Proactive Governance and Transparent Schools: My Full Speech to the Conway School Board
Are you tired of confusion overshadowing real issues in our schools? The best school boards don’t just react to community questions—they invite us in from the start. That’s exactly what I advocated for in my address to the Conway School Board last night. Below are the highlights and why it matters for real, transparent leadership.
Speech Highlights
Open Communication vs. Unnecessary Hurdles
Requiring parents to submit speaking requests too far in advance blocks honest dialogue. It’s exactly why Arkansas legislation SB90 was drafted: because Arkansas parents feel shut out of rooms meant to serve them.Proactive, Not Reactive
When boards only engage after decisions are made—or after the press gets involved—communities feel ignored and defensive. We should share information first, not scramble to manage damage later.Two Leadership Styles, One Choice
After my speech, Dr. Naylor discussed the Board’s past changes to its public comment policy—offering background, but missing the bigger point: listening before the community is upset prevents miscommunication.
Carl Barger (Zone 1), on the other hand, did what great leaders do: he asked to hear more, turning a tense moment for one Board member into a productive conversation for everyone else. The community felt respected—and that’s how trust is built.My Pledge to Conway
If you’re ready for a School Board that leads with transparency, respect, and real accountability, I’m asking for your vote. Leaders who include the community from day one don’t spend their time putting out fires—they build stronger schools for all.
Read on for the full transcript of my speech—but if you’re short on time, these highlights capture why open communication and proactive governance matter. Your support can help build the kind of school board that Conway deserves. Let’s make it happen—together. Donate now.
Good evening, everyone.
I appreciate this Board’s service a lot and the work you do for our schools. I’ve reached out to three of you at separate times, and two responded almost immediately. Thank you, Sheila. Thank you, Linda. I appreciate that. Dr. Naylor, I completely agree with what you said: the Press got in front of this. And…that sucked. It was bad. But why? Public communication needs to go further so our entire community feels heard.
My name is Tyler Moses. I live in Zone 3, and my son attends Ida Burns Elementary. I’m an active PTO member, I write the school’s newsletter, and I give my time to support our teachers and staff—our superheroes.
I attend school functions. I watch all of your meetings on YouTube. I read through every single budget line item, and I keep up with state education legislation—not just the hot-topic bills, but the boring ones too. Like SB90, which was drafted because communities across the state of Arkansas consistently feel like they’re locked out from rooms at their School Boards.
Policies like the one this Board enforces—requiring written requests by noon the day before a meeting just to speak—are exactly why that legislation exists. That deadline often leaves parents with just four business hours to get approval to address their elected officials.
I respect the Board’s work and know you want what’s best for our schools. But I also know you don’t want to be constantly reacting instead of leading. And that’s what I want to talk about.
My background is in financial oversight at multi-billion-dollar banks, where governance and accountability are paramount. What I’ve learned is that an active Board—not a reactive Board—is the key to success. Strong Boards don’t just approve decisions; they ask the right questions before the public ever has to. That’s how trust is built—not through damage control, but through proactive leadership.
I’m speaking today because the charter school application—now removed—exposed deeper concerns in governance and transparency. If the community had been engaged earlier, this could have been avoided.
I want to reference Board Policy 1.14, which governs public participation. Under this policy, I had to formally request permission just to speak to my elected officials. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to governance concerns.
Like the Titanic, we’re headed straight for it—while those who could turn the wheel look the other way.
But here’s the thing—good governance isn’t about avoiding icebergs. It’s about having the foresight to navigate around them before they become a crisis.
I now have 8 seconds to discuss a systemic issue that has plagued this district for years. This isn’t just about one policy or one application—this is about a pattern. Decisions made first, communicated last, leaving the community frustrated instead of involved.
A proactive Board fosters collaboration, prevents controversy, and …. [At this mark, Dr. Naylor enforces Policy 1.14 regarding three minute community member time limit. As such, the remaining portion of this sentence, and the last sentence was not read. However, it is included for context.] builds a district we’re all proud of. When transparency is prioritized, trust follows—allowing us to focus on what matters most: educating kids, supporting teachers, and building a district we’re all proud of.
[At this point, Dr. Naylor responds, explaining that this Board has made changes to public comment policy (Policy 1.14), seeking to improve it & enhance transparency, while stating that he was the first person to address the Board in 15 years. He added that SB90 was not drafted because of Conway School District. His full commentary can be heard beginning at the 1:30:57 mark, embedded below.]
Tyler replies, “Oh, no. I didn’t mean to imply that bill [SB90] was written because of y’all. I didn’t mean to imply that at all. I’m sorry if that was what you got, that was not my intention.”
[Carl Barger asks, “What was your main point when you got cut off? I want to hear what you were saying”]
Tyler replies, “My main point is that you guys do a lot of great things, and can work for the community. But there’s so much efficiency that’s lost because you’re fighting the community. And not even over…I don’t think the Charter program is necessarily a bad thing. It’s something that can be communicated. But when the Press says, “Hey, this happened. And they’ve been talking about it for three months. It’s the first time you’re hearing about it.” So now instead of having that conversation, that’s not the conversation we’re having. We’re having the conversation of: “Hey, why didn’t you talk to us? Why is this the first time we’re hearing this?” It doesn’t have to be a bad idea, but when you don’t tell us it immediately puts the community on the offensive. And so then, instead of getting stuff done, we’re fighting with the community. The community is not your enemy. The Board is not the community’s enemy. But when you don’t proactively communicate what your goal is, what your strategy is, then we sit here. We move stuff off the agenda. We miss deadlines. Because we’re arguing. Because we don’t know what’s going on.” Thank you.
