Why tie Burke schools to a controversial national group?

The recent announcement that Burke County Board of Education Chair Tiana Beachler and Vice Chair James Wycoff were selected for a National School Boards Association leadership cohort deserves more than congratulations.

It deserves a clear explanation of what this affiliation means for local control, parental trust, and the values Burke County expects its school leaders to uphold.

In my opinion the NSBA is not just another professional organization. It is the same organization that, in 2021, sent a letter to the Biden Administration requesting federal involvement in addressing some parents who spoke at local school board meetings.

While the organization later apologized and withdrew the letter, many parents across the country have not forgotten. The incident fundamentally damaged the trust between the NSBA, and the families school boards are elected to serve.

I am also concerned that the NSBA has frequently taken positions aligned with those of national teachers’ unions and education advocacy organizations that many parents and taxpayers believe place institutional priorities ahead of parental rights and local control.

We all can agree that leadership matters. The organizations our elected officials choose to associate with matter.

Participation in an NSBA leadership cohort is more than attending a conference. It reflects a willingness to align with an organization whose actions and priorities have become deeply controversial.

Burke County has long valued local control, transparency, and parental involvement in public education. Our school board members are elected by the citizens of Burke County, not by a national association.

Their first responsibility is to the parents, students, teachers, and taxpayers they represent and that raises an important question.

Why would the leaders of our local Board of Education choose to participate in the leadership program of an organization that alienated so many parents and has repeatedly advanced positions that many North Carolinians do not share?

Professional development is important, but the source of that development matters. There are many opportunities for school board members to strengthen their leadership without affiliating with an organization that has become a symbol of political division rather than public trust.

Instead of affiliating with the NSBA, I think our board leaders should seek leadership development from sources that are closer to home, more transparent, and less politically divisive.

North Carolina-based training, regional education leadership programs, university partnerships, legal and ethics workshops, budget and governance seminars, and locally accountable professional development opportunities could all strengthen board leadership without linking Burke County to a national organization that many parents no longer trust.

Professional development should help our board better serve this community — not raise new questions about outside influence.

The citizens of Burke County deserve an explanation. They deserve to know why their elected school board leadership believes the NSBA best represents the principles and values of this community.