‘Bully pulpit’ abused when used to berate trustees

“Board members, y’all need to look into some of this stuff. Ya’ hear?”  the man stated during the public hearing about North Panola School District’s budget for the coming year.
The man was Julius Harris and he is no stranger to the North Panola trustee board. He attends most regular meetings and usually complains about some aspect of the school district during the comment session allowed for anyone to speak for  three minutes at the end of each meeting.
It needs to be said that Harris is an elected official who serves as Election Commissioner in District Two and who also serves as president of Panola County NAACP.
Everyone deserves an opportunity to express an opinion and Harris is certainly no exception. But Monday night’s critical words implying the trustee board’s inaction were uncalled for and out of line. Harris used the bully pulpit of a public hearing to question decisions of which he knew nothing.
“Y’all need to look into some of this stuff . . . “ he said during the public hearing.
School trustees had looked into some of “this stuff.” It was their budget, one that had many details hammered out a week earlier during a two-and-a-half hour work session with administrators and department heads pleading for needs, want and wishes. Trustees, without the ability to raise taxes even though facing approximately half a million dollars in cuts from state and federal sources, were trying to keep the district in fiscal compliance while meeting the essential needs of educating students. It was one of the grittiest work sessions this writer has ever witnessed.
It was NP Business Manager Levette Upshaw who led Monday’s hearing and was peppered with questions by Harris. Upshaw manages that school’s business with utmost attention to detail and handled Harris’ questions eloquently despite the apparent attempt to make the school district’s leaders, both trustees and administrators, look like they were clueless.
The saddest part is that on occasion, Mr. Harris’ complaints and rants have at least some merit and deserve being further studied. The fact that he finds something to complain about almost every meeting during his three-minute time slot, whether justified or not, just waters down his effort to be heard.
The fact that an elected official and civil rights leader would not take the time to learn the facts prior to besmirching a dedicated and hardworking board is inexcusable.
Someone is owed an apology.