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Post by doctorwho on May 27, 2008 16:42:51 GMT -6
I spent a lot of this past weekend while enjoying a 3 day weekend and watching a number of old movies about our wonderful soliders and their sacrifices, ( also at a national VB tournament parts of all 3 days) & looking ahead to what this upcoming Friday may hold, and what may be clearer after the day ends. Like many, the referendum and schools have eaten a lot of my time over the past 3 years......not that I mind any of it, as I am a far more educated and involved voter than I have ever been - but one does tire after a while and look for some relief.
Here's a few random thoughts on what I hope will be clearer after Friday when either the suit is dismissed or on we go to court ( yes I know there can be more filings, and appeals, and the same for more lawsuits and appeals - and there's that nasty bit about how much we will owe BB- but I am looking for a sign Friday)
1/ Will a 3d HS in 204 open in 2009, 2010/11 or maybe not at all ?
2/ If the suit is dismissed - what will be the next course of action - and will it wain support, or make people even angrier ?
3/ If the suit is not dismissed- will we continue full speed ahead with construction, and spending, or will there be a TRO ?
4/ If the suit is dismissed, will people understand next time a referendum comes up that the SB has virtually unlimited power to do almost whatever they want with it - and what does that mean about future yes votes ?
5/ If the suit is not idsmissed, will the SD- SB attempt any discussions with the areas that have serious issues with the site / placement / boundaries/ commute or whatever - or make them even more distant ?
6/ Will there ever be an serious discussion about the change from 10,400 to 8900 as a population forecast for our schools in 2013 ? WIll any info on that ever be shared, in the papers, at meetings - anywhere in this era of full disclosure and increased ommunication ?
7/ How bad will the exodus from areas like mine be if the suit is dismissed ? If not ? It has already started to a small degree- and a lot of rhetoric, that even if partially true will change my area forever.
I would like to find peace of mind on a few of these --
and today address one thing really really irking me. That is those who keep repeating that I ( and others) couldn't read our ballots.................
My answer to that is BULL ! and they know it. I know why it keeps getting repeated, because it is one of the tenants the SD is hanging their hat on -- however:
I consider myself a fairly bright guy, and I know exactly what I was told the vote was for, by more than 1 SB member, also by the members of 204TK that I wrote fliers and releases for which we discussed ad infintum the 3rd HS @ BB- and the excellence of the site ( compared with others deemed -bad) ., and with groups where we worked on various boundary scenarios, up to and including achievement balancing ( including WinD204) . Why the school would go where it was because of the population center being near NVHS. I know what I was told when I asked what if something goes wrong...I also know what they told people at PTSA meetings who asked about the ballot wording ( that it was too late to change it before the election, but don't worry, we have it covered )----
So reading posts that tell me I am some kind of moron because I couldn't read the words on my ballot make me very angry right now. It's crap - I knew exactly what we worked on - these facts were not some tangerine dream. Are there a few people who truly voted on a 3rd HS period, yes, but more there are those who now have what they like, so it is convenient to try and discredit others as fools tomake sure nothing changes. My mistake was trusting what I was told by some - which will never happen again.
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Post by southsidesignmaker on May 27, 2008 19:26:49 GMT -6
DoctorWho,
A moron is not what came to my mind when reading your posts. Some have said the obvious from their perspective (maybe), assuming what was read at the ballot box and no more. DW don't forget the 40%+/- that voted a resounding no to the second referendum. Many would like nothing more than to see a third chance to crush the movement of a third high school.
I must say that I agree with you on the bb location being the most logical site geographically. This site was actively sold to the district at large by many enthusiastic supporters who where following the info given out at different meetings. I also know that there was some concern voiced by members of the board that boundaries were contingent on the purchase of bb property. But with 25 acres already in the bank many probably felt this was a shoe in.
The concern I have is exactly what is bothering you. It sounds from the tone of your post that you worked hard for the eventual support and passage of the 06 ref. In a way with the volume of time and energy involved and completion of this project at hand: you--I-- and many others took ownership before it was ours. We now look at the future and scratch our heads in dismay wondering how did we get to this point.
To add "insult to injury" there have been some that appear to mock those that actively busted their rear-ends to get this done the way it was presented in 06. This can lead to one really questioning was all the work worth it?
I can only say that I empathize with you. You have obviously done much more research and work than I. The only hope I can leave you with is even though you may feel unappreciated by some, there are others that appreciate the work done by you and many others to get the referendum passed.
The subject of trust is a difficult subject indeed. The situation you have presented is one that will not be repaired in a day, week, month or year. Maybe in the future you will find comfort and true purpose in the work you have performed for our district.
