As noted by speakers at recent Newburgh Board of Education meetings, the divisiveness and polarization of the country is also apparent in our Newburgh Enlarged City School District.

Many had hoped that with the school board elections in the rear-view mirror and new members sworn in, we could begin the process of working together for our children. However, these hopes were dashed at the Board meeting on July 2nd immediately after some new members took their seats for the first time.

Unfortunately, many were motivated to attend the meeting under false pretenses by a flyer circulated on social media claiming that the new Board was going to cut teacher positions and summer school programs. Even worse, speakers compared a majority of the Board to the KKK.

Five of the six board members elected in May ran as a team calling themselves the “Clear Choice Coalition.” A speaker claimed that this phrase somehow had its roots with the KKK. Another speaker said that newly elected board members were “trying to make the first Black woman superintendent of this district pack her bags and go.” The last place this inflammatory rhetoric should occur is at meetings whose purpose is to educate and mold the future of our children.

Ironically, all of these speakers were permitted because the new Vice President of the Board, Victoria Bousche, who was a member of the “Clear Choice Coalition” asked that public comment be extended so that anyone that wanted to speak would be able to. As noted by Alberto Gilman of the Mid Hudson Times in his continuous comprehensive coverage of the Board , members then voted to “allow the public to speak on agenda and non-agenda items for an unlimited period.” Public comment was limited to 30 minutes under the previous board leadership.

In fact, at the last meeting on June 30th before the “Clear Choice Coalition” majority took office, the previous President and board majority did not allow any public comment.

In addition, rather than going into Executive Session in the middle of the meeting and leaving the public staring at empty board chairs for an indefinite amount of time, the new board members decided to postpone the session to the end of the meeting. In short, the new coalition immediately moved to try to welcome more voices from the community and make them feel included.

Some who lost their seats on the Board to “Clear Choice Coalition” members have been using their public comments to undermine the new Board. For example, Ray Harvey, who did not win a seat to the Board in May, stated at the July 2nd meeting that, “I watched the president of this board [Christine Bello] attack board members that are sitting on this board so tell me how we are supposed to work together when you’re going to attack them…”

This so called “attack” was the new President of the Board, Christine Bello, challenging the social media flyer claiming that she and other new members of the board were going to cut teaching positions and summer school programs. Bello just read how individual members voted on a motion from a previous meeting that put on the table cutting teachers and programs. She read the names of those who voted for this resolution including Philip Howard, and those who voted against it, which included members of the “Clear Choice Coalition.” Mr. Howard immediately went to his microphone to accuse Bello of attacking him, which is what Harvey was referring to when he spoke. If board members feel attacked when their votes are publicly noted, they should have voted differently.

Several speakers, including the Mayor of the City of Newburgh, expressed their hope that the new Board could find a way to work together. This is hard to do when board members are accused of taking their cue from the KKK.

As there seems to be an effort to unite the country after the assassination attempt on President Trump, perhaps it could trickle down to our local school community also.