It is said that integrity is when what you think and say and do are all the same. Honesty is an inherent part of integrity. People of good character are guided by ethical principles even when it’s detrimental to their careers, social standing, or economic well-being. They do the right thing even when it costs more than they want to pay.
These basic moral principles of character, honesty, and integrity are universal principles that apply to all people. These are principles our children should be learning from us. And our children are learning from us, by watching the example we set for them.
A fiduciary duty is a legal duty to act in other people’s best interests. School Board members have a fiduciary responsibility to protect the interests of the people of the district. A fiduciary relationship is one of trust and responsibility. Each of you understands that the citizens of this district must trust you to be responsible stewards of the tax dollars they provide for education.
This Board is tasked with balancing the needs of all of the stakeholders in the district. The students and parents and teachers and taxpayers all have an interest in and are affected by the decisions you make and each of these groups is important.
I know how much most teachers care for their students. They have a tough and important job and they deserve to be compensated properly. There is nothing wrong with advocacy groups such as the NEA fighting for the interests of teachers. But integrity requires that even when advocating for the interests of one group we do not ignore or abuse the interests of others. Integrity requires more than just looking after our own interests; it requires that we do the right thing.
Like most people I am deeply disturbed by the events and revelations of the past couple of weeks. On Election Day I spent the entire day at the polls, talking to voters. I know that people are tired of dishonest politicians and special interests hijacking the political process for personal gain.
Under the best of circumstances it takes some work to determine which candidate is the best one. In a municipal election it is especially difficult to properly evaluate all of the candidates and so often people will rely on endorsements from people or groups they trust.
On Election Day the NEA had people at each polling location with signs endorsing their two candidates for this School Board. As we are all now aware, one of those candidates has a felony conviction for betraying a fiduciary responsibility. The NEA was aware of this information, but chose not to disclose it to voters at the polls.
This is not about what happened 11 years ago in Iowa. This is about what happened two weeks ago. None of us is perfect and we all make mistakes. Nobody is asking that candidates disclose every mistake they have ever made. But if a candidate wants to be in a position of fiduciary trust then it is relevant whether or not they have violated that trust in the past.
Once someone stands up and admits that they did something wrong and apologizes, we can decide to forgive them and move on. But we cannot forgive someone who will not admit or does not understand they have done something wrong, or who tries to hide what they have done.
Any time we find ourselves making a decision based on whether or not someone will find out, we have already stepped over the line. On Election Day the NEA found themselves hoping the voters would not find out the truth about their candidate. That was wrong. The information was relevant, and the voters and citizens needed this information to make an informed judgment.
The NEA signs claimed that “Wentzville Teachers” recommended this candidate. I think the vast majority of Wentzville Teachers were shocked and dismayed to learn of this scandal after the election was over. Both the candidate and the WNEA chose personal gain over transparency. The NEA now controls this School Board, but we must ask the question: at what cost?
The trust of the people has been betrayed. There is no balance, and there is no trust. It would not be rational or responsible to trust you at this point.
All parties involved need to step up and do the right thing. The NEA and their candidate need to apologize. And then this individual needs to step down. Our teachers and parents and students need to rise above their fear. The people who raise and teach our children must not sit quietly; they must stand and let it be known that they do not condone what happened here. If we truly care about these children we need to set an example for them.
I will leave you with the Crossroads Elementary motto:
Character is doing the right thing. Integrity is doing the right thing even when no one is watching.
Please do the right thing.
Thank you.
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