Abuses of power at schools

In recent weeks it has been unavoidable to draw numerous parallels between the present abuses of power in local school politics and the outrageous behavior by our nation’s executive branch.

Please consider the following roster of eleven examples of such abuse:

1. Withholding of critical documents.

2. Insufficient checks on executive black-and-white thinking by insiders.

3. Claims of intellectual superiority and competence. The tyranny of the enduring public relations myth by claiming to be the “smartest person in the room.”

4. Elimination of true talent and competence in favor of empire-building.

5. A well-established pattern of targeting women.

6. Punishing whistleblowers.

7. Deafness to public outrage.

8. Dominating the issues by marginalizing reasonable dissent.

9. Requiring non-disclosure agreements from dissenters.

10. Payments to maintain a false narrative.

11. Egos that cannot share the credit where credit is due others.

I am a newcomer to La Conner, organizing the construction of my new retirement residence. I have selected this community because of the renowned physical splendor and artistic verve. But now I am questioning the collective consciousness that is the heart of our community. Whether in the nation’s capital or in one of the most remarkable small towns in America, democracy can die in darkness. The citizens and taxpayers deserve and must insist on transparency from their elected officials, in this case, the La Conner School Board. The school board must take responsibility for the damage as outlined by the unions and clean house.

Respectfully,

JD West