Post by sushi on Jun 17, 2008 13:47:52 GMT -5
Daily Herald
June 14, 2008
Joni Hirsch-Blackman
Judge’s Ruling on Lawsuit is Sweet Justice
The thrill of victory must be noted – indeed, celebrated. More than celebrated, maybe this particular victory must even be rubbed in, just a little, and then, hopefully, gotten past if not forgotten.
Public comments from Neighborhood Schools For Our Children were few after the slam-dunk loss of their lawsuit aimed at, I think, at making sure that their children don’t attend high school at the award-winning home of the state champion girls soccer team – Waubonsie Valley High School.
After months of incredibly vitriolic rhetoric sent in e-mails, not to mention bandied about in online forums, the news the DuPage County Circuit Judge Kenneth Popejoy threw out the NSFOC lawsuit against Indian Prairie Unit District 204 was as satisfying as it gets.
Many of us have always known, as Judge Popejoy so eloquently wrote in his conclusion, “Though plaintiffs deny it, each of their arguments is a backdoor method to obtain discretion over where the site of the new school will be built, or at least where it will not be built. This is not their right, but the right granted to the school district by Illinois law.”
The utter simplicity and reasonableness of that paragraph was a most-welcome to so many of us who have shaken our heads over the eye-popping actions of a few to such overwhelming attention and disruption.
Finally, something that made sense to those of us who don’t spend hours a day blogging online on various forums, but live our lives while finding it disconcerting what has gone on in our school district recently.
Gratitude toward Popejoy was palpable throughout the real world of District 204, if not the online world.
The joy came not only in Popejoy’s conclusion, but in every “no” of his ruling to the requests in NSFOC’s petition. In the delightfully consistent “short answers” section of the ruling: No, no, seven time no.
“Plaintiffs argue that this is ‘bait and switch’, however it appears from the record that the defendants had every intention of using Brach-Brodie for the site of the new high school, but were unable to do so due to facts that arose after the referendum vote. There is absolutely no evidence of intent to deceive,” the judge wrote.
Yes, yes, and yes!
However, over at NSFOC’s Web site, a June 5 update noted the group was weighing whether to appeal Judge Popejoy’s decision, going on to report that District 204 could be liable for $5 million in legal fees from Brach-Brodie lawyers.
That, even though the group’s lawyer, Shawn Collins, was quoted by the Daily Herald a week earlier saying, “Given the thought Judge Popejoy obviously put into this decision, there’s no point in asking him to reconsider. There’s not a lot of nuance here. He doesn’t like our case and I don’t want to waste his time.”
The NSFOC Web posting when on to say, “As long as we are still in existence, we will continue to do our best to keep up with the costs and other matters. We cannot do it without monetary support, however, so any help is appreciated.”
The group complained about the district wasting money, but solicits money to continue a battle even their own attorney characterized as a waste of time? Perhaps they figure people don’t mind wasting money when they are donating it as opposed to voting to approve spending.
Later last week, Neighborhood Schools For Our Children (nothing in that name nor in the complaint about ensuing the safety of the proposed site, their purported main purpose) announced it would not appeal the judge’s decision. Best move they’ve had yet.
It’s time for this district to move on.
A groundbreaking ceremony has been completed, earth has been moved at the new Eola/Molitor site, and a principal has been named. Metea Valley High School will debut at the end of next summer.
The summer, new principals take over at Neuqua and Waubonsie, as well. A clean slate all the way around?
Perhaps 2008-2009, the school year Metea should have opened at Brach-Brodie if the 2005 referendum had passed, will be the year Indian Prairie Unit District 204 can move forward from a two-high school unit district to become a three-high school, unified district.
June 14, 2008
Joni Hirsch-Blackman
Judge’s Ruling on Lawsuit is Sweet Justice
The thrill of victory must be noted – indeed, celebrated. More than celebrated, maybe this particular victory must even be rubbed in, just a little, and then, hopefully, gotten past if not forgotten.
Public comments from Neighborhood Schools For Our Children were few after the slam-dunk loss of their lawsuit aimed at, I think, at making sure that their children don’t attend high school at the award-winning home of the state champion girls soccer team – Waubonsie Valley High School.
After months of incredibly vitriolic rhetoric sent in e-mails, not to mention bandied about in online forums, the news the DuPage County Circuit Judge Kenneth Popejoy threw out the NSFOC lawsuit against Indian Prairie Unit District 204 was as satisfying as it gets.
Many of us have always known, as Judge Popejoy so eloquently wrote in his conclusion, “Though plaintiffs deny it, each of their arguments is a backdoor method to obtain discretion over where the site of the new school will be built, or at least where it will not be built. This is not their right, but the right granted to the school district by Illinois law.”
The utter simplicity and reasonableness of that paragraph was a most-welcome to so many of us who have shaken our heads over the eye-popping actions of a few to such overwhelming attention and disruption.
Finally, something that made sense to those of us who don’t spend hours a day blogging online on various forums, but live our lives while finding it disconcerting what has gone on in our school district recently.
Gratitude toward Popejoy was palpable throughout the real world of District 204, if not the online world.
The joy came not only in Popejoy’s conclusion, but in every “no” of his ruling to the requests in NSFOC’s petition. In the delightfully consistent “short answers” section of the ruling: No, no, seven time no.
“Plaintiffs argue that this is ‘bait and switch’, however it appears from the record that the defendants had every intention of using Brach-Brodie for the site of the new high school, but were unable to do so due to facts that arose after the referendum vote. There is absolutely no evidence of intent to deceive,” the judge wrote.
Yes, yes, and yes!
However, over at NSFOC’s Web site, a June 5 update noted the group was weighing whether to appeal Judge Popejoy’s decision, going on to report that District 204 could be liable for $5 million in legal fees from Brach-Brodie lawyers.
That, even though the group’s lawyer, Shawn Collins, was quoted by the Daily Herald a week earlier saying, “Given the thought Judge Popejoy obviously put into this decision, there’s no point in asking him to reconsider. There’s not a lot of nuance here. He doesn’t like our case and I don’t want to waste his time.”
The NSFOC Web posting when on to say, “As long as we are still in existence, we will continue to do our best to keep up with the costs and other matters. We cannot do it without monetary support, however, so any help is appreciated.”
The group complained about the district wasting money, but solicits money to continue a battle even their own attorney characterized as a waste of time? Perhaps they figure people don’t mind wasting money when they are donating it as opposed to voting to approve spending.
Later last week, Neighborhood Schools For Our Children (nothing in that name nor in the complaint about ensuing the safety of the proposed site, their purported main purpose) announced it would not appeal the judge’s decision. Best move they’ve had yet.
It’s time for this district to move on.
A groundbreaking ceremony has been completed, earth has been moved at the new Eola/Molitor site, and a principal has been named. Metea Valley High School will debut at the end of next summer.
The summer, new principals take over at Neuqua and Waubonsie, as well. A clean slate all the way around?
Perhaps 2008-2009, the school year Metea should have opened at Brach-Brodie if the 2005 referendum had passed, will be the year Indian Prairie Unit District 204 can move forward from a two-high school unit district to become a three-high school, unified district.