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Post by anteater on May 28, 2008 7:13:07 GMT -6
I consider myself a fairly bright guy, and I know exactly what I was told the vote was for, by more than 1 SB member, also by the members of 204TK that I wrote fliers and releases for which we discussed ad infintum the 3rd HS @ BB- and the excellence of the site ( compared with others deemed -bad) ., and with groups where we worked on various boundary scenarios, up to and including achievement balancing ( including WinD204). They say doctors make the worst patients, and I suspect they are also their own worst critics. You seriously sell yourself short, because others clearly have a much higher opinion of your intellect. Nevertheless, you hit the nail on the head. The difference is the actual wording on the ballot as opposed to what voters were told. The wording on the ballot represents a legalistic view that will probably be good enough to hold up in court. However, just because it might satisfy minimum legal requirements does not make it honest or right. I'm afraid that many, if not most of our leaders fail to understand the difference. |
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Post by Arch on May 28, 2008 7:21:40 GMT -6
I consider myself a fairly bright guy, and I know exactly what I was told the vote was for, by more than 1 SB member, also by the members of 204TK that I wrote fliers and releases for which we discussed ad infintum the 3rd HS @ BB- and the excellence of the site ( compared with others deemed -bad) ., and with groups where we worked on various boundary scenarios, up to and including achievement balancing ( including WinD204). They say doctors make the worst patients, and I suspect they are also their own worst critics. You seriously sell yourself short, because others clearly have a much higher opinion of your intellect. Nevertheless, you hit the nail on the head. The difference is the actual wording on the ballot as opposed to what voters were told. The wording on the ballot represents a legalistic view that will probably be good enough to hold up in court. However, just because it might satisfy minimum legal requirements does not make it honest or right. I'm afraid that many, if not most of our leaders fail to understand the difference. I believe the Cliff Notes version comes down to ethics. While technically you can split a hair mighty thin; ethically, it's not right to. We're going to find out where that line is drawn. |
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Post by southsidemom on May 28, 2008 7:44:51 GMT -6
If the motion is dismissed this won't the first time a group has "pulled a fast one" due to the technicality of wording on the ballot. We all knew it was BB that we were voting for! But if it comes down to the wording the SD may get over. If so, I am sure other districts will take a "wrongful and unethical" lesson from our leaders. Such a shame.
On a different note, I am sure that voters will be very careful in voting yes before reading the ballot and any inferences that may come with it! One thing for sure is that if the motion is dismisses this will be a loss still for the district. It will be VERY difficult to get any refs passed going forward.....VERY!!!!!!
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Post by specailneedsmom on May 28, 2008 8:03:24 GMT -6
We definitely need to clean house with the school board and move on. That would be a tremendous start.
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Post by slp on May 28, 2008 8:05:08 GMT -6
If the motion is dismissed this won't the first time a group has "pulled a fast one" due to the technicality of wording on the ballot. We all knew it was BB that we were voting for! But if it comes down to the wording the SD may get over. If so, I am sure other districts will take a "wrongful and unethical" lesson from our leaders. Such a shame. On a different note, I am sure that voters will be very careful in voting yes before reading the ballot and any inferences that may come with it! One thing for sure is that if the motion is dismisses this will be a loss still for the district. It will be VERY difficult to get any refs passed going forward.....VERY!!!!!! EXACTLY! That is what the SB has grossly underestimated. They have lost the trust of voters and that has long, painful consequences. |
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Post by researching on May 28, 2008 8:10:49 GMT -6
If the motion is dismissed this won't the first time a group has "pulled a fast one" due to the technicality of wording on the ballot. We all knew it was BB that we were voting for! But if it comes down to the wording the SD may get over. If so, I am sure other districts will take a "wrongful and unethical" lesson from our leaders. Such a shame. On a different note, I am sure that voters will be very careful in voting yes before reading the ballot and any inferences that may come with it! One thing for sure is that if the motion is dismisses this will be a loss still for the district. It will be VERY difficult to get any refs passed going forward.....VERY!!!!!! I completely agree that this SB has acted in a very immoral, irresponsible, reckless, arrogant and unethical way. I don't believe for a minute that they are concerned at all about what their behavior is doing to the future of this district. Look at the way they disregard the health and well being of the district's children. The site selection is proof of that. I am sure that this SB in not worried about passing another referendum. Remember, we have a $92 million surplus  and the potential damages awarded in the numerous lawsuits can be covered by simply raising our taxes. No new referendum needed. Judge Popejoy is our greatest hope in stopping this speeding train and making this SB accountable for it's actions. |
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Post by Arch on May 28, 2008 9:32:17 GMT -6
They really planned ahead.
