the rix mix

I hadn't voted in a school board election for maybe ten years. One doesn't pay much attention to local school issues if one doesn't own property, work in the system, or have school-age children. In one-party towns, it can be a good thing when a dissenting faction of the ruling party contends for control of the school board, gaining influence over the large budget, jobs, & direction of the school system. Elizabeth has a politicized school board. Enormous amounts of federal & state money flow into this urban school district, much of it discretionary, so naturally there's bitter competition over who decides how to spend it (& which friends & allies feed at the trough). I didn't much care until the past year, when the Board of Ed got my attention. The Board got it by making me believe it included, or was too influenced by, right wing Christians. There was evidence. That was enough to send me to the polls today. I cast votes for three candidates I'm pretty sure are not right wing Christians, definitely not aligned with them, & are unlikely to support the funneling of money to afterschool programs run by right wing Christians, based on evangelical church models for youth activities, reflecting those narrow "values" & lifestyle choices, & which are organized like recruitment campaigns for the sponsoring religious group. Also, lets not brand any more schools with the names of prominent local clergy. Or recent Republican presidents.

* My candidates lost in a close race, no surprise, really. 13 names competing for 3 seats.

Labels: education, Elizabeth NJ, religion