[Vision2020] tonight's school board meeting

[keely emerinemix]

Visionaires,It
looks to me that the school board meeting tonight will feature Don
Harter and his plea for a "conciliatory" resolution to the Weitz
lawsuit challenging the validity of the recent supplemental levy
increase.  Undoubtedly it will feature further discussion of the issues Harter will raise.  Board Chair Dawn
Fazio's statement in the Daily News yesterday made sense, insofar as it
outlined the board's willingness to let Harter speak -- as it allows
and encourages all stakeholders to air concerns during the meetings --
and yet made it clear that the Board has no intention, even if it
could, of overthrowing the will of those voters who, by majority, voted
for the increase.I'm heartened that the trustees took steps to
frame the debate in clear, concise, and correct terms; I've often been
critical of MSD for responding slowly or not at all when its integrity
is challenged, particularly when the challenge has been based not only
on anti-public schools vitriol but misleading, incorrect information. 
My hope is that the board continue to state what Fazio said yesterday
and what Dr. Donicht has previously said.  Those points are simple, and
I hope that they are clearly repeated by the trustees tonight.  Here's what I hope the board offers prior to and after Harter's comments:1. 
The district  did not initiate the litigation it is now involved in; a
disgruntled patron did.  Now it's in the court system -- there's no
backing out for either the defendant or the plaintiff.  Once the suit
is filed and finds a hearing, not even the most disingenuously worded
petition can act as an "oops" sufficient to relieve the plaintiff of
the responsibility for what he has begun.2.  The district
believes it has acted in accord with state law in running the levy. 
Weitz, et al, believe it didn't.  The judge gets to decide who's right.3. 
A petition asking that the district remove itself from litigation not
of its own initiative in order to offer or accept an olive branch by
way of re-running the levy election is not only  unfair but impossible
-- and asks the district to deny the will of the voters who approved
the increase.  It's not only a legal impossibility, but sets a terrible
precedent:  that election results can be overthrown under the guise of
"conciliation."   Nice words don't make for good policy, and the Board
needs to make that clear.There's no need tonight to argue the
merits of the case, a case I believe MSD will win.  But Harter should
realize, and the community should know, that while MSD is accommodating
his desire to speak tonight, it's because MSD allows and encourages all
community members to do so -- not because Harter's offer of
"conciliation" merits serious consideration.  A "make nice" petition
sounds like a great exercise in bringing together a community stung by
one man's crusade to hamstring it.  But Harter's request isn't an olive
branch at all, just an attempt to ease the consequences felt by Weitz
and make MSD's enemies look like its saviors.  Government by  petition isn't effective.  In this case, it's not even possible. 
Because even if a petition could end the standoff and honor the law,
the electorate, and the kids, such a thing -- setting aside the will of
the voters -- would be an act of
monumental ill will.  The lack of goodwill here is not MSD's fault. 
Neither is the discomfort felt by Dr. Weitz as he realizes the depth of
the community's displeasure with him.I obviously chose to be a
more "activist" trustee than the current trustees have, but I hope that on this, we
agree that a firm, fair telling of the facts is imperative -- and not
just tonight.  Harter may choose to bring the circus into town, but the
Board can respect his rights as a citizen without jumping through the
hoops he's set out for them.keely
_________________________________________________________________
Local listings, incredible imagery, and driving directions - all in one place! Find it!
http://maps.live.com/?wip=69&FORM=MGAC01
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: http://mailman.fsr.com/pipermail/vision2020/attachments/20070724/0f8bd774/attachment.html