Controversy on the School Board

File+Photo+-+March+2016

File Photo – March 2016

Zeke Whetstone

After a heated exchange of letters between school board member Dr. Keith Swanson and superintendent Dr. Mike Amstein, the Atlantic Community School Board gathered for a meeting on Wednesday, Feb. 24.

In Swanson’s article, published in the Atlantic News Telegraph, he voiced concern about finances and decision making within the district. He spoke of the schools’ transportation, saying, “It is embarrassing to be on a school board district that allows half of its busses to be out of service.” Amstein responded by saying, “Many of the comments made by Mr. Swanson regarding the operation of the district were quite inaccurate.” He also stated that Swanson is critical of “a number” of programs, which “lead you believe that our students are not excelling.”

Swanson admitted to writing the article out of frustration, also saying that he does not feel accepted on the board. “If we made mistakes in the past we need to not make them again in the future.” He continued by saying, “The board meetings are filled with what I would call fluff.”

At the Feb. 24 meeting, Swanson tried addressing other points in the articles, but was denied by the district’s attorney, Brett Nitzschke, and the board president, Josh McLaren.  Nitzschke said that for a topic to be discussed, it has to be put on the agenda, according to the Open Agenda Law. The agenda is comprised of issues brought to McLaren, which he brings together, to create that meeting’s agenda.

Board member Kristy Pellett joined in, saying, “We (the board) represent Atlantic Community School District. It’s important to recognize that we have to respect the board and the Speak-Up was not how we all feel.”

Board member Ali Bruckner said, “We need to decide if, and when, it’s added to the agenda in the future.” Pellett agreed, saying, “We have not had rich discussions on this board. The only one was about the transportation issue and I thought it was resolved.”

With the topic changing, the board’s communication was brought up. Bruckner mentioned that she feels as if the board has a lot of possible discussions, and she wants them to be “open and honest.”

Nitzschke declared that he believed the board is “headed in the right direction.” He also mentioned contacting the Iowa Association of School Boards to help improve relationships and strengthen the board.

McLaren wants to lead the board in the right direction and said, ““If it means sitting around a table and playing Monopoly to build cohesiveness, then I don’t know what else to do. We need a place to start.”

Bruckner closed the meeting by saying, “There will challenges the next few years and if we aren’t all on the same page, it will be tough.”