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This was an embarrassing spectacle in which most of the school board members looked incompetent and confused. In the end, they took a vote of enormous consequence without waiting for any public input. #a2schoolboard https://www.mlive.com/news/ann-arbor/2021/02/ann-arbor-school-board-to-vote-on-plan-for-most-students-to-finish-year-virtually.html
Board member Susan Baskett started with something that sounded reasonable: the district should try to get the most vulnerable students back in-person.
Later it became clear that this was a Trojan horse for another agenda: to end plans for in-person education for everyone else.
Later it became clear that this was a Trojan horse for another agenda: to end plans for in-person education for everyone else.
Baskett's "proposal" came in the form of a rambling 6-point statement. Nothing written out. It took the board more than hour of discussion just to figure out what she was actually proposing. #a2schoolboard
Some sensible board members noted that, just perhaps, they ought to get details from the Superintendent on how this drastic change might be implemented before they voted on it. None of them thought about getting public input. #a2schoolboard
The result was that the Board voted to direct the Supt. to come up with the details of a plan that will provide in-person education only for some. This will be voted on next week. #a2schoolboard
It was clear that this idea had been discussed privately between board members and the superintendent. It is shocking that they would try to push this though with no opportunity for the public to weigh in. #a2schoolboard
It was also clear that the school district has provided the County Health Dept. with a list of teachers to be vaccinated and that they can prioritize the order of this list. So, despite the refusal to provide a dashboard on how vaccinations are going, they know. #a2schoolboard
It also came out that the superintendent has a survey of parents "ready to go." Many parents have been demanding this, as the last survey was in June. The Board did not want to wait for this survey, nor do they think that it could produce usable information on a vague plan.
Board member Jeff Gaynor put on a juvenile display by donning a mask to show how silly he thinks it would be for a teacher to be wearing a mask while teaching. As someone who has done precisely that, I was not amused. #a2schoolboard
So, Ann Arbor parents, this is your school board. You have one week to share your thoughts. But, honestly, it seems that five of them have made up their minds already and don't care what you think. #a2schoolboard
