DISCLAIMER: the following is a collaboration to show historical facts vs. current rhetoric on the campaign trail. Ms. Butts and Wright are not current board members and therefore do not have voting records to speak of relating to the district.
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Last night at the candidate’s forum, David Taylor stated that he voted in support of the strategic plan. There were some audible gasps in the crowd. If you have been watching the SB meetings this school year, you would have been surprised to hear this comment because his record shows otherwise. Here are meeting minutes over the past school year related to votes for the strategic plan.
Summary:
6/3/09--David Taylor voted against the Board volunteers—Jennifer Rief and Jocelyn O’Quinn
9/23/09 David Taylor was the only Board member who voted against the charter of the Strategic Plan.
11/4/09 David Taylor wanted to move to non-public (most members of the Board felt this was a violation of RSA-91A State Law) to “discuss” members of the community who had agreed to give their time to help with subcommittee work.
Find the link to these minutes: http://www.orcsd.org/index.php?option=com_docman&task=cat_view&gid=65&Itemid=146&limitstart=15
June 3, 2009
Oversight Committee to Strategic Plan Committee: Kim Clark nominated Jennifer Rief and Jocelyn O’Quinn to serve on the Strategic Plan Oversight Committee. After a Board discussion, Mark Townsend moved to appoint Jennifer Rief and Jocelyn O’Quinn to serve on the Strategic Plan Oversight Committee, 2nd by JoAnn Portalupi.
Motion passed 6-0-1 6-1-0 with David Taylor opposing.
September 23, 2009
C. Articulation of Charge for Strategic Plan Committee: The Board reviewed the Strategic Planning Oversight Committee Charge below. This was developed by Jennifer Rief, Jocelyn O’Quinn and Superintendent Colter.
Purpose: To develop and recommend to the School Board a Strategic Plan that will guide the District’s work for the next five years toward sustainable and purposeful improvement.
Charge: The Oversight Committee will serve as a repository for all information generated throughout the Strategic Planning Process. Committee members will solicit and consider the input of all members and the broader stakeholder groups regarding the content of the Strategic Plan. Additionally, they will synthesize that input, reflect the best thinking, and draft the elements of the Strategic Plan.
Timeline: The Oversight Committee will deliver the proposed Strategic Plan to the School Board by July 2010.
After discussion of this proposal, JoAnn Portalupi moved to approve the Strategic Planning Oversight Committee Charter, 2nd by Jocelyn O’Quinn.
Motion approved 5-1 with David Taylor opposing.
11/4/09
Jocelyn O’Quinn moved to approve the above names for the working groups, 2nd by Mark Townsend. Discussion: David Taylor would like to move into nonpublic session to discuss this further. The Board had a dialogue on whether it was appropriate to discuss this in public session or nonpublic session.
David Taylor moved to discuss the names that have be nominated to work on these groups, 2nd by JoAnn Portalupi. The motion did not pass 2 – 4 with Jocelyn O’Quinn, Mark Townsend, Henry Brackett and Jennifer Rief opposing the motion.
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Finally...from a current teacher:
1. September 23rd David voted against the charter of the strategic plan. He said he voted for it.
2. 1/21/09 he voted against adding in money for a holding place for a teacher in case it was needed. He said tonight he supports kids and teachers.
3. 1/21/09 he voted against the budget. He said tonight he supports administration.
4. 4/1/09 he said the book good to great was our strategic plan. Tonight he said he supports the efforts of the plan.
5. 4/15/09 voted against early retirement. Saying that when numerous English teachers retired it desimated the English departement, truly and insult to those teachers remaining.
6. 6/3/09 voted against Jennifer and Jocelyn being the board representatives to the strategic planning committte. Tonight said it is important to work together and stop the divisions.
7. 11/4/09 voted against the citizens who volunteered to be on the working groups for the strategic plan.
I sincerely hope that the voters have been paying attention & that they vote. We do not need an arrogant & bullying "elder statesman" on our School Board. During the candidate night it was insulting the way he referred to the young Board we have right now. We have some thorough and intelligent "young" Board members who have demonstrated that they are totally capable of doing the job. Ann Wright and Krista Butts are also thorough and intelligent and should be given the opportunity to serve. David has held one Board position captive for 12 years and it is time for him to retire. His behavior in the past couple of years has become progressively more erratic, arrogant, & bullying. I honestly worry for his health because he often appears ready to explode. And the fact that he is now publicly misrepresenting his voting record shows that he is desperate. Please pay attention Oyster River voters.
