Here is another very slanted article by Ms. Mondy that once again fails to mention anything about quality education or students. You always seem to forget that students are involved here. Have you investigated any of the research that demonstrates higher student achievement occurs in safe, well-maintained, appropriately equipped learning environments? (Influence of the School Facility on Student Achievement, University of Georgia; School Facility Conditions and Academic Achievement, Virginia Polytechnic Institute, just to name two easily Googled studies) It costs money to educate students. Don't penalize the students of this district because of your personal vendetta against individual Board members or to further your tax watch groupie status.
And now the other tax watch groupies will unleash their fury on me.....

Ms. Mondy knows all about education and students. She has spent countless VOLUNTEER hours attending, recording, and transcribing the D15 school board meetings over the years (spotlightontheoboard.org). She has spent her time, free of charge, to educate the public on D15 issues. Ms. Mondy, like me, has children in the district and knows full well it costs money to run a school district and education children so they can reach their academic potential. The problem is, the Board Majority does not spend the money wisely and our kids suffer for it. Over 4% increases in 09-10 for the administrators?? Really!? I can think of many areas in our schools where that money could have been allocated to DIRECTLY help OUR CHILDREN. No, it's better to give out big raises to the adults and let my daughter sit in a class of 30 kids for the second year in a row. The facts do not lie. Money without reform does not solve the problem. And, whether you like it or not, there are areas of improvement in our district. You would know that if you attended BOE meetings or read the Spotlight transcripts (no slant - they are transcripts). The main problem in our district is that the adults come first and the kids come in second, if that.

Ah, Vicki, you failed to mention the salary freeze the administrators had several years ago, as well as the fact that D15 administrators are NOT paid commensurately with their peers in surrounding districts. But this discussion is not about the administrators (whose cars you see parked outside of their schools or the central office building on the weekends and long into the evenings to make sure their clients are being well-served).

I completely agree with you that money without reform does not solve problems and there are always areas for improvement. D15 educators are engaged in continuous improvement, constantly seeking research-supported current and improved methods to teach our children and help them exceed their potentials. (It sounds to me like you have no experience with any other school district. It is so much better here than most other districts.)

Remember the referendum the district put forth several years ago, and voters voted it down? That is the reason our children (yours and mine) are sitting in overcrowded classrooms.

Oh, and by the way- I do attend board meetings and read board minutes and the "Spotlight". That is how I know that the "Spotlight" is not always accurate, and there is a great deal of author interpretation involved in writing it. It has been that way with the "Spotlight" since it was first written.

Celtic Citizen – The thrust of Jenifer's article was this, "can we trust the Board of Education to wisely spend our tax dollars?" You're entitled to your view on school spending but if you are going to critique her article, I would suggest you take issue with what she said, and not what she didn't say.
Disclaimer here in case it is not obvious, I am on the side of the Vote NO folks.
The Board has consistently been very opaque and secretive with the public. There effort to put the District in debt to the tune of over $27 million dollars last March without a plan is just the latest example of the Board lack of trust and openness when it come to spending.
Your response to Jenifer also seems to come from the school of thought that the solution to all problems is just to throw more money at it. We've done that with schools, to the tune of tripling our per student spending over the last 40 years, in constant dollars, and yet by any measure you care to choose the results don't measure up to the resources, that would be taxpayer money, that have been applied.
So here's my challenge to you, make the case that we can trust the current Board, at least the four who voted for the "Backdoor Referendum". Just an after-thought, why do you think they call it a "Backdoor Referendum"?
Now that wasn't so bad was it? I didn't attack you, no ad hominem accusations, just challenging your ideas and asking you to respond to Jenifer's position.

CC - Nice try but the failed referendum is NOT the reason my child is sitting in an overcrowded classroom. It is because this district put the adults first. Yes, our administrators put in long hours and on weekends, but so does my husband and many other people in the private sector who have advanced degrees but do not make the kind of money our admins do. Again, please look at the facts. The fact is that the board majority did not and still does not have a plan for this money and there is no guarantee how they will spend it since it is for a working cash fund. No plan, no guarantee. And, D15 had a fund balance of $55.5 million at the end of the fiscal year that ended June 30, 2010. So, there is money to do the projects they need to do and if they are stalling on doing any of them because they are waiting for the bond money, shame on them, shame on them.

Nobody ever said District 15 buildings are not safe for our students, in fact at a recent meeting the board was reassured that the buildings are not unsafe. Nobody is making the argument that our buildings do not need to be maintained - we are only only saying that the District needs a sound plan for maintaining our buildings, not one that is cobbled together only after a borrowing limit is determined. Even now the board and the District appear unprepared to move forward with the bond issue should their referendum succeed in November. They have not signed an agreement with an architect, which will be necessary before any bonds can be issued. Once again, they seem to be tripping themselves up with their lack of planning. And before Celtic jumps all over me for not mentioning "the children" in my post, rest assured that I truly believe that fiscal responsibility, transparency and sound business planning in our District will serve our children better in the long run than the rubber-stamping cronyism that we have been subjected to since April 2007.