Beck: Norman has been a dedicated public servant

By: Joy Beck | Morganton News Herald
Published: November 01, 2009

Morganton, NC --

I would like to publicly thank Tracy Norman for her service to the Burke County Public Schools and our community. I have attended board of education meetings ever since the book issue and I have been embarrassed and ashamed of the way intelligent, respectable people in our community behaved during the meetings and at various events. Therefore, I started watching the meetings on the live streaming and, again, the display of T-shirts, signs and rude behavior of yelling out, standing up and turning their backs to the board of education went way beyond being rude.
Ms. Norman's level of professionalism as a board member and then as board chair this last year is unmatched. I have watched as she has been attacked time and time again and she continues to focus on what we elected her to do: make the best choices, the tough choices for the students and community. She has never given up and has truly been a shield, taking the arrows from a hostile, cruel, vengeful group with personal agendas of restoring the board of education to the "good ol' boys" system that has nothing to do with education.
I am very concerned for our students, community and schools should the SWAT team be elected. I cannot fathom anyone with a clear conscience casting a vote for any member of this elite team. The new buzz word seems to be "stakeholders". Apparently the people of Burke County have forgotten what happened to the stakeholders' input when they went ahead and built the two new schools without proper funding. Did they (Buddy Armour and Sam Wilkinson) listen to the "stakeholders" when they named the two new schools? No. Did they listen to the "stakeholders" when the East Burke locker room incident occurred? No. Were they representing the "stakeholders" when the policy manual was neglected? No.
Ms. Norman was very instrumental in getting a new media policy in place, including the book policy. She put together a team of professional stakeholders — students and teachers — for input in developing this policy. This was never presented as a book banning policy. Rather, this was presented as the right to choose an alternate selection if a parent felt the required reading was inappropriate for their child. Now the SWAT team supports the reversion of the book policy back to the one previously in place which gave no choice to the parents.
The vision of the SWAT team includes allowing comments from the public at every scheduled meeting. Are you willing to have five- to eight-hour meetings in order to allow every speaker unlimited time? Is our memory so short we can't remember what "stakeholders" they have listened to and all the times the stake has been driven through the will of the "stakeholders" by the two of them?
The only thing I have seen them actively pursue is trying to throw Tracy Norman off the board. I would encourage those who make accusations against Ms. Norman and other current board members to state facts and figures to substantiate these; i.e., what and when did Ms. Norman "lie"? Better yet, calmly ask her direct rather than spreading the rumors.
Ms. Norman is a true public servant and her level of dedication is proven by her not ever giving up regardless of the negativism.
We do not need any more of the past board members' failed leadership. Please do not vote for the SWAT team. Become informed voters and give your support to Tracy Norman and the new candidates who are also concerned about the future of our children.

Beck: Norman has been a dedicated public servant

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