ReplyDeleteI do pay attention and I watch the school board meetings regularly. On March 9, when I enter the voting booth with my ballot, I will be thinking of all of the times David Taylor was rude to members of the public who took the time to voice their thoughts to the board and for the times he actually got up and walked out of meetings. There are so many ways he has stood in the way of progress in this district and I for one am tired of it. Furthermore, I know I am not alone.
ReplyDeleteAnd a couple of years ago at the public meeting when he got up from his seat on the board to advocate for the proposed athletic field as a "parent and taxpayer." Hard to say which was more galling, his action or the smirk on his face. Was it illegal or unethical? I'm not qualified to say. Perhaps it was perfectly within bounds. But I'm sure I wasn't the only one stunned by his hubris. Let's give others a chance on the board.
ReplyDeleteYou are all quite harsh on a dedicated public servant.
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately, you all (perhaps it is one person who continues to post items to make it look like many people) like to rewrite history. I suggest you go back to the tapes to see Mr. Taylor be pummled by fellow board members, get verbally attacked in public and take it on the chin from fellow board members. I applaud David Taylor for leaving a meeting before he said something he would regret.
Nothing like getting ganged up on by 5 of your closest "friends". It is the other five (now four because someone poopooed off the board) who should be ashamed.
We need a board with experience and our current board is predominantly made up of rookies (no slight intended). We shouldn't handicap our district by having 6 people with less than 2 years on the board. Experience is crucial nowadays.
Vote Taylor!
First, I wrote one of the previous three comments & I resent the suggestion that one person is writing in various voices. Second, I have watched almost all of the meetings in the past three years. I cannot recall one instance when Mr. Taylor was "pummeled." Yet I did see him have to make a public apology for calling another board member a "lier" in another public meeting & treating others in a condescending manner. He is not the only bearer of knowledge in this district. JoAnn Portolupi is still on the Board, so the position of historian is safe. Third, we do not vote for "close friends." We vote for Board members. And fourth, I believe that JoAnn Portolupi is in her 8th year on the Board. So they don't all have less than 2 years of experience. We should vote for the best candidates, not the one who has been around the longest. Fresh ideas are healthy & should not be feared.
ReplyDeleteIt is time for a fresh board with fresh ideas! Bring in the rookies--woo hoo!!!
ReplyDeleteI love it--this blog has had over 25,000 hits in a year and anonymous above thinks the same person is writing the comments--ha ha--wishful thinking. Change is coming people--get ready!
ReplyDelete"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed people can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has." - Margaret Mead.
ReplyDeleteI wanted to post just how many hits this blog has gotten since Dec....the numbers are great and I think will only increase!
ReplyDeleteThis Week 02/14/10 - 02/18/10 1487
Last Week 02/07/10 - 02/13/10 1534
2 Weeks Ago 01/31/10 - 02/06/10 1539
3 Weeks Ago 01/24/10 - 01/30/10 868
4 Weeks Ago 01/17/10 - 01/23/10 1335
5 Weeks Ago 01/10/10 - 01/16/10 1442
6 Weeks Ago 01/03/10 - 01/09/10 500
7 Weeks Ago 12/27/09 - 01/02/10 395
8 Weeks Ago 12/20/09 - 12/26/09 681
9 Weeks Ago 12/13/09 - 12/19/09 1667
10 Weeks Ago12/06/09 - 12/12/09 829
Public service comes with public scrutiny. Anyone in this position will be held accountable for the positions they have taken--whether fellow Board members or the public agreed or not. David Taylor will have to stand alone on his record. You either vote for him because you think he represents you or you vote against him because he does not.
ReplyDeleteAs a member of the Board he is voted by the public to serve the public's best interest. Over the years I have seen his positions on the issues move away from the values he championed 12 years ago--more public access and more public information on the website.
Two board meetings ago he came out against posting public comments on the website. This was something HE RAN ON 12 years ago. 12 years later I do not see the kind of change he looked to accomplish. In fact, I see no new ideas. Status quo is the only way he goes--how does that "experience" bring value"
I voted for him way back when, but now I am moving on, and he should, as well.
Public service is supposed to be serving the public. Mr Taylor has spent lots of time volunteering for which I commend him for but has not listened to the public. When he said that the school district has had a strategic plan in place for years and said that it is the book "Good to Great" he should have been removed right then and there. He just does not get it. Thank you for volunteering but your ideas and public relation skills are not needed anymore.
