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Time for Change: Why I Want the OCS School Board To Appoint a New Board Member
A perspective from Katie Harper
This year’s school board runoff between Bonnie Hauser and Jennifer Moore leaves many voters with an impossible choice. Bonnie Hauser has misled the public regarding circumstances surrounding the departure of our previous Superintendent; and Jennifer Moore has admitted to lying about her level of education. For these reasons, I don’t want either candidate to serve on our school board.
Sitting out the election would give Hauser the race, so I’ve decided to fill in the bubble next to Jennifer Moore’s name even though she has stepped down from her current board position and stated she will not serve if elected. I’ll be checking the box by Moore’s name because our school board needs different leadership than either Hauser or Moore could provide.
Bonnie Hauser’s campaign materials this spring made the case that all seven board members had “voted for the separation” from our previous Superintendent, Dr. Monique Felder. This is misleading. While all board members voted publicly to accept Dr. Felder’s resignation, it’s incorrect to imply that all board members wanted Dr. Felder to leave. Carrie Doyle, Jennifer Moore, and Sarah Smylie were vocal in their support of Dr. Felder’s leadership and disappointed by her departure.
The School Board has never publicly stated what led to Dr. Felder’s involuntary resignation. Hauser supporters have insinuated that the board lost faith in Dr. Felder’s leadership following a 2022-23 budget deficit. This narrative ignores the facts that 1) most of the money pulled from savings went directly to teachers and staff stipends, which is a good thing; and 2) the BOCC overfunded the next continuation budget, wiping out any deficit.
Bonnie Hauser and the current board majority must be held accountable for the costs incurred by the district in paying out Dr. Felder’s contract while also employing an expensive interim superintendent for six months before hiring our current superintendent. This year’s school board runoff is an opportunity to vote “no” to Hauser’s expensive mistakes that take taxpayer dollars away from children’s education.
Jennifer Moore won the March 5th election by nearly 500 more votes than her opponent. Were it not for the regressive runoff rule, she would have been slated for another four-year term. Once the truth of her fabricated doctorate came out and she resigned, the remaining six board members would have chosen her replacement until the next election in 2026.
I’ll be filling in the circle next to Moore’s name as an objection to the regressive runoff rule and as a vote against her opponent. I hope Moore will receive the most votes and the board will appoint someone to take her place. Some have argued that board appointments are “undemocratic,” but exercising our right to vote in this runoff as we see fit is the most democratic choice of all. In this year’s school board runoff I’ll be casting my vote for change.
“Viewpoints” on Chapelboro is a recurring series of community-submitted opinion columns. All thoughts, ideas, opinions and expressions in this series are those of the author, and do not reflect the work or reporting of 97.9 The Hill and Chapelboro.com.
So now we’re equating stating a fact “Everyone voted for Felder’s separation” to someone’s systematic attempt to lie and mislead the public for years. You are promoting a vote for a liar over someone that you disagree with. I think you will be one of very few who vote for Moore, and I’m proud that people pay close enough attention to make the choice that sends the right message to students. Shame on you.
Hun? The writer clearly holds both candidates to account and finds them both unworthy. The writer clearly states that what they are advocating for is a new selection to be made. That isnt equating anything. Ms Moore broke faith, not the voters. It is disingenuous to try to smear the voters who voted for her as a campaign tactic to get the out come you personally prefer.
Voters voted for the set of values they THOUGHT each candidate represented. One candidate won and the other lost. Additional candidates who more closely represented the “winning” set of values also lost out to Ms Moore. The process should be fair to the VOTERS, not to individual candidates. If Ms Moore drops out, Ms Hauser is not entitled to anything. The VOTERS are entitled to a School Board Member that represents what they voted for. The most perfect solution would be a new full election open to all the candidates but the tactical tool that was used to give Ms Hauser another bite at the apple doesnt allow for that. Its just as tactical for folks who supported Ms Moore to deliberately set the stage for a new appointment. But which set of tactics more closely represents what the people voted for? You dont seem to be asking that question.
Maybe a closer look at Felder is needed before casting apersions. Maybe a leopard cannot change it’s spots: https://www.newschannel5.com/news/newschannel-5-investigates/metro-schools/mnps-official-failed-to-disclose-consulting-fees-from-vendor-group
Thanks for the ‘investigative replying’.
An interesting article that might explain some of the recent going’s-on.