10/30/2021
My response to Nancy Dominick’s Mountain Mail Letter to the Editor: Does Petit create a conflict of interest?
Dear Nancy,
Thank you for asking if I have a conflict of interest since I am a school board member and a district employee as a substitute teacher, English-as-a-second-language teacher, and a sewing and alterations mentor (the last two jobs were funded by grants). I DO have a conflict of interest. And I, too, was worried about this conflict of interest; so much so, that I used my first question as a board member to ascertain how I must behave because of this conflict:
1. I must recuse myself from any vote pertaining to Horizons Exploratory Academy (HEA), where my employment takes place. This has not happened yet, and if elected please know I will recuse myself from any vote REMOTELY impacting HEA.
2. I must not make over $10,000/year as an employee of the district. This is NOT a problem. For all three employment efforts (subbing, teaching English as a second language, and instructing sewing/alterations), I made $2327 for all of the 2020-2021 school year. In addition, I made $300 during the same academic year from Full Circle Restorative Justice (FCRJ) during HEA’s disorientation (the year-long curriculum for new HEA students). My lead teacher and I teach de-escalation and respectful conversation techniques —tools HEA expects their students to use in their HEA, personal, and professional lives.
I obviously don’t work at HEA for the money. In fact, I was not going to sub last academic year or this academic year because of COVID-19. However, Shannon Scheffel, the district’s substitute teacher coordinator, called and asked if I would sub for HEA because no one else is interested. And this is where my true HEA conflict of interest comes in: my heart. HEA students inspire me with their grit and love; HEA teachers hearten me to give as much to the students as they do. And, in the end, those are the same reasons I want to retain my seat on the board: inspiration and motivation, regardless of all the conflict that comes with it! Be well. Jodi
