Conversation Stopper

I just received an email from Kim Burningham, Chair of the Utah State Office of Education, to Sen. Howard Stephenson, Co-chair of the Legislative Education Interim Committee. It says:

Although Superintendent Harrington initially may have indicated some availability to attend the Education Interim Committee meeting this coming Wednesday, after due deliberation, I, representing the State Board of Education, respectfully decline to send a representative to that gathering.

It is unclear what role the committee has in relation to what essentially is business to be conducted confidentially, if at all, between the Attorney General and the state board. It is clear, however, that any further politicization of the relationship between the Attorney General and the state board is unwelcome to the board, if not to Mr. Shurtleff, and would be ill-advised in any event.

This is tragic. In the way our State has structured education policy there always will be – and always has been – tension at the margins between the elected Legislature and the elected State School Board. The way the process works these things out is through meetings and discussions.

Despite the Chair's decree, as independently-elected members, I would hope that some school board members would choose to show up and discuss what we have learned or should learn from recent events. No one can dispute that we've been in some uncharted territory recently. The Utah Constitution remains intact, the Utah Supreme Court has provided a ruling that gives definition to the upcoming election, and I haven't noticed any rioting in the streets. Why not sit down as duly-elected officials and discuss matters?