Planning on the church to provide overflow parking instead of doing it themselves, planning on placing the lives and safety of the children into the hands of a company that already is on record for numerous safety violations when it comes to the pipelines they operate and have fatal accidents on record, planning that in the next 50 years they won't repeat history (Kinder Morgan), planning that no one will ever be disturbed enough to do anything with the lethal cargo continually flowing within lethal proximity of the school building... the list goes on. I can only imagine none of them have ever had to do any sort of disaster recovery before. They have plenty of history to show that things don't always go as planned and not taking them into account going forward is simply negligent and reckless.
If there is a plan, they should publish it. Release to the public the 3rd Party Risk Analysis and Worst-Case disaster plan for the building while school is in session. What's the plan?
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Post by fence on May 28, 2008 20:41:13 GMT -6
Just wanted to say I thought this was a very empathetic, kind post. So thanks. It's quite a difference from the typical dismissive, rude, and snide, martyr-ish remarks that have been flying around our district lately attempting to defend the problematic situation we're in. I honesty, truly believe that if those in support of the HS at AME would just take the approach you took here, we would have alot less strife. The problem is that people would rather mock than support, or insult rather than empathize. They would rather harp on the past, threaten the future, and push rather than ask people to cooperate. It makes for a rather large divide, and for however poor our leadership is, the divide in this district is mainly self-created, because we all took that ball and ran with it. So thanks for your post to DW. I have a feeling that no matter what happens this week, we'll go forward, but we won't go together unless we figure out how to dismount the high horses on both sides. And a disaster recovery plan wouldn't hurt  DoctorWho, A moron is not what came to my mind when reading your posts. Some have said the obvious from their perspective (maybe), assuming what was read at the ballot box and no more. DW don't forget the 40%+/- that voted a resounding no to the second referendum. Many would like nothing more than to see a third chance to crush the movement of a third high school. I must say that I agree with you on the bb location being the most logical site geographically. This site was actively sold to the district at large by many enthusiastic supporters who where following the info given out at different meetings. I also know that there was some concern voiced by members of the board that boundaries were contingent on the purchase of bb property. But with 25 acres already in the bank many probably felt this was a shoe in. The concern I have is exactly what is bothering you. It sounds from the tone of your post that you worked hard for the eventual support and passage of the 06 ref. In a way with the volume of time and energy involved and completion of this project at hand: you--I-- and many others took ownership before it was ours. We now look at the future and scratch our heads in dismay wondering how did we get to this point. To add "insult to injury" there have been some that appear to mock those that actively busted their rear-ends to get this done the way it was presented in 06. This can lead to one really questioning was all the work worth it? I can only say that I empathize with you. You have obviously done much more research and work than I. The only hope I can leave you with is even though you may feel unappreciated by some, there are others that appreciate the work done by you and many others to get the referendum passed. The subject of trust is a difficult subject indeed. The situation you have presented is one that will not be repaired in a day, week, month or year. Maybe in the future you will find comfort and true purpose in the work you have performed for our district. |
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Post by Arch on May 28, 2008 21:38:09 GMT -6
They need to have an action plan worked out w/ Aurora, Naperville, DuPage County, FEMA and the Department of Homeland Security. It's sitting directly next to critical national infrastructure (electrical, gas, oil and RR) which by their very nature are already on a 'watch list' for elevated security due to the fact that they are classified as 'high value' targets. Any plan they (the aforementioned agencies) had in place already is moot when we put a school there because now instead of there being a problem with just some crops on that land, there's 3,000 students and faculty.
I look forward to reading the revised and updated documents if construction continues past Friday.
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Post by southsidesignmaker on May 29, 2008 7:05:33 GMT -6
To Fence thanks for the plug. I do agree rather emphatically with the updating /making of a disaster plan for the north location. And yes I really do feel that the division in the district will have to be worked out with the residents at large.
Being a "green pea" maybe someone can shed some light on why there is a blue and green board with many of the same concerns for our district, what would be the chance of putting these boards together. I am sure there would be an adjustment period, any takers.
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Post by Arch on May 29, 2008 7:10:00 GMT -6
To Fence thanks for the plug. I do agree rather emphatically with the updating /making of a disaster plan for the north location. And yes I really do feel that the division in the district will have to be worked out with the residents at large. Being a "green pea" maybe someone can shed some light on why there is a blue and green board with many of the same concerns for our district, what would be the chance of putting these boards together. I am sure there would be an adjustment period, any takers. Everyone used to be on here. There was an exodus, and this board also changed management. As a result of that, all prior bans and blocks were removed because I don't believe in that sort of practice or stifling of ideas even if they are counter to my own. |
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and the potential damages awarded in the numerous lawsuits can be covered by simply raising our taxes. No new referendum needed. Judge Popejoy is our greatest hope in stopping this speeding train and making this SB accountable for it's actions.