For those who have kept up with the Republican meltdown over the Board of Education, it has become very clear that this issue has exposed deep fault lines in the local Republican Party. The BOE has created a rift so large we see scathing personal attacks from Republicans that are almost entirely emotional.

The latest rant comes from Commissioner Richards and his tar and feather and run them out on a rail rhetoric. Combined with the fiery spewing of Gray Smith and Chris Goldston, the level of discourse Republicans have stooped to in the debate is rock bottom low. The Republican response represents everything that is wrong with political discourse in this country.

When the Forsyth Democrats issued a press release last May, disagreeing with the method and manner of the BOE decision to change school start/end times, we lamented that it was unfortunate, and that we were disappointed that public input was not included in the BOE plan. We suggested that grass roots efforts, like the HERO group, were the proper outlets for community education reform, and we pledged to support them in that effort.

While the other party chooses to tear itself apart, Forsyth Democrats will continue to focus on what is important. Not the name calling, but our children's education. That singular concern has seemed to disappear in this circular firing squad.

Something else is curious about this spat; it is a mechanical one. Little of this discussion is about how we are actually educating our kids. I think that is mostly because Forsyth students generally perform well against the state, and in the nation. As a parent with two children in the system, and another on the way, I'm generally pleased with the school system and its progress in the face of tremendous growth challenges.

The overall success of our educational system in this county is not political success. It is a community success that we should all be proud of. The BOE is not the sole arbiter of education in this county; the taxpayers are. That means us, all of us. We should be talking about the issues, not creating an environment of such distrust that we impair our ability to do what is right by our kids.

Do we approve of secret land deals, family impacting time changes with no input from the community, or election schedules that reduce broader participation in the administration of our educational values? Democrats do not.

One thing Forsyth Democrats will not do, however, is engage in personal attacks to score cheap political points. Democrats will elevate the debate. In the coming days, Democrats will release our principles and ideas on how to bring even greater success to our education system. It will not include calling the BOE un-American as our classy elected officials have done.

Stay Tuned.