Alden Nellis presented this during the Citizens Comments part of the Cleburne ISD School Board meeting January 11,2010.

January 11, 2010

Mr. President and Trustees:

Thank you for serving.

My name is Alden Nellis. I reside at 603 S. Walnut in Cleburne. I wish to address the question of Single Member Districts.

I was told by Ms. Benson that there was no backup material on this item in your workbooks. Since your format on regular agenda items requires public input before the item is discussed, and since this item is not being presented in the form of a public hearing, I do not know what Mr. Beard and Mr. Madison are going to present. Therefore, I will make a few comments I hope you will consider.

Equal representation is the cornerstone of our democratic Republic. Without equal representation large chunks of our community are not being given a voice on the board.

Diversity in any group makes it more dynamic and more representative of the community.

Equal representation and diversity will result in some debates and a split vote on some issues, but the best interest of the community will be served.

When this board stops coming to the meetings with the outcome of votes on the issues already decided, I might change my mind about the need for SMDs.

When board votes stop being unanimous nearly all the time, I might change my mind.

When people stop telling me they saw three school board members dining together and overheard them discussing school business, I might change my mind.

I ask you to think about it this way. How many of you in the small Southwest area of the district think a group from a small area of the East section of the district could oversee the district to your satisfaction? Be honest!

There may be another way to accomplish it, but right now the only answer I can see to equal representation for all neighborhoods is SMDs.

Mr. Madison has often used the argument that I do not have standing to complain because I am a white male from the Southwest quadrant. That is legal gobbledy gook which is often used by lawyers to confuse the issues.

The truth is that any taxpaying resident of the district has standing to come before the board, the TEA, or even a court when he or she feels that children in the district are being left out or that tax money is not being properly spent.