More school board voices should be heard

Santa Fe’s public schools have a year of challenges ahead. From dealing with continuing issues because of the pandemic to the reality of declining enrollment and resulting hits to the budget, big decisions will await the Board of Education and first-year Superintendent Hilario “Larry” Chavez.

Finding solutions will require a robust discussion, with plenty of listening but much debate. While the discourse should stay civil, there’s no doubt emotions will be high.

After all, with declining enrollment and less money to spend, it is likely the issue of closing schools will be discussed.

At some point, it will become clear Santa Fe has too many schools for its students. The question then will be, what to do about it? All ideas welcome.

All ideas — including those suggested by various members of the Santa Fe Public Schools Board of Education. It would seem logical the five people elected to represent the community would be part of the conversation, suggesting solutions and debating conclusions.

Yet, in an article (“Shrinking schools,” Dec. 13) detailing the decline in enrollment, only one voice was heard. Board President Kate Noble explained board members have an “agreement” under which only the board president will speak with media.

It’s unclear what the other board members, Sascha Anderson, Rudy Garcia, Sarah Boses or Carmen Gonzales, might offer to solve the real challenges facing our schools. We can’t say if they won’t speak to the public.

Certainly, they are having conversations at school board meetings, but there is nothing untoward about a member offering a personal perspective in a news article. That adds, rather than detracts, from the conversation.

Fast forward a few months when district officials are dealing with a multimillion-dollar budget shortage. To balance the books, there is no shortage of potential cuts that could be considered. Perhaps extracurriculars; maybe an underenrolled elementary school. Who knows? Surely, the parents of the district deserve a board member who will speak to their concerns — not just in private conversations but in public statements shared with all interested in the schools.

We’re not calling for a school board that battles through the media — we’ve seen that in past governing bodies, whether City Council or school board.

But it is shortchanging the public to limit all utterances to one person, even speaking on behalf of the board. The truth is, no single person can speak on behalf of four others.

Each board member has a different perspective, one that adds to the discourse. Thoughtful statements, shared through interviews with reporters or discussions with parents, will lead to better solutions.

That’s because the more ideas that are exchanged, the better possibility to find solutions that work. What’s more, individuals who run for public office make a promise to be open with their constituents, to share their beliefs and ideas. Holding back to create a “unified” message is being less than transparent.

In Santa Fe, all voices should be heard — and that includes members of the school board who don’t happen to be elected president.