You can probably say that not all Wake County school board members will choose to use the conservative Civitas Institute for their annual training requirements.
As noted in today's article, the school board is scheduled to vote Tuesday on designating Civitas as an approved provider of annual training for board members. State law requires school board members to get at least 12 hours of training a year.
School board chairman Ron Margiotta said he added it to the agenda because some board members want to take advantage of the new training program being started by Civitas. Margiotta said he wanted to avoid the situation in which the board members would take the classes but not be able to claim the credit.
Francis DeLuca, executive director of the Civitas Institute, said they decided to begin offering training for school board members once the General Assembly opened it up to other groups last year. Previously, school board members went to the UNC School of Government or the N.C. School Boards Association.
DeLuca said the group feels it can provide neutral training to school board members. He said other groups, particularly the School Boards Association, "indoctrinate" board members.
DeLuca noted how Civitas already provided training to other elected officials, including new members to the General Assembly.
DeLuca said they can offer the training cheaper to school board members than other groups.
The school district doesn't pay Civitas by naming it an approved provider. Instead, board members are responsible for pay for their individual training, which DeLuca says cost about $50.
But school board member Kevin Hill, who is not among the board majority, said he'll stick with the N.C. School Boards Association to get his training.
The prospect of school board members being trained by Civitas is being mocked by some groups, such as the liberal N.C. Policy Watch. Others are questioning it considering that Civitas is funded by conservative businessman Art Pope, who critics of the new school board treat as a boogeyman.
But Margiotta said linking Pope to the training would be like saying that Capitol Broadcasting CEO Jim Goodmon directs what the Wake Education Partnership does because he provides it funding.
Comments
Ethics 101 & why Ron Margiotta's analogy is off-base
Mon, 03/01/2010 - 17:37 — TackerThe primary problem with Ron Margiotta's analogy to Jim Goodman and the Wake Ed Partnership is too simple to believe I actually have to address:
MR GOODMAN AND THE W.E.P. ARE NOT TRYING TO PUSH THROUGH A SCHOOL BOARD RESOLUTION FOR W.E.P. TO TRAIN SCHOOL BOARD MEMBERS!
Let's start with the ethical rules governing ALL School Board members --
"SECTION 1035- CODE OF ETHICS FOR (WAKE) SCHOOL BOARD MEMBERS.
The Board recognizes that collectively and individually, all members of the Board
must adhere to an accepted code of ethics in order to improve public education. The Board accepts the code of ethics established by the North Carolina School Boards Association.
In accordance with this code, each member of the Board shall commit to the following: . . .
B. Additional Board Member Commitments
Each member of the Board commits to the following:
1. Endeavor to make policy decisions only after FULL discussion at PUBLICLY HELD Board meetings, including committee meetings; . . .
7. Avoid being placed in a position of conflict of interest and REFRAIN FROM USING THE BOARD MEMBER'S POSITION ON THE BOARD for personal or PARTISAN GAIN; . . . ."
NOW, let's assume the NC statutes on "open public meetings" mean something. How is it the School Board tomorrow is also considering a heretofore unknown, unpublicized and unheard of resolution allowing School Board members to get "training" from the "Civitas Institute?" Who knew about that before Friday afternoon?? Just the Board majority? Is that a violation of NC's OPM laws? I do not know, but it sure smells funny.
But, even putting the OPM laws aside, does this Civitas resolution violate the Board's own Code of Ethics? You decide after considering the facts . . . facts which the individual drafting this resolution botched:
First, the organization to which they refer as the "Civitas Institute" is actually called the "John W. Pope Civitas Institute." See their website for confirmation: http://www.jwpcivitasinstitute.org.
Second: the Resolution states that the Civitas Institute is a "501(c)(3) organization," a tax exemption for non-profit charitable & religious organizations. But actually, according to Civitas' own website, it is NOT a 501(c)(3), but a 501(c)(4) non-profit. The "501(c)(4) exemptions are given to civic leagues and other corporations operated exclusively for the PROMOTION of social welfare . . . . Characteristics that set these organizations apart from 501(c)(3) organizations include an unlimited ability to LOBBY for legislation and the ABILITY TO PARTICIPATE IN POLITICAL CAMPAIGNS AND ELECTIONS." Oops, sounds like a PAC to me...
Third, the Board resolution states that the "Civitas Institute is "non-partisan." Wrong! Again, according to Civitas' own website, "(1) “The mission of the
Civitas Institute is to facilitate the implementation of CONSERVATIVE policy
solutions....” and (2) “One of our most useful tools is our CONSERVATIVE
Effectiveness Rankings . . . .” Doesn't sound very non-partisan, no matter whether you are conservative or liberal, Republican or Democrat -- it is what it is -- PARTISAN. Seems to me like this resolution violates the Board's ethical prohibition above regarding the restraint on seeking "partisan gain."
Finally, if John Tedesco has indeed sent an email to another partisan alliance of his supporters, the Wake Community Schools Alliance, then it would also seem to violate the ethics code prohibitions against avoiding "being placed in a position of conflict" and as to refraining from "using the Board member's position on the Board . . . for partisan gain."
While tomorrow's meeting has now unfortunately become a very partisan feud, I have yet to see or hear of one other School Board member -- including the other four majority members who has actively & openly courted support for his own views from partisan organizations.
Apparently the Board's own ethics rules do not apply to Mr. Tedesco . . . or, so he thinks.
Tacker LeCarpentier
Raleigh, NC