Post by doctorwho on Apr 27, 2008 15:21:55 GMT -6
Archives full of lots of news and IPSD articles/postings on why people voted the way they did in 2006 - as JC said, they gave the people what they wanted. People needed to know... and some quotes explaining why some people vited yes, and some people voted no....many many people voted on what was sold - period.
- Naperville Sun 3/19/06
No easy answer for space problems in District 204
By Britt Carson
STAFF WRITER
When voters in Indian Prairie School District 204 head to the polls Tuesday, at least one question has been answered that wasn't last April.
If they choose to approve the $124.7-million tax increase on Tuesday, residents know which high school their child will attend, since the school board already adopted a new set of high school boundaries. In the fairly unprecedented move, board members spent a month hammering out new boundaries before they finally adopted a plan on Feb. 1.
In the past, the board has waited until shortly before the school opens to set the boundaries.
"I believe and I think the board believes, had we not done it, in spite of all the turmoil and upheaval it created, we would have been answering that question constantly and taking away attention from the space problem," said Superintendent Howie Crouse. "In our case, it was just something we had to do. "
Drawing the lines
The school board had a series of lengthy meetings taking public comments, where they revised and considered new boundary maps up until the night they voted to approve one of the maps. Large numbers of residents from Tall Grass and Brookdale subdivisions rallied during the process.
Tall Grass residents were upset at being sent to the new high school, despite their close proximity to Neuqua Valley High School . Brookdale residents were upset the changes mean their children, who will attend Hill Middle School , will attend Waubonsie Valley High School , while the rest of the students at Hill will attend the new high school.
Sam Elston, a Brookdale resident, said tackling the boundary decision before the election was not a good idea.
"Discussing the boundary options prior to the referendum has clearly been detrimental to the integrity of the process, and has only taken the focus away from the more important questions," Elston said. "People should have been allowed to focus on whether or not the high school is truly needed, and if the board's plan makes financial sense."
Kevin Reiman, the president of the Parent Teacher Association at Brookdale Elementary School , said if anything, the boundary decision heightened residents' awareness to the referendum.
"I think it created, for some Brookdale people, a more introspective look at the issues," Reiman said. "I think some people were definitely disappointed by the decision that the middle school kids aren't going on to the same high school, but I can't say if it will play into people's overall decision on the referendum."
Divisions among neighbors
Around the Tall Grass subdivision, there is a mix of Vote Yes and Vote No signs displayed in the front yards of homes. Dan Ike, a Tall Grass resident, said he isn't convinced all the available land was considered for where to put the potential third high school.
"The inability to properly secure the land is a clear indication that they haven't thought through the issues far enough," Ike said. "And we want them to handle $124 million of public money?"
The district has filed a condemnation lawsuit for 55 acres of land commonly known as the Brach Brodie property along 75th street and the future extension of Commons Drive .
Ike said the boundary issues pitted subdivisions against each other, however, in the end, it did not necessarily impact his vote.
"My decision is still 'no,' for the same reasons it was at the beginning of the process," Ike said. "There is no concrete evidence given other than yes, we have too many kids. Several serious issues were raised by my subdivision and were ignored or completely rejected."
At least one resident already made up his mind and voted in favor of the referendum. Naperville resident Mike Wolff will be out of town on Tuesday and took advantage of the early voting. He cast his vote in favor of the referendum and said knowing the boundaries gave him more information about the entire issue.
Just the facts
"If they didn't tell us at all and I had no idea, that would make me reluctant to vote yes. I prefer knowing," Wolff said. "People think we can just deal with this and expand, but it will severely limit extracurriculars."
Reiman, who did not want to discuss how he is voting, said he hopes everyone is able to take a step back and look at all the facts.
"People need to vote based on the facts, not the emotions," Reiman said.
The new boundaries will only go into effect only if the referendum measure is approved. However, administrators have said if the referendum fails, boundaries will still have to be changed to even out enrollment between Neuqua Valley and Waubonsie Valley high schools.
School board president Jeannette Clark said the boundaries needed to be decided.
"I think in some instances it will hinder us a little, but it will help overall," Clark said. "This was certainly something we heard throughout the last referendum ... that people needed to know how it will impact their child. We did what people were asking for."
"The positives that came out of that process were it made people aware of the issues," Clark said. "We do have a referendum before us and I don't think there is anybody living in this district that does not know that now."
