can attend MSBA's annual forum where they could hear - along with other school board members from around the state - about their appropriate "role" - as defined by the superintendents.

Here's an interesting nugget from the past.  The Columbia Tribune sent a reporter to the annual forum back in 2009 and he quoted our superintendent, Jim Hinson.  ARTICLE

"Independence Superintendent Jim Hinson even praised his school board for not paying close attention to the district’s spending habits. Board members are welcome to talk about long-term goals, he said, but shouldn’t get into details of the day-to-day spending. 'The school board hires me to operate the school district, and that’s what I’m going to do,' Hinson said, responding to a question from an attendee about boards that 'micromanage.'

Independence has thousands of budget codes that school board members 'don’t want to know,' he bragged. And, while board members are welcome to ask about district bills in private, they shouldn’t do it at a public meeting, Hinson advised. Apparently, there are 'more important things to do at board meetings' than scrutinize district expenditures.

'The board doesn’t get involved in the daily operation of the school district, absolutely not,' Hinson said. 'If they did, I wouldn’t work there.'"

I don't think that people would argue that point.  The board should not get involved in the daily operation of the District.  However, that being said, it does not mean that school board members should merely be bobble-heads.  There has to be a balance.  As Reagan famously said, "Trust, but verify."  And yes - that verification has to happen sometimes in public.  This is a democracy.  It isn't always pretty - but it is necessary to conduct business in the "sunshine" so that the public can be properly informed.

For added interest, here is a link to a blog post about the Joplin superintendent talking about how he and their board are "joined at the hip."  LINK