Thursday, May 29, 2008

Oklahoma school board members: The untouchables

Oklahoma voters need a way to dump lousy school board members. Case in point: Dennis McCord, president of the Welch School Board, who has been banned from school property by the superintendent for being a Sports Dad from Hell. Blogger and Welch HS alum Tyson Wynn reports that McCord is alleged to have cussed out coaches and threatened the superintendent over his kids' playing time. Despite unanimous censures from his fellow board members, McCord refuses to resign and nothing can be done to force him out, short of a criminal conviction. Patrons, students, teachers, and administrators seem to be stuck with McCord until his five-year term expires, but a grand jury petition is being circulated by an organization called Save Welch Schools in hopes of finding grounds to remove him. In the absence of full-fledged school choice, school board members should have to answer to voters more frequently than twice a decade, and in between elections recall should be an option.

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