After last week’s rather crazy Christina School District Board of Education meeting, Board President Donald Patton told Delaware Live:
Christina’s school board is also expected to vote on a president at its July meeting. Incumbent Don Patton is unsure if he wants to lead the board again.
Which I think a lot of folks would be perfectly happy with! We shall find out at the July board meeting what will happen.
Still missing in action is board member Dr. Naveed Baqir. Nothing new on his whereabouts but I did find out that the Muslim community of Northern Delaware was not too happy that he voted no on a resolution from the Christina board. The resolution, passed in the May meeting, denounced the genocide in Gaza. Baqir, from his laptop in Pakistan, voted no on the resolution alongside Board President Donald Patton. It didn’t matter because the resolution passed. But it left many in the Delaware Muslim community scratching their heads. Perhaps it was because board member Doug Manley created the resolution and Patton and Baqir didn’t want to give him any support.
Former Christina board member Elizabeth Scheinberg had some things to say about Patton when she reached out to me:
Patton is a disruptor. He always has been. Was his record washed in HR…I can’t prove it. But, we all know the rumors behind the Tucker era in that department. I’m still bound by executive privilege. But, I will go as far as to say that board members were unable to non-renew or term at least one contract due to documentation missing from HR files. Another move was to allow staff to retire out with their pensions rather than face allegations that would churn your stomach.
As for President Patton – I love a disruptor. When a CSD driver told two young students to get off the bus near my home, Dispatch would not help me reunite the kids with their family who lives in an entirely different neighborhood. I had to call 911. I wrote the full board. No one responded. But Patton. He came to my home to personally thank me. Classy.
I guess even a broken clock is right twice a day. It has been somewhat quiet since their last board meeting. I know Patton has severely pissed off many folks. I would not be shocked if action is taken to prevent Patton from running as Board President again. Hopefully he has learned a lesson here and doesn’t try to fly to close to the sun again. Some have called him Donald “Trump” Patton.
With Patton hopefully muzzled in the near future and Baqir off wherever he is, perhaps this board can get back to making it about the kids and letting Superintendent Dr. Dan Shelton do what he can without all the crazy politics Patton brought to the board.
Exceptional Delaware 