Tom Ultican, a teacher of math and physics in Southern California, sat in on two local school board meetings recently. People argued. They disagreed. They berated board members. They made their voices heard. Democracy is inefficient and messy. Sometimes people win even though their ideas seem half-baked.
So-called self-described reformers think that the way to get rid of dissension is to get rid of local school boards. They like mayoral control and state control. They like private management. They don’t like democracy. It is messy.
Diane Ravitch's blog 
Diane OR, the reformers buy “local” puppet-representatives by flooding elections with their endless dollars.
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Ultican: “Only at public schools with elected school boards, is the public allowed meaningful participation. ”
Unfortunately, he fails to even begin to explain why the public participation at the meetings he attended is “meaningful” but not the public participation at our school board meetings here in Boston where the “Mayor appoints new School Committee members from a list of candidates recommended by a 13-member Citizens Nominating Panel composed of parents, teachers, principals, and representatives of business and higher education.”
https://www.bostonpublicschools.org/Page/253
https://www.bostonpublicschools.org/Page/255
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In NYC, mayoral control meant the mayor picked Friends and cronies to the school board. No hearings, no cteening committee. Under Bloomberg, the board did what he wanted or he summarily fired them. Like a wholly owned corporation.
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I’m not persuaded that the Board under Bloomberg in NYC compared unfavorably to what Ultican reported about the elected Board in Chula Vista: “For many years construction company money influenced board elections and successive superintendents had used access to that money to control board members…. Eventually members of the construction industry, the superintendent of schools and four of five board member of Sweetwater Union High School (SUHSD) district pleaded guilty to felony corruption charges.”
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Bloomberg’s board wasn’t corrupt. Just docile and compliant
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Yes, democracy is messy. Various board members come with their own views, but they can also change views by hearing the views of others and by considering new information of which they were not aware. If all the board members are at the meeting are there to do what is in the best interest of students and the community, they will have to compromise. Generally, with negotiations, the board can reach a consensus. As a veteran of many board meetings, I have seen this process work. It involves “give and take” and a willingness to compromise. Boards of education have a much better chance of representing the needs of the community than turning systems over to mayors or states. We know from past experience this type of management results in more “pay to play” from the charter industry and a loss of democratic representation. It is the road to privatization.
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I recently read about the Chicago city Council being required by the Court to include a public comment session to their meetings. So they added the session and then proceeded to pointedly and purposefully ignore the speakers. Seriously?!
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I wish more people took advantage of their opportunities to observe and participate directly in the messy necessity of democracy. I support public schools– one of my children attends public school and I attend my local board meetings, but the other attends a private democratic school where every student and staff member has a vote in how the school operates. All decisions are made and meetings run according to Robert’s Rules of Order. Even the 5 year olds are allowed to make motions or object to the consideration of questions. They are all learning that in a democracy you may not get your way, but you should still have your say.
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