The Pot calling the kettle black – Partisanship and Public Education: a move to isolate, defund, and weaken Warren County Public Schools from within?

This observer finds the Warren County School Board debate over continued membership in the Virginia School Boards Association (VSBA) disturbingly ironic and troubling in its timing. The latter as the county board of supervisors plods along six weeks into the new fiscal year without an approved public schools budget and cuts on the table that could lead to program and staffing cuts and additional losses, including a potential exodus of teachers facing contract cuts here to surrounding communities still looking to fill post-COVID teaching vacancies at already approved wage levels. And that public school budget debate here continues despite no increase in local funding being sought to support that FY-2023 WC Public Schools budget proposal.

See: “Teachers remain uneasy about ongoing delays in approval of FY-2023 Public Schools Budget”

As for irony, the move for withdrawal from VSBA appears to be led by home-schooling mother and North River District Public School Board member Melanie Salins. Salins, with some public support offered, including by fellow Warren County Republican Committee member and Front Royal Town Councilwoman Amber Morris, has set about to label the VSBA a partisan lobbying organization openly critical of Republicans.

A logical question prior to a vote to disassociate from what appears to have been a longstanding and productive relationship for Warren County Public Schools would be that if, in fact, the VSBA lobbies, what does it “lobby” – or as its website states: “advocate” – for? The answer from information on its website appears to be for the interests of its School Boards membership, as in adequate funding of and state policies to the benefit and protection of public education in the Commonwealth of Virginia. If that is a “partisan” agenda might it be because those labeling it as such have made it so?

Is it surprising that an organization created to protect and promote public education in Virginia would be at odds with people, including members of a political party, who appear to have embraced ways to reduce funding for public education? And this is not to say that all Republicans favor reduced community support of public education. But as the Grand Old Party as the GOP tag comes from, fights internally to determine who and what philosophy will control the Party’s future direction, one side of that in-house political struggle steeped in a universe of “alternate facts” and conspiracy theories seem to have found willing allies within the reduced funding of public schools community.

But is there such a defunding of public education agenda in motion in Virginia?  Evidence would seem to be mounting, including right here in Front Royal and Warren County, which may be the perfect petri-dish for such a policy experiment. And if it were to exist, what strategies would indicate that existence and how would such a defunding-of-public-schools agenda be pursued?

A 3-step game plan

For starters, the candidacy and election of like-minded people approaching public school operations from a cynically negative perspective. And that is not to demean honest due diligence in exploring budget variables and cost proposals, just acknowledgment that “due diligence” can sometimes be used as a cover for other motives.

Second, isolate the target – perhaps remove the local School Board from a statewide support group of school boards, especially if it provides independent legal representation and advice for its members’ protection. For those wishing to shift the impetus of community education away from factually based, non-partisan public education, withdrawal from membership in an organization like the Virginia School Boards Association would seem a logical strategical step in isolating your target. That second step would likely be followed shortly by proposals for a fundamental shift in taxing policies supporting the community’s educational systems.

That third step, and this is where the endgame begins, would be to reduce operational funding to public education, as noted above is currently being debated in the halls of the Warren County Government Center.

One way to limit that funding not yet on the table here – but how close might it be? – would be the offering of tax exemptions regarding support of public schools, first to home and private schooling parents, and ultimately perhaps to anyone who does not have a child in the public school system. Such exemptions if achieved would essentially be an economic death blow to public education as we know it.

To those supporting such a reduced public schools funding agenda, public education is no longer a critical part of the entire community’s life to be supported by all that community’s taxpayers to the ultimate benefit of the community as a whole, as in an ability to attract significant economic development and better jobs to that community. Rather, it is a philosophical enemy to be weakened and dismantled to the political and economic benefit of special interest groups with their own ideological lobbying interests in tow.

Disturbing irony

So, does openly stated opposition to those politically advocating reductions to public school  funding make VSBA a partisan lobbying organization? An answer reflects the “disturbingly ironic” part of the question on the table.

If critics of VSBA as partisan lobbyists are themselves part of a philosophical and/or political ideology targeting support and funding of public education because it does not advocate for or teach their preferred ideological beliefs, attempting to identify public educational advocacy from an alliance of statewide School Boards as “partisan lobbying” seems overwhelmingly ironic, and more particularly hypocritical and self-serving. Excuse me if I am skeptical of Salins’ qualification against lobbying from any political perspective.

One might ask what the $9,521.19 annual VSBA membership fee does for the county’s public schools. As reported by Royal Examiner’s Kim Riley (story link below), VSBA offers its members: “a variety of services, including governance training; strategic planning services for developing and implementing focused plans of action; assistance with searching and selecting a superintendent; networking; subscriber policy services based on state and federal laws, regulations, and case law; legal information and limited attorney consultation; and collective bargaining services”. Riley further quoted Public Schools Superintendent Chris Ballenger observing that “VSBA also offers high-quality webinars, conferences, conventions, meetings, podcasts, and other trainings for school board members and for school board development.”

See: “School Board debates membership in Virginia School Boards Association”

Hmm, legal information and attorney consultation, as well as policy services based on state, federal, and case law; not to mention a statewide network of School Boards bringing their own perspectives and group unity to evolving issues faced by public schools in this third decade of the 21st century.

Action Agenda

I suggest the citizens and taxpayers of this community not philosophically connected to a desire to weaken independent, non-partisan, fact-based public education not wait to see how this debate concludes. Rather, proactively contact your School Board members immediately with a demand the Warren County School Board maintain its membership in VSBA. I searched “Warren County Virginia School Board” online (Google search engine) and clicked on the first link to get a full email/phone # list of members.

But with a potential vote on the FY-23 school budget as early as Tuesday, August 16, don’t stop there. Also contact and urge the Warren County Board of Supervisors to insist that public schools receive adequate Operational funding independent of past or current Capital Improvement Project debt service variables, with additional tax revenue when and if necessary (not this year), for what, along with Public Safety, is one of the two most important functions of county governments – Public Education. I searched “County of Warren Virginia Board of Supervisors”, clicked on first link, then on “Government” on top row, then to left on “Board of Supervisors” and scrolled down several turns to get emails and phone #s for all members.

For if this battle is lost, prepare for the rest of those above-described strategies to eventually be put on the table at the long-term expense of, not just Warren County Public Schools and the students and staff in them, but this community as a whole.

Roger Bianchini
Front Royal