We are disappointed that Osceola County School Board member Jay Wheeler in his most recent e-mail blast continued to rail on fellow board member Cindy Hartig – just a few days after a workshop on improving communication and relationships.

Last week’s workshop was the second in six months, with the latest meeting coming after Wheeler made derogatory comments about Hartig in an earlier e-mail blast and then on WFTV as part of a news story. While Wheeler can say what he wants in his e-mails, it makes us wonder how committed he is to getting along with Hartig.

When asked about the latest workshop for a story in the Saturday News-Gazette, Wheeler said he was willing “to move on,” and to “put this behind” him. Given his latest e-mail posting, those words sound hollow. Like Hartig said in the same story, the ball is in Wheeler’s court.

David Stone, who will be leaving the School Board in November, had it right when he said at the workshop that members need to “check their egos at the door.” School Board members need to remember that taxpayers are paying them to have the students’ best interests at heart and to look out for taxpayers’ money.

We want to offer a bit of advice to Wheeler at this time: If you don’t have something good to say about someone, don’t say anything at all.

A second issue raised at the workshop was an allegation that Hartig interfered in two separate cases between principals and parents and their children, not following the proper chain of School District command. On this issue, we urge all School Board members to exercise caution when getting involved in any internal school issue. If a board member thinks there is a problem at a school, that problem should go before the superintendent. And if the superintendent doesn’t take care of it, then the board as a whole should deal with it – and with the superintendent.

As did the state facilitator at last week’s workshop, we remind board members that their only job is to make policy for the School District. To do otherwise can lead to trouble. A lawsuit that is now making its way through the Osceola County court system filed by two local uniform vendors naming the School Board and a former board member as defendants is a good example of the consequences of an elected official overstepping his or her authority.