The deadline for submission of “letters of interest” was set for May 9–three days after three incumbent members of the Board were to face re-election on May 6. Two of these (Teddy Bohnencamp and Wally Fitch) were subsequently defeated at the polls. In a three-way race, 62% of those voting voted against incumbent Bohnencamp. By May 8, Bohnencamp had declared her intention to seek appointment to the Board, hoping to move into Scott’s at-large seat (after surrendering her own).
Eleven other candidates also submitted “letters of interest.” Without even a day’s notice to any of the applicants, the Board met on May 20, announced that “the three most sincere candidates” would be interviewed and then a decision made. The interviews consisted of one question each and took less than five minutes. Bohnencamp was interviewed last. Just minutes later, the Board voted unanimously to appoint her to complete Scott’s unexpired term, fourteen days after the public had denied her another term at the ballot box.
So, Jim, what’s the point? Well, I was one of the 11 other citizens who submitted a “letter of interest,” after prayerful and thoughtful reflection. Here’s my story:
When I was called to lead this congregation, I was given a license—a mandate, really—from the church’s leadership to become engaged with the larger community, to be a voice for the common good, to be salt and light. To that end, I have been a member of the governing boards of agencies like United Way, Hopewell Center, and the Community Health Network in Indianapolis; I have served as Board Chair at Anderson’s Community Hospital. I represented 74,000 people in northwest Seattle in the Washington State legislature (before moving to Indiana) and have a long history providing leadership in many other religiously affiliated and charitable organizations. I am the Chair of the India Gospel League (NA), which will this year educate 300,000 children in India. I was the founding pastor of the Fairview Christian School in Seattle; my family has filled many leading volunteer roles in ACSC. And, oh yeah, we raised our four sons in Anderson Community Schools. I may not have been the best candidate, but I was credible.
When the process of appointment unfolded without even rudimentary contact or any substantive public review—I felt like someone had to stand up and say something. If I can be so easily dismissed, what happens to others who have less standing or no platform from which to speak? Teddy Bohnencamp is a good woman; I believe she has our school system’s best interest at heart. Still, some questions must be asked. Who established the May 9 deadline for applicants, following the May 6 election? Was it a “parachute” for potentially vulnerable incumbents? Did the Board develop a framework for appointment, following Scott’s resignation? If so, why weren’t any of the candidates or the larger public informed? If not, why not? Is serving on the school board so incidental that no thoughtful process needs to be crafted and implemented? Why weren’t applicants contacted before May 20? Why wasn’t receipt of their “letters of interest” acknowledged? Does anyone in the ACSC comprehend how compromising the whole sad chapter appears?
The ACSC Board holds in its hands our future. No group of persons requires more moral authority, wisdom, or the ability to inspire a community-wide collaboration than this group does. The appointment of Bohnencamp has become the “poster child” for many other weak links in our public education chain. The most important step the Board can now take to strengthen that chain is to provide clear, unequivocal answers to the questions above. They have declined to do so since first posed in person (and by letter) on June 10. Incredibly, the Board unanimously elected Bohnencamp its new President on July 8. The woman turned out of office on May 6 is now the Board President, without any explanation to the public, except: “Everything done has been legal, ethical, and fair.” Board member P. T. Morgan, alone, has gone on record expressing regret for his part in this debacle.
I have no personal issues with any member of the Board. But, the Board’s conduct has been so deeply flawed, its blank stare in the face of public skepticism, its unwillingness to even address the questions its course has birthed, and its apparent intention to proceed as if nothing problematic has occurred, seats us all at a kind of Mad Hatter’s Tea Party at which down is up and the obvious is ignored. New, fundamental concerns about how ACSC is governed spring to life each week that passes under this shadow. And that should concern all of us.
Pray. Get involved. Pay attention. Be encouraged. Speak the truth in love. Jesus
