Capital Oped
Tucker, Devin, Local Democrats have failed on diversity, Capital, March 4, 2016.
Snider Comment
“[D]espite his qualifications and executive experience, FOR REASONS STILL UNKNOWN, he was not invited back to serve on our school board. Inexplicably, Jackson — a Democrat with impeccable credentials — was replaced on our school board by a white female Democrat. When did a decorated naval officer such as Jackson become unpalatable to Democrats?…. Any discussions on reforms for our school board should also include a conversation about Jackson’s departure. For some reason, what Kevin Jackson brought to the table in terms of professional qualifications didn’t matter to Democrats. That should alarm every African-American voter in the county. It’s all so disappointing, and nothing short of shameful.”
For an explanation as to why Jackson was defeated, I would point you to the school board nominating commissioners’ comments about his candidacy during the 2014 nominating cycle. Specifically, I would encourage you to look at the public comments of commissioners Kory Blake (AFSCME), Pam Bukowski (TAAAC), and Bill Jones (TAAAC). Their comments are discussed on eLighthouse.info. I would also encourage you to research the history of Jackson’s request to AACPS Public Information Officer Bob Mosier requesting data on how much AACPS employees are paid. Jackson had the crazy idea that it was his responsibility as a member of the school board not merely to repeat the union-sanctioned soundbites provided him by AACPS staff but seek to understand the underlying data on which those soundbites were presumably based. AACPS staff have no tolerance for such questioning behavior regardless of skin color.
“Our schools’ governance — an issue that one state senator suggested the county has wrestled with for well over 34 years.”
Length of debate should not be confused with quality of debate.
See Also:
Comment on the Capital’s uninformed assumptions in reporting on school board diversity
