I am sorry

[EagleDad]

I thought I'd start a new thread with those three little words that seem so hard to say by so many these days. I'd like to keep this thread genuine, with the focus not on our own concerns, so I'll try to start.

So here's my short list:
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I am sorry Brach Brodie fell through - To the core of my soul I thought it was best for the district at whatever cost. I am sorry for being a YES zealot back then and not listening and working to address people's concerns.

I am sorry the bridge memo was sent home in the boundary packet - it did no good, and set a very bad tone. Fry - I am sorry that no one can simply say that yes there are a number of would-be-walkers from your subdivision - but tough choices were made that took that away.

I am sorry for the great people of Watts and Cowlishaw (my old neighborhood). Your distance to MS and now to HS is horrible, and I do not understand it - I get sick for you thinking about it.

I am sorry for folks of Peterson who will always be living under the umbrella of uncertainty for their splits and "what will happen" if/when their growth comes.

I am sorry for the kids at Gombert who will make friends in grade school and middle school to separate from them the high school.

I am sorry for the families of Owen and the same separation they will see from their 9 year friends in going to high school.

I am sorry for all the little areas that have no voice. I'm sorry for the families here and there that got carved out of their elementary schools with 6 months notice that no one knows about. I'm sorry for the 1st or 2nd grader who's mom has to tell them they aren't going back to the same school next year. I am sorry for the little areas that "don't matter" or got shuffled around.

I am sorry for the kids that will start Metea in a half-finished school, I'm sorry for the same kids at WVHS who will start at a hugely crowded school.

I am sorry for anyone from my own area that offended anyone - and most of all myself, and I'm sorry if there is a perception that White Eagle did not want to go to WVHS - I do not think it is true, or the issues are that simple. I, like you am a parent who loves my kids and sometimes go overboard to do what I think is best for them, without thinking that it hurts others.

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please feel free to add your own.

[kjm]

Hi. I've never posted before, just been in the background reading, but just wanted to give a big kudo's to EagleDad. This moved me to tears. Thank you.

[hopefull]

I am sorry I voted "yes" for the freshman centers. I believed HC when he said we would NEVER be given the option of building a 3rd high school. I always believed we needed a 3rd high school regardless of how many bodies our current ones could acccomodate. WV and NV have been too big for too long.

[concerned]

I am sorry OW families that you are a miniority in your MS and that you get to watch the OE families drive to WV.

I am sorry for the kids that will be crammed into WV, even though half of them have been dealling with crowding issues at their MS.

[secondtimearound]

I am sorry that I/we didn't do enough to pass the 2005 referendum. If we had, this would all not be happening right now!

[bob]

secondtimearound said:

I am sorry that I/we didn't do enough to pass the 2005 referendum. If we had, this would all not be happening right now!

Me, too.

[gatormom]

That was very touching EagleDad. Thank you.

I am sorry I voted no on the first referendum. I should have become more involved and educated myself.

I am sorry for all the distrust and anger that has been misplaced on WE and TG.

Most of all, I am sorry for all the pain and anguish that these boundaries have caused.

[sushi]

bob said:

secondtimearound said:

I am sorry that I/we didn't do enough to pass the 2005 referendum. If we had, this would all not be happening right now!

Me, too.

Ditto. I am also sorry about all this fighting. I hope we can all move forward to our respective new schools and make them our own great school.

[Arch]

bob said:

secondtimearound said:

I am sorry that I/we didn't do enough to pass the 2005 referendum. If we had, this would all not be happening right now!

Me, too.

Me three

[yeson321]

Thanks for another round of tears.

I am going to predict my "I am sorry" that will occur 3-years from now. I am sorry that I did not do more to get a group together who would have encouraged the SB to do whatever it would take to still buy BB. I see it as the biggest regret once the numbers come in for MVHS at the Northern location.

[JB]

I am sorry for the hurt that many are feeling. Many of us had faith in the school board and administration, and to have that faith betrayed is saddening.

I am sorry Watts won't be going to the same HS as all of Gombert. The folks there are well grounded, and I don't recall any "What's in It For Me" attitutude. They've always impressed me, and I was looking forward to starting a new school with them.

I am sorry Watts won't be going to the same HS as WE. I've met many of them, and each is an outstanding person. I'm sorry they and other communities have been stereotyped in a negative way.

I'm sorry many of us will need to curtail our after school activities because of the commute. I was looking forward to starting Metea @ BB, and making it a school we could all be proud of, but I don't have it in me to make that kind of commute on a regular basis.

I'm sorry we couldn't have used this as an opportunity to bring everyone together, and I'm deeply sorry this ordeal has further fractured the school district. We had such an opportunity with a new Super and a new HS! What could have been saddens me.

I am sorry (like ED) for being a YES zealot, and for being a CB/AT/M2 supporter last year. I simply put too much trust in them. I am truely at a loss for what we should have done.

I'm sorry for all the ES kids that are now being bussed everywhere. For the three that are bussed here, you will be welcomed at Watts, and it is a great school. I don't envy the drive for you, and I'm sorry that the remoteness will impact your families ability to be a bigger part of our school.