ReplyDeleteWhat do you think David Taylor is looking at on his computer during meetings? Just asking...
ReplyDeleteAs a former Taylor supporter, I too have seen huge changes in his attitude over the years. He now appears to have a "close off communication and don't bother with the annoying public" approach. I'm not sure how much of it was brought in by our current superintendent. Its origin does not matter, the point is that David supports it. It is sad. He has served long and for years, served well. I think his heart is still in the right place, but he has totally lost touch. Enough is enough. Sadly, he will no longer receive my vote at the polls.
ReplyDeleteThe earlier writer who claims that David Taylor has be "pummeled" is revising history. It didn't happen.
ReplyDeleteFor many years, other board members simply agreed with and went along with whatever David said. Even people, who I voted for because they had strong personalities and could stand up for their beliefs, backed down & deferred to David. He isn't used to being challenged by other board members. Is this the pummeling? Simply having others disagree with him? I want a board with varying perspectives and I resent it when other members are bullied into not speaking their own mind. This behavior and the supression of communication must end. And the first step toward this goal is electing Wright and Butts. Thank you David for your years of service, but it is time for Oyster River to move forward.
ReplyDeleteTaylor pummeled? NO
ReplyDeleteTaylor pummeler? YES
I approached the board a few years ago and left feeling rejected and a troublemaker. I kept going and challenging the current practices and even participated in a mini audit requested by some community members. When the board was presented with this report, David called me a liar. He also called Kim Clark a liar in a public meeting and then apologized for it at the next meeting. My point is this...while David has 12 years of service here, many people have approached me saying he's changed and never used to be this way. I'd like to show you what David wrote over 10 years ago on his now defunct website - Oyster River Online. Recently, he has taken this site down however, I saved some excerpts from it. The following is a quote from Mr. Taylor...
ReplyDeletePerhaps he started with good intentions but it's time for a fresh start on this board. From actions and votes over the past few years, his 1998 ideals have reversed. Pay close attention to his views on the public!
From 1998:
"My frustration is with how solutions to our problems seem to be lost in partisan conflict. We focus too much on conflict and not enough on education. This partisanship turns off voters and costs everyone in the end. I have worked through Oyster River On-Line to cross partisan boundaries and give all people the detailed factual information they need to make informed decisions and feel confident about their votes. I hope to continue that work as a member of the School Board.
To put this another way, I want to work to heal our community after a decade of strife. I want to listen to all views and to seek dialog with people on all sides of the issues. I want full disclosure of all public information. My goal is to publish, including on the Internet, all public information as soon as it becomes public. I want the public to be aware of issues before they are decided so they can affect those decisions. I think Oyster River On-Line has been a first step in that direction, but there are many more steps to go.
The primary role of the School Board is to make decisions on behalf of the voters. I hope that my willingness to listen and understand all sides will make me better able to represent the voters. I will do my best to give the issues thoughtful consideration and to be fair. I hope to help the School Board as a whole give all issues timely consideration and make timely decisions."
What a shame that he is no longer that person. This is why there should be term limits. Leaders need to leave, at least for a while, and refocus. He became what he was clearly against in the beginning... partisan & secretive. Thank you Seth. It isn't really David's fault. Many leaders lose their focus. It is too bad that David didn't just graciously decide not to run again. I kind of feel sorry for him. But not enough to vote for him again.
ReplyDeleteWhen politicians abandon their original beliefs, they need to move aside. Taylor's recent behavior does not support his original beliefs. I voted for him in the past, but will not make that mistake this time. It is true that he should have known when it was time to stop.
ReplyDeleteIt's amazing that so many of you holier than thou people seem to know David Taylor well enough to pass such judgement...look in the mirror
ReplyDeleteNope, we don't know him, we've only been paying attention.
ReplyDeleteI don't care if I know him or not. I have watched him in action and know he is not what I want for a school board rep.
ReplyDeleteHolding a politician accountable for the stands he has taken, especially when he's trying to mislead the public right before an election, is not "holier than thou". Look in the mirror youself...
ReplyDeleteI find it interesting that someone can call people "holier than thou" and then lecture on judgment. Very interesting. It seems that people are discussing voting records & David's own words. I fail to see how the facts (record) become a judgment. Why not respond with facts? Just a thought.
ReplyDeleteWhichever way you vote - at least have 'all the facts'.
