Meeting Notes for January 28, 2025
January 27, 2025
Greetings everyone, it’s been a while! I tried to post financial info over the holiday break so we have something to reference in future meetings. Tonight’s meeting featured our newly elected board members! I want to start by apologizing for not live-steaming this meeting. I assumed TPS would be ready to livestream by now, but Vic tells me they are still working out the kinks. Tonight’s meeting should be available as a recording later this week. We’re making progress!
Full disclosure, with all that’s going on in the world currently, I have a lot of travel to prep for and couldn’t stay for the whole meeting. Michelle took notes for those who are interested. I will focus my comments on board member interactions and the vote for board positions.
With the retirement of board president Tony Rebottaro, a new president had to be nominated. The nomination process began even before we stood to say the pledge of allegiance. Becky Brooks quickly leaned into the mic, nominating Greg Lewis. New board members Darin Miller and Heather McGee promptly voted against Lewis, only to be outvoted by the incumbents (Simpson, Brooks, Martinez, Davis, Lewis).
Greg Lewis, now board president, then began sourcing nominations for vice-president of the board. Lynn Davis and Darin Miller were nominated, so Lewis put it to a vote. Once again, the vote went along lines of incumbency, with incumbents voting in favor of Lewis, and new members voting in favor of Miller.
Next, Tim Simpson was nominated for treasurer, followed by a nomination for Heather McGee. This time, the three newest members (Martinez, McGee, and Miller) voted for McGee, but were outvoted by the four longest serving members (Davis, Brooks, Simpson, and Lewis) in favor of Simpson.
Becky Brooks was the only nominee for secretary, and the vote was unanimous. Immediately following Lewis’s successful nomination for board president, he began stumbling through leading the meeting. Brooks and Davis had to continually remind him what came next, almost at every step. This struck me as odd, especially considering comments made during the election about incumbents knowing how to lead on day one. Lewis made a nervous joke about still being in “school teacher mode”, so perhaps he will adapt in time.
The desperation to maintain control by some incumbent members was on full display. As soon as Brooks blurted out Lewis’s name before Mr. Hilton could finish his sentence, it was obvious that a power grab was coming. To be fair, this isn’t uncommon in politics. Tenured members tend to get leadership posts. Still, the fact remains that incumbent board members (with exception of Martinez) retained a majority, and voted along that majority.
For those that wanted to see change on the board, there is modest cause for celebration. While the old guard consistently outvoted the newest members tonight, we at least have visible dissent. Miller, who campaigned with the incumbents, sided with the newer bloc in voting on board positions. I’m encouraged to see the board move away from the “one voice” concept, which was really just an eloquent way of saying “we’re a clique”.
Mr. Hilton began his portion of the meeting describing how he plans to modernize the TPS landing page (website homepage) from a static page to a backdrop of video clips from around the district. I absolutely loved it, and I think you will too. I‘ve done the exact same thing for non-profit websites, so I can attest to it’s effectiveness in promoting the TPS brand. Our educators are what makes this district great, so it makes sense to put them front and center.
My final comment concerns a proposed hashtag: #greatthingsarehappeningintecumseh. I don’t know who is pushing for this to be used, but I sincerely hope that TPS does not take it seriously. If you had a hard time figuring out what it said, so will everyone else. Frankly, it’s embarrassing. Vic Pratt is doing a phenomenal job with our media presence. I would urge the board to stick to board matters, and let Vic handle social media.
If TPS is unable to livestream the next school board meeting, I am now able to livestream directly from this platform. Links will be sent out if needed.
-J