I had to respond to the News View article in the paper, "Public Should Be More Involved."
The article states how significant this upcoming hearing is, and how only those connected somehow to the school corporation will show up. That is correct, but before anyone decides to come down on the taxpayers again, ask yourself, "Why won't people show up for the hearing?"
Could it be because for the last six to eight years a few hundred of us have "armed ourselves with information," we have fired off "cleverly crafted letters," we have placed a few phone calls. Did it help - were we listened to? No, we were not. Instead, we were ridiculed by some, told by others that the ex-superintendent and former school board members knew more than us, and that we were wrong. We were told all this, without them even attempting to pretend that they were listening to the information we had.
I went to one of the school board meetings this past winter, and do you know what I saw? Those people that were there supporting the building project and complaining that the schools were overcrowded were the same people that stood up and said to close the three elementary schools, we have the room in the remaining schools, and we need to save money. They backed the ex-superintendent and board members. Did we save money? Are our schools now overcrowded?
I believe something needs to be done, but I do not believe we should be spending $100 million to do it. I did write a letter to the current superintendent and board members. The only response was from the superintendent.
I believe that if the public doesn't show up for the 1028 hearing or future meetings, the explanation should in part be placed on what happened with the closing of the three elementary schools. Even armed with the glaring overcrowding facts, the previous school board and superintendent had no plan for overcrowding, and no building plan for the future. The only plan was to close the three schools.
Some school administrators, employees and those associated with WCS knew what would happen and new schools would be needed, but did not voice their opinion, while some school employees stood and cheered the previous administration and their decisions. Now the taxpayers are being asked to pay for years to come with those decisions.
Some of us are tired of trying to reason or talk with arrogant, self-absorbed people. Some of us are waiting for one of those people who told us we were wrong, to acknowledge that we were right and they should have listened to the few hundred of us that stood up for everyone.
It was not an "emotional" issue for us, we had our facts straight.
