Steering a Better Board

Recently, I attended the best SBUSD meeting I have witnessed in my 28 years of following local school board issues.

The facilitator, Dr. Suzette Lovely, presented a creative and thought-provoking workshop on “Governance.” Two slides set the tone for the day: 1. Definition of the Greek root of the word governance (“to steer”); and 2. A ship, with steering wheel (board) and oars (administration).

Dr. Lovely led four hours of exercises and questions, structured dialog, and self-examination to, simply put, help the board in steering, and the Superintendent and administration in rowing, the ship. What resulted was refreshingly open and honest dialog between board and administration in understanding their distinct roles and in identifying “Situations that Need Attention.”

A key frustration expressed by board members was their desire to be able to come to board meetings better informed and prepared to deliberate. Two constructive “next steps” discussed were: 1. Organize perhaps four special meetings (community meetings) annually which focus on a single subject. 2. Provide in-depth staff reports on these specific topics.

I would like to thank SBUSD Superintendent Maldonado for choosing Dr. Lovely to lead this remarkable meeting. 

Alice Post, Coalition for Neighborhood Schools

Caravans of Socialists

Doggone it! I had spent so many blissful months out of the shadow of conservative partisanship expressed by “An Independent Mind” columnist, Jeffrey Harding. Then, this week, I hesitated. I peeked. And I was sucked into the abyss of the 1950s red scare, rampant communism, and right wing BS. 

Last time I read one of his columns it was “It’s Kamala” from 7/30/24. Then he made such statements as: “… she took advantage of her gender and race to boost herself into political prominence.” Yeah, sexism and racism rolled into one. Very economical journalism right there.

He continued: “[Her] spending will increase the federal deficit and cause higher interest rates, more inflation, and a weaker dollar.” Mphf!

In 4/22/25, Harding opined that … “[Trump] is doing what he said he was going to do.” And then, “Employment is almost at an historic high. Inflation is coming down. GDP is rising.” Ahhahahahaha! How’s that workin’ for ya now, Mr. Prediction Pundit??

So last week it was all about the S-word: socialism! Mr. Harding starts by asserting that anyone who disagrees with him is “wrong” and that the results of those ignorant, lazy souls’ thinking has been “disastrous.” Okay, not what I would call reading the room, but go on. 

He jumps to the term “democratic socialism,” which largely means to transition away from capitalism. This is vastly different than what “social democrats” favor: “Focus on managing and improving the existing liberal democratic and capitalist framework. Prioritize universal public services like healthcare, free higher education, and extensive worker protections.” These are things Mr. Harding, again telegraphing his conservative bias, calls “free stuff.” I would call them “well-deserved protections and rights.”

Harding also goes on and on about the Democratic Socialists of America, which is NOT a political party. No Democratic candidate has espoused anything near the DSA’s vision of a post-capitalist utopia. This is more right wing BS (see above) – nothing but a 1950s McCarthyism scare tactic that failed then – after ruining countless innocent lives – and will fail now. I suppose “caravans of socialists” will be a future column headline in the Journal.

I again urge the editors of the MJ to change the headline “An Independent Mind” from Mr. Harding’s columns and label them as they are: opinions. Were he actually interested in educating his readers and broadening their world and historic perspective, he would have sleuthed out some pros and cons of BOTH side of the discussion – not just pander to one and demonize the other. 

Mr. Harding is, as Mr. Harding implies, well-rounded in knowledge of history, economics, and philosophy. He must realize that when he concludes his column with “I challenge you to learn and think,” he makes a hilariously self-owning admission of being the intellectual snob he swears he’s not. Call this column an opinion column or label it accurately: “Rhetorical Rants of Right Wing BS”.  

And kudos to Jeff Wing for last week’s “Beings and Doings” article on the same topic.

Sincerely,

Lanny Sherwin/Montecito/As Liberal as You Can Get