Hearsay from the Hoods

One of our favorite sayings: "Those who have nothing to hide, hide nothing."

Hello Voters,

Citizens for Accountability in D15 has been hard at work once again. We've endorsed the Vote 1-2-3 independent candidates for District 15 Board of Ed: Lyons, Zold, Johnson.  If you would to view our full endorsement, check out our web site: www.d15citizens.org.

Video:

For a quick summary of why this election is so important and why it's a true need, not just a want, to have 1-2-3 elected, please watch our short video. Keep in mind, we are not professionals - just a group of moms, dads, and active, caring citizens - but we hope you find it helpful and you don't notice the extra word.

Why a 'Slate'?

Some folks wonder why they are running as a slate if they are independent. That is a good question and here's the answer. Matt, Jen, and Donna are not 3 'buddies' who decided one day over lunch to run for the Board together. They are 3 individuals from different geographical sections and population segments of the community who found they shared common values. The main reason to run together is to save money! It costs money to print yard signs and palm cards. Don't forget, Board of Ed Members get paid ZERO dollars.

Hearsay

We all know election time is notorious for the spread of misinformation. It's always important to determine if someone has motive, financial or otherwise, to engage in this type of behavior. One thing we at Citizens do not have patience for is dishonesty. It just really bugs us.

Class Size

We've heard someone say they were told in a meeting the 1-2-3 group wants to increase class size and they are fine with 50 kids in the classrooms! That is just crazy talk. We are pretty sure this originated from an anonymous commenter here on the Patch and was wrongly attributed to Matt, Jen, and Donna. They do not want class sizes increased, not one bit! They would like to see class sizes reduced, just like the rest of us.

Late Start/Early Release

There has been some confusion here too. Matt, Jen, and Donna have firmly stated they fully support the Friday early release for the contracted professional development time. This has the least negative impact on education (Friday afternoons are the least productive), is the least disruptive to after-school activities (there are none scheduled on Fridays), and it is the one choice working parents can manage.

This was question #1 at the PTA forum. Check it out here: http://www.scottherr.org/

We encourage you to watch all the candidates respond to this question, especially the 3 incumbents. You will be shocked, as we were, to hear one sitting Board member say she has no 'personal preference' and one say he 'has no skin in the game' since he has no kids in the schools. Personal preference has no place in Board decisions and the 12,000+ students in D15 would be really surprised to hear they don't count as 'skin in the game' to a Board member who has been serving for 4 years.

We also want to give a shout out to D15 mom Lisa Szczupaj for leading the charge on this issue. Bravo Lisa! 

Busing

This is by far the biggest area of concern and misinformation in the community. We've heard it all. Matt, Jen, and Donna want to fire all the bus drivers. They are all in favor of outsourcing. All they care about is money. First, let's make sure everyone is aware that Matt, Jen, and Donna are a dad, a mom, and a doting aunt to current D15 students. They will not support any decision, if elected, that adversely affects safety for the students of our district. Safety is the top priority, no question about it. 

As non-incumbents, they are part of the general public. They don't have access to the same information as sitting Board members. No matter what you've heard, we won't know until this Wednesday's Board meeting what the numbers look like for outsourcing. But, numbers are by far not the only issue. Safety is the deciding factor. There are some safety issues with our in-house drivers that need to be addressed. This is not a simple matter. Renegotiating a contract is not something to take lightly if you take your job as a Board member seriously. Check out the current DTU contract on the www.ccsd15.net web site to see all that is involved in this type of renegotiation.

Matt, Jen, and Donna want what is best for kids, absolutely, positively. We wouldn't support them otherwise.

Questions for Us?

If you ever have any questions, please email us at contact@d15citizens.org.  We will get back to you as soon as one of us is available!

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To join our list to keep up with future District 15 issues, you can do so on the site as well.

Thanks for reading and see you at the polls,

Citizens for Accountability in D15