Two Southeast Polk school board members vote against new set of operating principles
The Southeast Polk Board of Education approved a new set of operating principles with the goal of helping board members work together, build trust and be productive.
The document, which the board approved Oct. 13, has several guidelines, including: considering different perspectives, keeping an open mind, getting to know each other, being prepared for meetings, supporting the board's majority decisions and informing the superintendent of concerns.
Board President Chad Crabb said in a statement that his top priority has been to build unity around the board's mission and vision, and having a set of written principles allows the board to have a shared set of expectations. The key issue, he said, is how the board can best work together.
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"We can disagree and debate issues, but it is important for us to be able to work together in a respectful and open-minded way with a focus on our common vision," Crabb said. "This document represents our commitment to each other to do our best work together in the interest of our students."
Crabb said that board leaders thought, with new members elected in November 2021, it would be a good idea to help with on-boarding and best practices. The board held a workshop with the Iowa Association of School Boards to focus on roles and responsibilities, followed by a workshop on creating an operating agreement that went before the board for a vote Oct. 13.
The policy was approved 5-2. Whitney Smith McIntosh and Tom Naeve voted against it.
At the meeting, Smith McIntosh said she doesn't have any issues with the document itself, but is concerned about it being made public.
She said the public could use it as a "weapon" to control the actions of board members, and she's concerned it would be misused or misinterpreted. Naeve said he could see where Smith McIntosh was coming from, as board members have been the target of personal attacks as they've dealt with controversial issues in recent years. The board contended with issues through the COVID-19 pandemic like masking requirements.
"Instead of being guiding principles for us, to make sure that we're staying focused and doing what's important for the students and the community and the school district, we're going to have to defend ourselves all the time," Smith McIntosh said.
Earlier this year, a group of community members accused Smith McIntosh of violating specific board policies over what was seen as partisan political activity and social media activity they said was anti-LGBTQ.
In voting to approve the document, board member Brett Handy said, "the public has the right to know everything that we do at this board table" as elected officials.
"So to even talk about hiding anything from the public is not okay with me," he said.
The draft document already was available to the public as part of the online agenda before the vote.
"There's a point where, as a public official, you know you're in the public, and you've just got to lead and be courageous about it, and not worry about how people might criticize you, because they will, and they have," Crabb said at the meeting. "We've spent three years through a pandemic where all of us got attacked for one thing or another."
Crabb said the document isn't meant to be used to attack each other, but to help each other.
"We should follow it as best we can, and we should be called out if we don't follow it," said board member Ric Powell.
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Southeast Polk school board passes new set of goals with two no votes
