More comments...

Yesterday our blog surpassed all the goals and expectations we set for this open dialogue type of forum. We had 129 visitors and over 751 page views, not to mention countless comments and emails!

Below you will find an assortment of comments we received. Often times comments are tucked away on various pages and we wanted to bring them to the main page. Enjoy...

"As a parent in this community and from Pleasantdale district I must say that before my kids started school I started hearing complaints from other parents. And I blew it off. Now that my kids have been in school for a few years, I have come to notice that things are actually getting worse. So who do you think we should blame. Who is responsible for the morale of the teachers, the curriculum at the schools, the hiring and firing of teachers. As far as I'm concerned this board hasn't failed totally, not yet. But they are well on their way.Can anybody please tell me exactly what this present board has done for the good of our kids.I don't think as you put it, this slate of four has looked for negative things to say about the current school board or the Superintendent. They themselves have proven not to care. And that's too bad, because we have a bunch of great kids. And nobody is looking out for them."

"I say if we need safety improvements, we probably have the money to do it. But, let the Board publish the safety report that they are using to make these decisions, so everyone knows what the facts are. We're all grown-ups we can understand a responsible expense in face of a real need. Not giving the full report (story) to the public make it seem like there's something to hide.Lincoln said he believed that the common man given the facts had the ability to make a decision for the common good."

"...I think that our children are more at risk walking down School Street than sitting in the classrooms. It is my understanding that the office staff at the Elementary School are not to buzz people in that they do not know, so strangers should not be allowed to wander the halls. I also liked Karen O'Halloran's comment that if the safety was so important why wasn't it addressed two years ago when they put on the addition? I am not against construction or renovation when needed but doesn't $240,000 sound like a lot of money for a small office?"

"I also attended last night's forum and was equally impressed by the amount of parents that were there. Unfortunately I can't say that I was impressed by the way the present board answered some of those questions or rather that they couldn't. Why is it that these 4 new people running had more information than the board that is in place now? That left a bad taste in my mouth. Up until now I thought that the present board had done a so so job, but now I see I was totally wrong. I am definitely in for change."

"...kudos to the Shah's for an informative evening."

"The outrage should be directed at the current owners of the strategic plan who could not highlight the key strategies and actions described in this “purported" document, not Gina who has actively researched the whereabouts of this plan. The hard work put into developing this plan should be shared with all stakeholders, not sitting on a shelf somewhere. A strategic plan is an active document under constant review. I believe in solutions and have respectfully requested a copy of the strategic plan for review in addition to asking how I can participate in the strategic plan committee. Gina’s dedication and passion for wanting to serve on the board is commendable and exemplified in the Safe Routes to School Grant and the amount of time she has taken to research the informative data she provided on the technology that should be implemented in District 107 schools." DMarkmann

"Since I know how much this blog hates rumors, I would also like to stop a rumor before it starts. Dr. Fredisdorf was assigned his seat for the candidates forum. The first row of seats were reserved for certain people and Dr. Fredisdorf was one of them."

"I agree that there are rules that govern the way a meeting is run. However, I do not believe there is a rule that says a Board member cannot address the audience. Be they Board Members, Village Trustees, or State Representatives, all make statements, take positions, and conduct conversations while in a public meeting. It seems that our School Board has imposed it's own gag rule when a non-member offers a comment or asks a question. Anyone elected to a government position can make a statement, or present an argument for one side of the position or the other. It is through these discussions and debates that one would hope a good decision is rendered. When a Board or a committee votes then it is the consensus of that governing body that is transmitted to the public as a decision.

The other fallacy that was aired last night is the notion that the School Board does not discuss these issues without putting them on a publicized agenda so that everyone who is interested can listen. While I concur with the person who made that statement, the Board would actually have to put the issue brought before it on an agenda so it could be discussed in public rather than responding with a letter. How does the Board discuss what goes in those letters? Do they do this in closed session so that the public can not hear the discussion of the response?"

"This is amazing...we haven't had this kind of dialog about the school in the 15 years I have lived here. Regardless of who I vote for, I want to thank the creators of this blog. This type of communication is long over due and should be embraced by the school board.

I wasn't able to stay for the entire meeting but was there at 6:30 and found it suspect that the Superintendent was on the stage at the beginning of the meeting. This was a political event and he should not have been given a reserved seat and for that matter no one should have been given a reserved seat. It was absolutely inappropriate.

As for the Board not engaging parents at Board Meetings, I would encourage folks to attend public meetings in other jurisdictions. The public is allowed to speak and the elected officials do discuss the issues not hiding behind the Open Meetings Act.

While it would be nice if folks attended meetings and candidates forum regularly, research shows that more people attend these types of events when they are dissatisfied.

Teacher morale is dangerously low and yet the administration just continues to push them around. When you reassign teachers based on personal issues rather than professional accomplishments and then don't provide the appropriate training, inevitably morale will decline. When you force teachers to shove extra lessons at kids in the name of test scores, you demoralize everything they believe in and impact their passion for their students and their profession. I do agree that this bribery aka 'incentive' is unjustified. I like the idea of checking back in with former students on whether they felt unnecessary pressure to perform. How is the child who simply doesn't test well supposed to feel when his classmates get the 'incentive'. It pits these kids against each other and just isn't fair.

In closing, as I started with, regardless of who folks decide to cast a vote for, this blog has provided folks with the ability to voice their concerns in a non-threatening environment.

Best of luck to all the candidates."

"I wanted to attend last night's forum, but could not due to family constraints. If I had attended, I wanted to make a comment as follows.

In less than two years of involvement with the district (our oldest child is in first grade), we have heard many negative comments about the current superintendent. I don't know the superintendent personally, however, the very fact that there seems to be a widespread perception of a dictatorial style is concerning. When you hear the same feedback repeatedly, the validity of that feedback increases.

The fact that administrators were at the forum feels inappropriate, as well. If there is already a climate where the superintendent squashes honest feedback or dissenting opinions, this was a perfect demonstration.

I am disheartened to hear that the morale of our teachers is poor, because our teachers have a difficult enough job without having to worry that a dissenting opinion will put them on a "black list".

I believe that the board members are elected to balance the will of the superintendent. If you can provide the "check and balance" you tout, I will be a supporter - not just in the election, but after that as well."

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