ReplyDeleteRegarding this point above:
11/4/09 David Taylor wanted to move to non-public (most members of the Board felt this was a violation of RSA-91A State Law) to “discuss” members of the community who had agreed to give their time to help with subcommittee work.
Mark Townsend made the motion after discussion to move into non-public seconded by Henry Brackett. It passed 4-2 with Jennifer Rief and Jocelyn O'Quinn voting against.
The result - appointment of the slate 5-1 with David Taylor opposing. Note that Kim Clark was absent that evening.
Provide all the facts, not just the convenient ones so that people may make their own informed decisions.
Thank you
I recall watching that meeting & feeling glad that I wasn't on that list of potential group members. David made it sound like there were problems with some of the people. The way he insisted that they must discuss it in private made me want to see the list to see who these problem people were. It wasn't even as much what he was saying, as how he was saying it. What a humiliating way to treat volunteers.
ReplyDeleteDoes anyone have the link to the video for the 11/4 meeting?
ReplyDeleteI am also finding it quite interesting that on this blogs, the people who do not support Taylor quote voting records and cite behavior. The people who support Taylor resort to name calling. Can't they support their candidate with any evidence? I suppose it is easier to resort to name calling.
ReplyDeleteWhile those against Mr. Taylor cite "evidence", it is interesting how they manipulate those citations to meet their political whims.
ReplyDeleteMr. Taylor doesn't have a negative agenda. He doesn't purposely go to board meetings to complain against this, that or the other thing. He calls it like it is. While some people (virtually all those above) complain vehemently about it, I say that is a good thing. It is good to have a variety of viewpoints on every topic. Failure to have differing viewpoints is a disastrous thing.
A well-respected administrator in our high school once told me, "everyone has different perceptions and perceptions are real" While I admit there are some who are offended by Mr. Taylor's quiet demeanor and inquisitive nature, I appreciate that in him. I wish more people on the board would be like him.
What we don't need are school board members who are Mr. NO or Mrs. NO - just for the sake of being against progress.
Sadly, all these naysayers take a very negative tone (see all the above for yourselves). Let's put aside the negativity for once, look at all the candidates, their positions on issues and let's judge for ourselves who we want on the board. Keep the negative attacks, the negative accusastions (video this, and proof of that) and keep this race positive!
Thanks.
Negativity accomplishes nothing. And a variety of viewpoints are a good thing on a Board. I am looking at all three candidates very carefully. I haven't lived here for 12 years, so I know nothing about changed behavior in the incumbent. I can only say what I have seen on Channel 22 for the past few years. The last blogger referred to Taylor's quiet demeanor and inquisitive nature. Now this isn't a personal attack. I do not know Taylor. But the person who I have seen as negative is Taylor. I have not seen the inquisitve nature and he isn't always quiet. What I have seen is the way he talks to the other Board members as though they don't know as much as him about anything. And I've seen the others trying to be respectful of Taylor while he monopolized conversations. And his disrespect for that woman who stepped down was pretty apparent. I'll admit that I don't know any of these people, but maybe that makes me more objective in what I see.
ReplyDeleteBack to the negativity... maybe the Taylor supporters should stop labeling people (e.g., I've seen everything from naysayer and holier than thou to stupid used on these Boards). Isn't that negativity? Maybe they should try to sell their candidate? Some of us haven't decided who to vote for & they certainly aren't helping his case by name calling. It is just pushing me in the other direction.
Yes, let's keep it positive and keep the focus on the candidates, not on trying to discredit other voters. It is ok for Taylor to have a differing opinion at meetings, but bloggers can't? That is just plain weird.
Another thing I'd like to add to the previous post is that what you see on Channel 22 is not the whole piece of the puzzle so a contradiction of behavior or statements that do not reflect voting records are not negative but rather show that what people say while trying to get re-elected may not always be accurate. I am not calling Taylor a liar but certainly, his answers in the last candidate forum are not true to his voting records.
ReplyDeleteI suggest attending the next forum this upcoming Tuesday March 2nd at the high school and ask questions for yourselves.
I wonder how much David Taylor had to pay to get his, and only his, letter in Foster's on election day. They posted his letter online at the end of last week and then held it until the election day before printing it? Are you kidding??? If this isn't manipulation, then I don't know what is.
ReplyDeleteCongratulations David, thanks to Foster's you probably just won the election. The last name they see is David's. This shouldn't be allowed. On election day, they should post letters from all candidates, or none.