Katherine Bike and Anne Templeton—the Knox County School Board’s most intensely liberal Democrat members—completed their first meeting running the show, and if this meeting was any indication of what is ahead, Board members may want to bring more than their voting buttons to future meetings.

They might want to bring a copy of Robert’s Rules of Order.

From my observation of the meeting, Chair Katherine Bike repeatedly moved from a motion and a second directly to the vote:

Motion. Second. All in favor.

What seemed to be missing?

Discussion.

Not once did I hear Bike ask whether Board members wanted to discuss an item after a motion had been made and seconded and before proceeding to the vote.

That is a striking change from what Board watchers have seen under previous chairs. Former Chair Betsy Henderson, now Knox County Mayor, and former Chair Kristi Kristy routinely provided Board members an opportunity for discussion between the motion, second and vote. Henderson and Kristy both Republicans and we know Republicans prefer public discussion and transparency..

Bike has been on the School Board for four years. Maybe all that knitting during workshops and Board meetings caused her to miss that part of the proceedings.

And it raises a larger question: What is the purpose of having nine independently elected School Board members at the table if the leadership is going to race from motion to second to vote without providing an opportunity for Board discussion?

Board meetings aren’t supposed to be an assembly line.

Motion.

Second.

Vote.

Next.

The members sitting around that table were elected by different communities throughout Knox County. They are there to ask questions, challenge assumptions, explain their positions and—yes—discuss the people’s business in public.

Whether the lack of discussion Thursday was simply the growing pains of a new Chair or a preview of how Bike and Templeton intend to operate remains to be seen.

But if Chair Bike hasn’t attended the Tennessee School Boards Association’s training for new Board chairs, she might want to put it on her calendar.

And perhaps leave the knitting needles at home.

#TheMegaBullhornofTruth will be watching—and listening—for the discussion.