[doctorwho]

There is nothing in ED's list I disagree with, so I second all of those and add these :
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I am sorry that ES's that really want to be at a certain HS cannot be ( i.e. us with WV) as I believe wanting to be there changes the basic emotional connection to the school

I am sorry for all my neighbors that I harassed for 2 years to get out to vote and why it was important for our area - and to now have them so very upset and angry ( some at me and rightfully so)

I am sorry I will be losing so many of my neighbors as they leave my area due to the cards we have been dealt. It has begun today and really hurts

I am sorry I spent so much time supporting the same people as jb - who in the end ended up not even acknowledging our area had legitimate concerns, I obviously grossly misjudged

I am sorry I didn't listen to some others on the board when they asked me to pay closer attention to some things that were going on, will never happen again

I am sorry for every ES area that is not represented in this community - as that obviously is more important than applying standards equally

I am sorry for every parent that has to deal with a crying child this morning because they will be leaving behind friends -- even for those where it makes 'adult' sense to make the switch, and for those where it makes no sense- I hope you can find a way to explain this mess

I feel bad for every kid in this district that will spend on average 60-90 minutes a day on a lousy bus because our leaders chose to ignore those commutes and hide behind a smoke screen of average Laidlaw times - ignoring distance


I am sorry our leadership believes that more money in a household will change perception of a school, versus hard work, and school pride


I am sorry to see my friends in this district torn apart by stupid decisions they have no control over

I feel bad for every kid who will start at MV ( especially current 8th graders who have to change schools after freshman year, go to a school that is NOT and equal HS experience because we HAVE to open it next year, will miss playing for a varsity sports program - and 1/2 of which will travel across the district to get that privilege

I am sorry that parents in Watts/Cowlishaw/Owen West will be cut out of early evening activities for their child in HS ( especially in bad winter driving months) as they cannot balance work and travel schedules to get there


I am sorry for the 30 kids at Longwood that will spend the first 6 years of their education on a bus to and from the Watts area - thrown out by ADK - that everyone had room for

I am sorry that if I had to vote for any referendum today, I would lvote no because I believe the spending of it is not evenly spread out but selective -- maybe that will pass with time= but when I look at my property tax bill and then at private school tuition - I'm not optimistic

and lastly I am sorry that I will not get to be a Warrior Dad again, it is a privilege IMHO

[fryfox]

I am sorry that more people in our community are not upset and vocal about this terrible site for our district - that will cause painful commutes for so many for so long.

I'm sorry that they are not willing to ban together to demand that this is not the right solution for our district. I'm sorry that they're not willing to fight for what is right and best for all of our students for the future of this district.

I'm sorry that we have a new high school that will be an "albatross" to all of the families who will be displaced for years to come. And it's not just the ones who are displaced now, because as the northern area matures, and they try to close Waubonsie some day, it will be more and more.

[researching]

doctorwho said:

There is nothing in ED's list I disagree with, so I second all of those and add these :
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I am sorry that ES's that really want to be at a certain HS cannot be ( i.e. us with WV) as I believe wanting to be there changes the basic emotional connection to the school

I am sorry for all my neighbors that I harassed for 2 years to get out to vote and why it was important for our area - and to now have them so very upset and angry ( some at me and rightfully so)

I am sorry I will be losing so many of my neighbors as they leave my area due to the cards we have been dealt. It has begun today and really hurts

I am sorry I spent so much time supporting the same people as jb - who in the end ended up not even acknowledging our area had legitimate concerns, I obviously grossly misjudged

I am sorry I didn't listen to some others on the board when they asked me to pay closer attention to some things that were going on, will never happen again

I am sorry for every ES area that is not represented in this community - as that obviously is more important than applying standards equally

I am sorry for every parent that has to deal with a crying child this morning because they will be leaving behind friends -- even for those where it makes 'adult' sense to make the switch, and for those where it makes no sense- I hope you can find a way to explain this mess

I feel bad for every kid in this district that will spend on average 60-90 minutes a day on a lousy bus because our leaders chose to ignore those commutes and hide behind a smoke screen of average Laidlaw times - ignoring distance


I am sorry our leadership believes that more money in a household will change perception of a school, versus hard work, and school pride


I am sorry to see my friends in this district torn apart by stupid decisions they have no control over

I feel bad for every kid who will start at MV ( especially current 8th graders who have to change schools after freshman year, go to a school that is NOT and equal HS experience because we HAVE to open it next year, will miss playing for a varsity sports program - and 1/2 of which will travel across the district to get that privilege

I am sorry that parents in Watts/Cowlishaw/Owen West will be cut out of early evening activities for their child in HS ( especially in bad winter driving months) as they cannot balance work and travel schedules to get there


I am sorry for the 30 kids at Longwood that will spend the first 6 years of their education on a bus to and from the Watts area - thrown out by ADK - that everyone had room for

I am sorry that if I had to vote for any referendum today, I would lvote no because I believe the spending of it is not evenly spread out but selective -- maybe that will pass with time= but when I look at my property tax bill and then at private school tuition - I'm not optimistic

and lastly I am sorry that I will not get to be a Warrior Dad again, it is a privilege IMHO

I agree to everything you both said and then some!

I am sorry for my newly adopted cynical attitude and for my complete loss of faith in the powers that be in this district. With a new Super, my hopes were high.

I am sorry that I was ineffective in convincing the majority to vote out CB, M2, and not vote in AT. I absolutely could have done more.

[oldmanpotter]

I am sorry that Tall Grass has become the "whipping boy" of the district and of the seeming prejudice from certain members of the SB.
I am sorry that over 99% of that subdivision (very fine people and great parents) have to continually suffer because of the actions of a few idiots.
I am sorry the SB ignored WV and allowed the Us vs Them menality to florish.
I am sorry for the parents who did the reserch to come to a really great school district and are considering moving out because of an inept school board.
Most of all I am sorry for the kids in this district who have to listen to all of the fighting, etc. They are the real losers.
And finally I am sorry for not voting out members of the SB when we had the chance and being replaced by the many talented people in #204.