This is in my concern for what the Warsaw school board is trying to do. The current board is trying to do away with the term limit (two terms, four years each term), as we have an election this fall that will allow some to run beyond the two terms. Now we seem to have some of the current school board members who obviously either think they’re the best school board members of all time or love the specific control that it is giving them.
I think it is essential that we have term limits. The No. 1 issue is it slows down and sometimes stops the buddy system. Believe me, it goes on. This is not meant to be a lifetime job. How dare this school board anoint themselves above future school boards. We are paying for the lawyer they hire to work on extending their current term limits. I might listen to their case if they disqualified themselves from extended terms.
Some of the talking points I have heard from this school board to stay in power is lots of Indiana schools don't have term limits. I said I would listen to their argument if they exclude themselves. Another of their talking points is it's hard to train new members. Well, that's why the terms are staggered, so not all come in at once. Another of their talking points are that they still have to be re-elected. Well, many, many of your voters don't follow the school board, don't know anything about the school board. All surveys show when that's the case the incumbent gets the vast majority of the votes. They know this. Many times new people won't run against an incumbent but wait for their term limit to expire.
Again, it really concerns me that this school board wants to anoint themselves additional terms. I urge this school board to desist from this. We do not want board members thirsting for control. I think our school board has to be above reproach. This is putting a black eye on its integrity. There are a lot of people approaching me on this issue. There will be more people speaking out. We would rather have this school board correct themselves on this problem. But if we have to, we will get the 500 signatures to start the proceeding to stop this.
We respect this school board. I like the ones I know on this school board. We don't want to go into the issues of negativity to prove highly questionable things that may have been done.
This is all the peoples’ town. Not any one school board member, not any one coach, not any one faculty member. But, all of our town. I certainly don't want any one school board member thinking he or she is what this community needs. Because that's what we usually don't.
I have lived in this community most of my 63 years. I have had around 50 family and relatives go through Warsaw. Many more in the next generation. I care.
