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| Have a look at the above document. This is what was presented to the board and the public the night of the vote to go to referendum. The wording of the referendum was not there. So board members did not know what they were voting on exactly. The video tape of the board meeting clearly shows board members believed they were voting on the amount only, with the decisions of what to do with the money to follow at a later meeting. The public was also not privy to the document showing the wording of the referendum. So, the public had no opportunity to discuss the referendum wording with the board. The referendum wording was hidden from the public under a "separate cover" in a packet of legal documents. Also notice the plan was supposed to include "all buildings, sites, and infrastructure". Of course, now we know that the plan leaves out several buildings and programs with many dire needs. |
Tuesday, February 21, 2012
The Devil is in the Details
Link: Superintendent's presentation that included all schools
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ReplyDeleteA referendum is a form of direct democracy. The public is supposed to be able to be involved in the process and also let their elected officials know how they feel about what is being proposed. By NOT disclosing the resolution or the wording of the referendum to the public, we did NOT have the opportunity to voice our concerns.
ReplyDeleteThe presentation page we show here states clearly that the public wanted each building and each facility and infrastructure included in the referendum. Reading this presentation to the board, we could only assume that each building was included in the referendum. Call it being secretive or simply an inexperienced superintendent making mistakes, but neither the board nor the public had any idea of what was being voted on that night. If you have any doubts, go to the district website and view the recorded board meeting from December 20th. Board members admitted to each other later that they had no idea they were voting on the exact wording of the referendum. Not a conspiracy at all, just a huge mistake. And now, if this passes, we will all pay for that mistake as we keep patching together the roof on Aldrich Middle School and try to maintain the high school facilities and unfunded programs.
We have not had a referendum n this district in 20 years. Seems to me the superintendent could have used some advise. Maybe even have had someone come in and present to the school board the proper way to go about this. It's a shame the public was not included in the planning. And it's a shame they did not make the referendum public before the vote. I would have supported it had it been one that included all schools. I don't know about the reconfiguration. Seems like a stab in the dark at making middle schools better. Maybe too costly for something that research does not support.
ReplyDeleteOur city and our children do deserve the best. But to get the best you have to plan. Four months is far too short a time for a 70 million dollar referendum to be properly planned. It may turn out great, or it may be a disaster. But it's a risk we can't afford to take. Lets do what this presentation to the board said; include all of the schools and meet the needs for every student.
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