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Editorial: PUSD school board president should not step aside

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In the world of local politics, it’s a pretty big deal when an experienced, well-thought-of former Poway Unified School District board member publicly tells the current school board president she’s doing a bad job and should step aside.

Steve McMillan, who served from 1994-2006, did just that during the May 18 board meeting. He told President Kimberley Beatty that she was “unfit” to serve as president and criticized her for making statements in print that he said were unfairly critical of Supt. John Collins and which have damaged the board’s relationship with district employees.

McMillan is a retired San Diego Police Department officer who was active in police union negotiations. Yes, he’s pro-union. But he also represented well the interests of district taxpayers and parents during his tenure on the school board. He was one of a slate of three candidates elected to settle down a board that was being rocked to its core by two outspoken members.

Veteran school board watchers can’t be blamed for experiencing déjà vu while watching Beatty and rookie board member Charles Sellers repeatedly clash with first-year members T.J. Zane, Michelle O’Connor-Ratcliff and longtime member Andy Patapow over issues ranging from how the district negotiates with its employees to whether the district should get involved in animal rights issues. Their disagreements run deep and, in many cases, reflect the fact that Beatty and Sellers fundamentally do not seem to trust Collins or his top associates.

Beatty was elected to the board in 2012, just as the whole “billion dollar bond” fallout was starting to ramp up. For her first two years she was pretty much a political lone wolf who was not exactly welcomed with open arms by the veteran school board. At times it was rough sledding for her.

Voters tossed two experienced board members last November, leaving Beatty as the obvious choice to be the next board president. The position is supposed to be largely ceremonial and is rotated annually among board members.

Unfortunately, Beatty has repeatedly stumbled while trying to run the board meetings. She often appears lost trying to negotiate each meeting’s complicated agenda format. She asks a lot of questions (not a bad thing, in moderation). She takes her responsibilities of being a directly elected representative of the people very seriously, sometimes to the point where she steps beyond the board’s traditional oversight and policy making roles.

But is she “unfit?” No, far from it. She’s just not very good at running meetings. She’s also probably frustrated that she does not have a third vote to replace Collins. She (and Sellers) need to come to grips with the fact that Collins will be around for a while, and move on.

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