School group needs reform

More than a year after scandal rocked the Iowa Association of School Boards, the group has done little to restore members' confidence.

As local school districts are facing the question of whether or not to renew their membership, that once easy decision is the cause of serious deliberation.

Linn-Mar's board voted to leave the association. Members of other local school boards have said they'd do the same if they could make do without certain IASB services.

In fact, local school boards appear to be more at odds with the IASB than they were even a year ago, when allegations were fresh that Chief Financial Officer Kevin Schick had misused public money and that then-Executive Director Maxine Kilcrease had given herself a raise without board approval.

The controversy has cost the association more than half a million dollars in legal fees.

But perhaps more costly is the loss of credibility the group has suffered by its seeming inability to recover and get back to business.

Last year, legislators voted to subject the troubled IASB to Iowa's sunshine laws in an effort to hold the group accountable. But it might take board members' resignation and a complete reorganization to truly reform the association.

One thing is certain: the IASB needs to act immediately and decisively to address significant organizational shortcomings.

The IASB provides some useful services to school districts - lobbying legislators, offering training for school board members and business, legal and financial resources. It's telling that some districts across the state are deciding that those benefits aren't worth being affiliated with the group.

On Wednesday, members of the College Community school board unanimously passed a resolution calling for the association board's resignation and the organization's reorganization. Cedar Rapids and Marion Independent boards have passed similar resolutions.

Many board officials have, rightly, expressed concern about the sudden, unexpected and poorly explained dismissal of IASB president-elect Lee Ann Grimley - widely seen as a step away from transparency and openness.

“There's just a lack of compliance with principles that they ought to be adhering to,” College Community board member John Titler told a Gazette reporter. “You would expect that IASB would try to be an example for the boards it teaches and influences, and it appears to be just the opposite.”

The IASB must turn that perception around and start operating as a transparent, accountable board if the group hopes to survive. If mass resignation and complete reorganization is what it takes, board members should take that step.

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