School board member responds to story

Editor, The Sun:

Re: “School board members says budget didn’t pass,” front page, Oct. 26 issue:
Today I was surprised, and to be honest, a little affronted at the perception of the board meeting as reported by Bill Snowden, of the Wakulla Sun. During the October board meeting, I expressed my concern about the minutes of our September 11th Final Budget Hearing. During the Final Budget Hearing, I felt when the chair “considered a motion for levies as presented in the second resolution,” as a board member, I was voting on the levies as presented in the second resolution, not the final budget.
The newspaper reports that I did not listen to the recording of the hearing, and was speaking “my truth” and feelings in regard to the meeting. This is a misinterpretation of information. I have yet to listen to the “official” recording because I have audio and visual recordings of the Final Budget Hearing.  Although my video isn’t  “official” it showed me all I needed to know.
I have compared our Final Budget Hearing to that of Leon County’s September 7th meeting; the wording of their meeting compared to ours. I did this because our attorney (on consult) is the attorney present for ALL of LCSB’s meetings. Opal (our attorney) will be advising the board in our upcoming meeting to help clarify my concern. It was also under her advice that I was obligated to inform my fellow board members of my concerns, which is what started this whole process to begin with.
This isn’t about being right or wrong. This isn’t about whether or not the budget “would” have been approved. This is about having the opportunity to ask questions. This is about being open, honest and transparent with the community about how I felt as a board member when voting on an item. It is about being able to air frustration about the lack communication of the budget to the board. It is about not being able to answer my constituent’s questions when they ask where their tax dollars are being spent. It is about the ability to speak up and speak out!

Laura Lawhon
Wakulla County School Board