District 15 Voters Just Say No
$27 million dollar working cash bond referendum fails by a 2 to 1 margin
It wasn't just a referendum in Community Consolidated School District 15 to authorize the school board to issue millions of dollars in working cash bonds. I'd say it was a referendum on the school board majority that attempted to slip this one past the taxpayers.
It came down to a matter of trust – and two-thirds of those who voted yesterday made it clear. They did not trust their elected school board officials to make wise decisions with the authority to issue $27 million in working cash bonds.
The decision the school board majority made last March to borrow millions of dollars without a plan in place to spend it – was not wise, it was reckless. That decision - to go for as much as they could get and possibly settle for less – didn't work.
Then the decision they made to not compromise and only take what they really needed backfired at the polling booth Nov. 2. Now what?
The way I see it, the District 15 school board has two choices.
Go ahead and push through a vote to borrow $16 million dollars for capital improvements – still without a comprehensive plan that outlines regularly scheduled maintenance much less major repairs.
Or start the hard work to rebuild that broken trust with the community.
That choice won't be easy and will take a very long time. Don't try to rush it.
Navigate15 – a series of community engagement meetings proposed by the superintendent is a good start in the rebuilding process. His plan is to open up the lines of communication with all of the district's stakeholders and understand what they want for their school district.
But will the school board ultimately listen when the recommendations from the Navigate15 meetings are delivered to them next fall?
Are they committed to this endeavor? Or is this just an exercise in futility?
It would be a sign of respect if they gave their official blessing at the Nov. 10 Board of Education meeting. Perhaps they could discuss their expectations and pledge to seriously consider the recommendations that result from the Navigate15 program.
It could be an acknowledgement that the people have spoken and that they have heard. They could admit they were wrong seven months ago and hold themselves accountable. Or it could be business as usual once again.
That is until the April 2011 school board elections when voters have the opportunity to voice their opinion once more.
To paraphrase a statement regarding the District 15 bond referendum from a candidate in the election – If your elected officials cannot be trusted to make wise decisions, then replace them.
Remember those words because a "No" vote today won't mean a thing if those in charge cannot be trusted to make wise decisions on behalf of our children's education.
Nov. 2 was just the beginning and the first step towards holding our elected school board members accountable for their actions.
Ken
12:24 pm on Wednesday, November 3, 2010
The public sector along with their entitlements, guarantees, pensions, healthcare, etc.....MUST be brought back in line with the private sector averages, and given raises according to inflation claculations or this will never end. PLEASE read the quick summary below........
This just sums it up front & center in the first 2 short paragraphs.
http://theelectoralmap.com/2010/03/01/blue-states-most-in-debt/
celtic citizen
4:43 pm on Thursday, November 4, 2010
Ms. Mondy- You seem to think you have all the answers, you have a group of sycophantic tax watch groupie followers who regularly agree with you here, and you have a high disdain for half of the Board of Education members. Why don't YOU run for the Board in April? It seems that you feel you could do a much better job than those who are currently seated.
concerend
5:23 pm on Thursday, November 4, 2010
Well said celtic citizen. I couldn't agree more! Either do that or move.
mary vanek
6:17 pm on Thursday, November 4, 2010
I agree - Jennifer Mondy should run for the Board of Ed! However, I must object to celtic and juli's attempts to banish Jennifer to the "sycophantic tax watch groupie followers" gulag, wherever that may be. Probably right next door to the "parasitic public sector pensionists" gulag.
Factual Honesty
8:16 pm on Thursday, November 4, 2010
Celtic Citizen,
It is the civic duty of every tax payer in this country to watch how our tax dollars are being spent. You are creating a dangerous path within our country if you choose to put your blinders on and not questions those voted into every level of government. I am not sure why you and your friend Juli feel that the only solution is to not question or to move. Study your history of Europe and reflect on what happened in some of those countries where citizens put their blinders on , chose the path of least resistance and did not question those in authority. Questioning those in elected positions does not mean they are not respected or held in disdain, it simply means that they need to be reminded that they are elected by the people to represent the people and they must never forget this. Occasional reminders may be necessary.
celtic citizen
11:45 pm on Thursday, November 4, 2010
Of course questioning elected officials is healthy. That is not what Ms. Mondy did here. She is making enormous and erroneous assumptions about what people think when they are voting. To quote from her article: "It came down to a matter of trust – and two-thirds of those who voted yesterday made it clear. They did not trust their elected school board officials to make wise decisions with the authority to issue $27 million in working cash bonds." People I knew who voted "no" did not want their taxes to go up. I know this because they told me. They had no idea about working cash bonds, "matters of trust", or anything going on in the school district- they didn't want their taxes to go up, plain and simple.
Questioning leadership is healthy. Publishing incorrect and/or biased information and presenting it as the straightforward truth is irresponsible and ignorant. I see a pattern in Ms. Mondy's articles of her presenting her own extremely slanted interpretation of events, as well as her own very biased opinions, as universal facts.
Louise
5:53 pm on Saturday, November 6, 2010
Publishing incorrect and/or biased information and presenting it as the straightforward truth is irresponsible and ignorant. Said Celtic.
So how would you characterize your phase “sycophantic tax watch groupie followers”? Many of those commenting certainly are not followers. They are leaders. As evidence: they created and organized the successful citizen petition drive in a very short period of time. They suck up to no one.
Scott Herr
12:48 pm on Friday, November 5, 2010
Celtic Citizen, Mrs. Mondy's column is clearly tagged as opinion. She has the right to her opinion, just as you have the right to your opinion. I happen to agree with Mrs. Mondy's opinion that trust is a major issue in District 15.
One concrete example why this distrust was well founded... Last April I asked Superintendent Lukich for some information about the bond proposal. He replied to me on 4/8/2010 saying "I will ask Merilee [District 15 financial head] and Liz [from William Blair] to review your technical questions and provide a response..." But the next day he received the information I was looking for and and he wrote an email to Merilee and Liz saying "Thanks Liz. Merilee and I will have to decide if we should respond to Mr. Herr." They apparently decided to withhold the information and didn't forward it to me. This response does not engender trust. I was not copied on the email to Merilee and Liz and only learned about this because of a recent FOIA request.
All this said, I am hopeful that the new superintendent will work to regain the trust of the community and that Navigate15 will help in this.
However, I think a change is needed in the current Board due in part to the poor financial decision last March to proceed with the bond resolution.