Contact Britt Carson at bcarson@scn1.com or (630) 416-5269.
03/19/06
- Naperville Sun 3/19/06
No easy answer for space problems in District 204
By Britt Carson
STAFF WRITER
When voters in Indian Prairie School District 204 head to the polls Tuesday, at least one question has been answered that wasn't last April.
If they choose to approve the $124.7-million tax increase on Tuesday, residents know which high school their child will attend, since the school board already adopted a new set of high school boundaries. In the fairly unprecedented move, board members spent a month hammering out new boundaries before they finally adopted a plan on Feb. 1.
In the past, the board has waited until shortly before the school opens to set the boundaries.
"I believe and I think the board believes, had we not done it, in spite of all the turmoil and upheaval it created, we would have been answering that question constantly and taking away attention from the space problem," said Superintendent Howie Crouse. "In our case, it was just something we had to do. "
Drawing the lines
The school board had a series of lengthy meetings taking public comments, where they revised and considered new boundary maps up until the night they voted to approve one of the maps. Large numbers of residents from Tall Grass and Brookdale subdivisions rallied during the process.
Tall Grass residents were upset at being sent to the new high school, despite their close proximity to Neuqua Valley High School . Brookdale residents were upset the changes mean their children, who will attend Hill Middle School , will attend Waubonsie Valley High School , while the rest of the students at Hill will attend the new high school.
Sam Elston, a Brookdale resident, said tackling the boundary decision before the election was not a good idea.
"Discussing the boundary options prior to the referendum has clearly been detrimental to the integrity of the process, and has only taken the focus away from the more important questions," Elston said. "People should have been allowed to focus on whether or not the high school is truly needed, and if the board's plan makes financial sense."
Kevin Reiman, the president of the Parent Teacher Association at Brookdale Elementary School , said if anything, the boundary decision heightened residents' awareness to the referendum.
"I think it created, for some Brookdale people, a more introspective look at the issues," Reiman said. "I think some people were definitely disappointed by the decision that the middle school kids aren't going on to the same high school, but I can't say if it will play into people's overall decision on the referendum."
Divisions among neighbors
Around the Tall Grass subdivision, there is a mix of Vote Yes and Vote No signs displayed in the front yards of homes. Dan Ike, a Tall Grass resident, said he isn't convinced all the available land was considered for where to put the potential third high school.
"The inability to properly secure the land is a clear indication that they haven't thought through the issues far enough," Ike said. "And we want them to handle $124 million of public money?"
The district has filed a condemnation lawsuit for 55 acres of land commonly known as the Brach Brodie property along 75th street and the future extension of Commons Drive .
Ike said the boundary issues pitted subdivisions against each other, however, in the end, it did not necessarily impact his vote.
"My decision is still 'no,' for the same reasons it was at the beginning of the process," Ike said. "There is no concrete evidence given other than yes, we have too many kids. Several serious issues were raised by my subdivision and were ignored or completely rejected."
At least one resident already made up his mind and voted in favor of the referendum. Naperville resident Mike Wolff will be out of town on Tuesday and took advantage of the early voting. He cast his vote in favor of the referendum and said knowing the boundaries gave him more information about the entire issue.
Just the facts
"If they didn't tell us at all and I had no idea, that would make me reluctant to vote yes. I prefer knowing," Wolff said. "People think we can just deal with this and expand, but it will severely limit extracurriculars."
Reiman, who did not want to discuss how he is voting, said he hopes everyone is able to take a step back and look at all the facts.
"People need to vote based on the facts, not the emotions," Reiman said.
The new boundaries will only go into effect only if the referendum measure is approved. However, administrators have said if the referendum fails, boundaries will still have to be changed to even out enrollment between Neuqua Valley and Waubonsie Valley high schools.
School board president Jeannette Clark said the boundaries needed to be decided.
"I think in some instances it will hinder us a little, but it will help overall," Clark said. "This was certainly something we heard throughout the last referendum ... that people needed to know how it will impact their child. We did what people were asking for."
"The positives that came out of that process were it made people aware of the issues," Clark said. "We do have a referendum before us and I don't think there is anybody living in this district that does not know that now."
Contact Britt Carson at bcarson@scn1.com or (630) 416-5269.
03/19/06
