Musical Chairs

'Tis the season for board reorganization. Every July the school board members elect two of their own to serve as Chair and Vice Chair for the next 12 months.

This time around, the board will be reorganized more than usual because the Board Chair recently resigned for employment reasons. At the meeting to declare a board vacancy, there was a distinct undercurrent of what I call "gavel envy." Suddenly we were swimming with words like "experienced" and "parliamentary procedure" and "leadership" when the conversation's tide turned to Chair appointment. I'm not much of a swimmer, but I do know that undercurrents are dangerous.

Serving on the Board of our school district is an honor. It means being an advocate of what's best for our students, not what's best for personal agendas. No one should aspire to be a Chair. If it happens, it happens. But know there is no trophy, no perks to the appointment. The gavel isn't a scepter of power. It's a lightning rod of publicity.

So I have deeply pondered the dilemma and have had a stroke of gavel genius. Musical Chairs. Yep, that's right. A simple child's game is the best remedy for gavel envy. Just imagine the pictures and headlines... At every meeting the high school band could play a rousing rendition of the Lions fight song while we all jostle around for Chair and Vice Chair. Like I said -- genius!

Happy Board Reorganization!