pinion Letter to the Editor: Crucial Times For Manatee School District

Dear Editor,

There is so much happening at the Manatee School District that it's hard get your arms around all the events and printed articles. The public has hundreds of questions and when they did ask, they were either ridiculed or stonewalled.
 
Until the election of 2010, when two new school board members were elected, no one was asking hard questions. If they did, they were either made to look like fools or were stonewalled. This district should celebrate these two women who put their lives on hold to fight for a better education for the children of this district and their teachers.

Without their questioning the agenda items and the 2010-11 budgets, we wouldn’t have known what was happening to our tax dollars. I know it’s hard to accept their vote last night, but we have been with them on this journey, so let’s not second guess them now. Hopefully, with an outside attorney and auditor, we will know just what happened and who is responsible for putting our children’s future in jeopardy and causing good teachers to leave.
 
My first question is, why would Tim McGonegal fall on his sword for something like the hiring of 85 teachers when he could prove it was a mistake? He has always been able to wordsmith it so that some of the public would believe him. He would give us 1% truth and 99% smoke and mirrors, and the public bought it. Why now? Could there be more to the story? Could it be the public is now paying attention? Could it be the good old boys are really worried this time? Only time will tell.
 
After the Audit Committee selects an independent auditor and attorney with experience, the next step will be to set the right tone. Without honesty and integrity, no one will ever see a word from any report that is presented to the public. I just hope that whoever they decide on will not be compromised by the good old boys of Manatee County or someone in the county looking for a position when the fallout comes.
 
Peggy Martin
Manatee County