Letter: Citizen voices sidelined by surprise school board pick

Posted on by Letters
Graphic by Lori Deaton

As if our city needed one more example of citizen voices being sidelined, on Aug. 24, Asheville City Council pushed through the nomination of George Sieburg for the Asheville City Board of Education just hours after the vacancy was known to anyone.

The decision was not on the agenda for the Aug. 24 meeting. No public comment was taken on the issue. Not a single parent or teacher was aware that a decision was to be made that evening.

Nonetheless, cavalier and confident, six City Council members decided that it was entirely fine to ignore the voices of Asheville City Schools parents, the endorsements of the Asheville City Association of Educators and the Buncombe County Association of Educators and countless parents who count on committed and regular attendees of board meetings to keep us informed. Voting 6-1, with the lone and principled “no” vote of Kim Roney, City Council pushed through the nomination in a flash.

For any parent following the misadventures of a district already mired in academic struggles, financial disarray and a tattered relationship between an unpopular superintendent and parents, this process was salt in a festered wound.

Kudos to Council member Kim Roney for being ever open and transparent and for consistently listening to the voices and concerns of ACS parents and teachers. Alas, an elected school board cannot come soon enough.

— Brooke Heaton
Asheville

SHARE

Thanks for reading through to the end…

We share your inclination to get the whole story. For the past 25 years, Xpress has been committed to in-depth, balanced reporting about the greater Asheville area. We want everyone to have access to our stories. That’s a big part of why we've never charged for the paper or put up a paywall.

We’re pretty sure that you know journalism faces big challenges these days. Advertising no longer pays the whole cost. Media outlets around the country are asking their readers to chip in. Xpress needs help, too. We hope you’ll consider signing up to be a member of Xpress. For as little as $5 a month — the cost of a craft beer or kombucha — you can help keep local journalism strong. It only takes a moment.

About Letters
We want to hear from you! Send your letters and commentary to letters@mountainx.com
View all posts by Letters →

Before you comment

The comments section is here to provide a platform for civil dialogue on the issues we face together as a local community. Xpress is committed to offering this platform for all voices, but when the tone of the discussion gets nasty or strays off topic, we believe many people choose not to participate. Xpress editors are determined to moderate comments to ensure a constructive interchange is maintained. All comments judged not to be in keeping with the spirit of civil discourse will be removed and repeat violators will be banned. See here for our terms of service. Thank you for being part of this effort to promote respectful discussion.

One thought on “Letter: Citizen voices sidelined by surprise school board pick”

  1. Enlightened Enigma

    lol…surprised that Kim Roney would vote no… still does not redeem her previous devious actions.

    and remember, we have NO leadership. none.

    1

Leave a Reply to Enlightened Enigma ×

To leave a reply you may Login with your Mountain Xpress account, connect socially or enter your name and e-mail. Your e-mail address will not be published. All fields are required.