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Post by gatormom on Apr 18, 2008 7:33:45 GMT -5
Finding a piece of land for Metea has proven to be a long difficult process.
I thought a place to post reflections on the process, where we are going, and what our concerns are might be nice.
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Post by wvhsparent on Apr 18, 2008 7:45:51 GMT -5
OK I'll start it. As everyone here knows, I have always been for the AME site for the school. While I am sure BB is a nicer piece of land, It's location and price were my biggest hangups. I was a NO the 1st round (No regrets) and a YES on round 2. I would have supported the 3rd HS wherever it ended up.
I will say I hope, with the hiring of the PR guy that communications open up a LOT!
That has probably been the biggest problem that needs to be addressed, moving forward.
I'll add more as I think of it.....
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we4
Junior
Let's Go Yankees......Let's Go Yankees
Posts: 204
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Post by we4 on Apr 18, 2008 8:16:54 GMT -5
I will say I hope, with the hiring of the PR guy that communications open up a LOT! That has probably been the biggest problem that needs to be addressed, moving forward. Mine too. I do not know if I can ever believe or even trust things the school board/admin says because of this. I wish I didn't but I do. Maybe in 2009 I will have new reasons to trust but for now, I don't. Also, I think friendships across the district have been strained.
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Post by momto4 on Apr 18, 2008 8:26:57 GMT -5
I do not know if I can ever believe or even trust things the school board/admin says because of this. I wish I didn't but I do. Maybe in 2009 I will have new reasons to trust but for now, I don't. Also, I think friendships across the district have been strained. While I personally continue to trust the sb and admin as they have continued to do their best to deliver the voted upon 3rd HS, I think strained is an understatement
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Post by gatormom on Apr 18, 2008 8:39:10 GMT -5
I think the strained friendships are reflection of what has happened in the district. If all goes according to plan, our children will be reshuffled and attending different schools. There will be so many changes.
I don't want to see this anger and these fights amongst the adults filter down to our children, to our schools.
Can our district even begin to find a way to heal? I am worried.
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Post by sleeplessinnpvl on Apr 18, 2008 8:59:40 GMT -5
I think the strained friendships are reflection of what has happened in the district. If all goes according to plan, our children will be reshuffled and attending different schools. There will be so many changes. I don't want to see this anger and these fights amongst the adults filter down to our children, to our schools. Can our district even begin to find a way to heal? I am worried. I must reflect that I am very disappointed in the NSFOC. There are probably some great folks in that organization. They have every right to voice their opposition to a project. But instead of doing something positive to save this district, they are doing something negative that further divides this community. If there are any NSFOC people out there, I have a question. You are preaching that this SB is not financially responsible because it is not buying land that is twice as expensive as what it is currently buying. That said, why didn't you take your $204 a person and hire a negotiator to try and get BB to come down to a price we could afford? You guys would have been heroes in my book. I really hope the damages we must pay are small. If that is the case, we can plow ahead knowing that Eola was the fiscally responsible thing to do. If we do end up losing again, we have a big, big problem. It's a gamble and I hope the odds are on our side.
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Arwen
Master Member
Posts: 933
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Post by Arwen on Apr 18, 2008 9:47:59 GMT -5
I would like to see all those people with environmental concerns who were pressuring MWGen to back out to now apply the same pressure to them to clean up the minor problems that were found.
In terms of trusting the SB/Admin, while I am glad that they procured a fiscally responsible alternative to BB, I think this process has shown many inadequacies. They have provided incomplete or misleading information that has only served to fan the flames. They also haven't handled things as well as they could have in terms of their interaction with the community at large. I think those unhappy with the new direction are on a witch hunt of their own now, and not 1 SB member can say anything without it being blown out of proportion. They've left themselves open to that with how they've handled the whole process (even back to 2005/2006). I don't think much of the "healing" I keep hearing people talk about will happen until there has been another SB election.
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sushi
Master Member
Posts: 767
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Post by sushi on Apr 18, 2008 9:49:31 GMT -5
I think the strained friendships are reflection of what has happened in the district. If all goes according to plan, our children will be reshuffled and attending different schools. There will be so many changes. I don't want to see this anger and these fights amongst the adults filter down to our children, to our schools. Can our district even begin to find a way to heal? I am worried. I was confronted at the gym 2 days this week by people who know my stance and just had to reinterate theirs. I am done arguing about it. Whatever the SB did to hurt feelings along the way is over. Don't vote for them next time. I am sick of it, frankly. I think this will have repercussions for TG especially because although there are a few N-focers there, the entire neighborhood will suffer the reputation, just as WE STILL does 12 years later about the water thing. I am glad the SD is moving forward, it's the only way to put this behind us.
