Five minutes. That’s all Jackie Harling needed to set the room on fire. In a breathless verbal assault, the no-nonsense chairwoman of the Walker County GOP took no prisoners. Constrained by the restrictive time limit, Harling blitzed through a resolution passed by the party censuring three school board members for their recent vote to extend Superintendent Raines' contract. Adding her own statement to close, her words hit like a sledgehammer, exposing the brazen conflicts of interest and denouncing the affront to core American principles. Read both below.
Note: It's 2024, and yet Superintendent Raines refuses to live stream or record meetings, unlike other local governments and school districts. Undeterred and at the request of teachers and parents, I hired a videographer to capture the proceedings. Unfortunately the setup options for video were poor and the audio quality from the useless microphones was atrocious. The expensive new central office is a disgrace as long as this stands. Constituents deserve to see and hear everything clearly. The setup is so poor it seems designed to limit visibility and audibility, practically begging for a lawsuit under the clear requirements of Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act.
For some background on the mounting issues in Walker County Schools see the following articles. From toxic lead contamination, to lies to board members and parents, the evidence of failed leadership is ubiquitous.
Board Member’s Outcry Over Superintendent Contract Extension
In the April 15th meeting of the Walker County Board of Education, the chair of the board made a courageous statement in opposition to the decision to extend the Superintendent's contract. The statement, read aloud and submitted for the record, raises valid concerns about the timing of the vote, past precedent, the respect given to newly elected board m…
Walker County Schools Executive Sessions Violate Open Meetings Laws
In 1788, when our country was in it’s infancy, a prescient patriot named Patrick Henry sounded an alarm about Government behind closed doors. "The liberties of a people never were, nor ever will be, secure," Henry proclaimed, "when the transactions of their rulers may be concealed from them."
Walker School Board & Leadership Ravaged By Nepotism and Ethics Dilemmas
It has been more than a century since Walt Whitman spoke of the never-ending audacity of government officials. It remains true today as it was then. Walker County's board of education and district leadership abundantly demonstrate this in northwest Georgia. Four school board members have been in clear violation of both state laws governing eligibility t…
Misplaced Priorities & Trust Lost: Walker County Schools Response to Lead Contamination
“When you want to help people, you tell them the truth. When you want to help yourself, you tell them what they want to hear.” - Thomas Sowell Walker County parents needed to hear the truth. The truth is that for the last semester, the leadership of Walker county schools kept secret the fact that lead (the toxic metal) was found in the drinking and cook…
Audits of Walker County Schools Omit Key Required Information
When citizens are upset about a tax hike by the Walker County Board of Education last year or a steep school millage rate in general, what do they do? Getting to know the district financial statements is a good place to start. In other words, find out how the many millions collected by the school system each year are spent.
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