Last four years offer lessons

For those people who don't vote because they don't think their one ballot can make a difference, we offer Exhibit A, the past four years of turmoil in the Ector County Independent School District.

During that time, two superintendents had their contracts bought out, with our taxpayer money, of course, and there were countless dramas that really didn't do anything but distract from the real purpose of public schools - providing a good education.

Leading up to the May 2004 school board election, grumbles of dissatisfaction with the three incumbents up for re-election were being heard. The fourth decided not to seek re-election.

When the dust cleared, four new school trustees were seated - a majority of the seven-person board. The four were elected by a total of 1,775 votes, which represented a tiny percentage of those who were registered and could have cast ballots.

Randy Rives, Renda Berryhill, Butch Foreman and Doyle Woodall wasted little time in making their presence felt. By the time they had warmed up their new seats, Superintendent Roy Benavides was sent packing. Taxpayers paid the $172,000 buyout of his contract.

Then Wendell Sollis was named superintendent without any comprehensive search. But his term would prove stormy. A controversial Bible curriculum was chosen that resulted in ECISD being sued in federal court. Sollis also came under fire for his allegiance to Rives, who was school board president. A controversial assistant superintendent, Joe Gallegos, created chaos among ECISD administrators.

In the meantime, the political winds shifted. Berryhill left the board when she moved out of her district so her son could play football for Permian. Plus, Woodall and Foreman quit voting in lockstep with Rives.

Less than three years after taking the superintendent post, Sollis was fired. And Gallegos asked for a buyout of his contract. So another $161,491 was paid to another departed superintendent. Trustees also paid Gallegos $64,021 to leave.

In short, the past four years were more focused on politics than education.

 Rives opted to run for state representative and was soundly defeated. Woodall and Foreman were defeated May 10 in their re-election bids.

Among the new trustees are two retired longtime educators, Yollie Wilkins and Donnie Norwood. We trust that they are focused on what can be done for the students, not what can be gained by special interest groups.

A lot of community leaders hope the ECISD unrest is a thing of the past. Many considered the past four years as an embarrassment.

But the number of people who voted in the most recent school board election could in no way be described as overwhelming. Yes, more people bothered to get involved, but not that many more.

Considering what can happen when a majority of the school board can turn over during a single election, and what can happen during those four-year terms, maybe some changes should be implemented. Perhaps two-year terms would be better. And it might be wise to arrange elections where only two or maybe three trustees face re-election at the same time.

But the biggest problem seems to be the fact that the majority of prospective voters are letting a small minority make decisions that can have monumental, and costly, effects.