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Arwen
Master Member
Posts: 933
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Post by Arwen on Apr 18, 2008 10:09:10 GMT -5
I think the strained friendships are reflection of what has happened in the district. If all goes according to plan, our children will be reshuffled and attending different schools. There will be so many changes. I don't want to see this anger and these fights amongst the adults filter down to our children, to our schools. Can our district even begin to find a way to heal? I am worried. I was confronted at the gym 2 days this week by people who know my stance and just had to reinterate theirs. I am done arguing about it. Whatever the SB did to hurt feelings along the way is over. Don't vote for them next time. I am sick of it, frankly. I think this will have repercussions for TG especially because although there are a few N-focers there, the entire neighborhood will suffer the reputation, just as WE STILL does 12 years later about the water thing. I am glad the SD is moving forward, it's the only way to put this behind us. I hope things die down for you Sushi. You've been a strong voice in all of this. While I'm not too optimistic on the healing aspect, I do think it will at least quiet down, especially for the majority of people in the district who don't spend time on these boards!
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Post by gman413 on Apr 18, 2008 11:30:12 GMT -5
I think the strained friendships are reflection of what has happened in the district. If all goes according to plan, our children will be reshuffled and attending different schools. There will be so many changes. I don't want to see this anger and these fights amongst the adults filter down to our children, to our schools. Can our district even begin to find a way to heal? I am worried. The optimist in me hopes the "hotspot" that is the potential fees and damages doesn't flare into a full-on blaze. That said, we should expect (of ourselves and each other) to turn our focus toward our own kids and ensuring they're having the most productive and positive school careers while they're here in 204.
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Post by chicoryowl on Apr 18, 2008 12:14:24 GMT -5
In reflection, I think it's dissapointing that the referendum passed 2 years ago and we're finally getting to the point when the school might be built. I think it's sad that this should be such a great time for our district and we're ripped apart with acrimony.
I think the benefits of the additional schools will allow us to heal at some point and I don't think this will be a permanent stain on our district.
I don't think the SB is perfect. And I desperately wanted the HS to be built at BB. But I am amazed at how the SB can never be right in some peoples' eyes. Wasn't it a year ago during the SB election that the cry was that they should have a Plan B, C and D?
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Post by JWH on Apr 18, 2008 13:04:44 GMT -5
Looking back the last few years, I feel the biggest problem for this SB has been their communication. In my opinion, they have acted with the entire districts best interest in mind, and had to deal with way more issues in building a 3rd HS than they would ever imagine. The message has not been relayed very effectively sometimes.
I believe we truly have turned a signficant page and are entering a new Chapter for D204. Metea will be great school supported by many great parents.
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Post by gman413 on Apr 18, 2008 13:07:57 GMT -5
Looking back the last few years, I feel the biggest problem for this SB has been their communication. In my opinion, they have acted with the entire districts best interest in mind, and had to deal with way more issues in building a 3rd HS than they would ever imagine. The message has not been relayed very effectively sometimes. I believe we truly have turned a signficant page and are entering a new Chapter for D204. Metea will be great school supported by many great parents. I've had the thought now and again during the last several weeks that perhaps it's somewhat the district's own fault for demanding to know locations and boundaries that cause the SB to put the cart before the proverbial horse.
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Post by justvote on Apr 18, 2008 15:57:21 GMT -5
Healing the great divide is now priority number 1. There are many people in the district who truly feel that the decisions made by the SB and Administration were made to "punish" certain areas for their behavior. I personally don't believe that, but I don't deny that those feelings exist. The people who hold these beliefs are not on the "fringe" nor is their behavior irrational. Some are friends/acquantainces who I run into during my daily routine. I have grown to feel alot of compassion for them. One friend of mine will not tell anyone which subdivision she lives in. Another was in visible pain after our conversation regarding her feelings of being vilified simply because of her address. A little empathy will go a long way to move the healing process forward.
I feel stronger every day that Mark Metzger should resign. I can't believe that I'm saying this as I was once one of his biggest supporters, but as long as he is at the helm of the SB, very little can be done to unify the district. I also feel that the remainder of the board up for re-election in 2009 should step aside and not run again. We need fresh faces, new ideas, and a new beginning. Lastly, the Administration needs to recognize that this is an important issue and that we are all hurting. They need to take an instrumental role and lead us through this healing process, so that we can become unified once again.
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Post by deblvs17 on Apr 18, 2008 16:10:07 GMT -5
I hope we can just move on and get this school built already! I also hope dealing with the junior high overcrowding won't be so polarizing and contentious.
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