It’s been said that you can’t legislate morality. A good law can’t make you good. But laws, policies and procedures can be effective in directing a good heart that seeks to do good.
In the light of the recent trial of a former SAISD board member, it is not lost on the present SAISD Board of Trustees that ethical guidance through local policy and procedures needs to be strengthened. It’s not just “doing wrong” that we must guard against; it’s also the appearance of doing wrong that we must guard against. We must hold ourselves to the highest ethical standard to make every effort to do what is right for the students.
In Texas, the state sets the regulations for ethics for a board of trustees. The SAISD board of trustees believes that, though regulation and enforcement is in the power of the state, that fact does not take away from the ability of the local board to establish local procedures that demonstrate and promote a higher level of commitment when it comes to ethics.
We can’t legislate our way to honesty, but we can create local policies and procedures that encourage, direct, and express an expectation for it.
For example, about three years ago, to avoid board members being lobbied by vendors to put a presentation of their product on the agenda for the board to consider, SAISD board members established a local procedure that specifically directs vendors to district staff in order to begin a process for consideration of the product, program or service. Their product will not be considered for board approval without first following that procedure.
This is an example of one local procedure. There are others, and there will be more as we strengthen our commitment to being a board that is dedicated to the highest level of ethics.
Serving in public office, I’ve certainly learned a lot about how different people operate. My first go around at campaigning used to fascinate me and at the same time horrify me when observing the rate at which people mangle truth and seem comfortable doing it.
Supporters who were used to the campaign environment would try to call my attention to my naïveté by saying, “Patti, that’s politics!”
My response was, “No! That’s lying!”
I’ve been protective of the idea that politics is about creating good policy to help provide a healthier, more supportive environment for society. This is often hard to do if you have to try to get there with people who feel that in politics, ethical behavior can be applied in any way — habitually, haphazardly, or not at all — and that the application of dishonesty, thievery, and blatant rudeness and hatred are allowable in what seems to many to be “a game.”
I serve in an office where the recipients, or victims, of our decision-making are children and teachers. In the role of school board trustees, if we can’t have decision-makers who are vigilant to what is right and good, our society is truly at risk. What we teach and how we support our children through what we do — whether we are parents, teachers or school board members — is what our society will become.
If you have witnessed SAISD school board meetings, you will often hear discussion of the concern for, and the impact of, character development or social/emotional learning for our students. This is critical in the preparation of future leaders.
We can guide ethical behavior, but if the public elects people who do not seek it, the guidance is useless.
At SAISD, we are grateful to a public who has elected a group of people to the Board of Trustees that is functioning well together and is highly committed to working for the best for our students in a prudent and ethical manner.
Patti Radle is president of the San Antonio Independent School District Board of Trustees.