- A May election is a phantom election – Pete Mehra
- BHSD Town Hall Meeting Schedule and Survey – Mark Kapel
- Build a bridge – Eric Winkelman
- District has plenty of money – Chris Fellin
- Four-year terms – John Roach
- Four years, not six – Margie Stoller
- Jan 19th BHS Board Meeting – Mark Kapel
- Join the meeting – O&E
- Town hall topic Input sought for new high school plans – Greg Kowalski – O&E
- Town hall meetings layout options for BHS – Chris Jackett – C&G
- Town Hall meetings – Nice concept, but it isn’t working – Chris Fellin
- Votes count – Isabella Tucci
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To: No Meetings: Exactly what happend to this “District Family”. Was their house burned down? Were they tarred and feathered? Why are you so afraid to talk to your fellow residents? If you don’t participate, you have no right whatsoever to complain. If you give a hoot, you’ll show up. If you don’t, you’re spineless and deserve whatever the outcome is.
It is exactly that “friendly and welcoming” attitude like yours that keep people away.
Take a look in the mirror.
to B2010
The attack on the district family’s business has been discussed here months ago- however, not so theatrical as you have imagined. I am not afraid at all to talk to my fellow residents about the district issues, do it a great deal. I would never attend a town hall meeting sham, not even for a hoot.The school board is not interested in participation. That is only a PR ploy and marketing tool, like having a plan then present some findings that support it. Data, survey conclusions, etc are always presented skewed toward the desired outcome. I cannot believe a word the district says.
To: No Meetings: So since you’ve chosen to exclude yourself from the Town Hall process, you have chosen to accept whatever the outcome is of the process. You would have made a terrible patriot. We would still be under British rule if it were up to people like you. Why do you live here again?
Funny thing is that the outcome will be determined by an election, not the town hall meetings. In this case, not coming to a meeting and voting no gets people who feel that way an outcome they find perfectly acceptable. So, the threat you are making that they will have to “accept whatever the outcome” seems pretty silly. So too does calling people unpatriotic who disagree and/or find that type of meeting pretty pointless (based lots of previous examples in recent history).
To: Actually: So you’re afraid of getting involved, but still consider that good citizenship. Since you haven’t attended any of the Town Halls or other public meetings, you will likely be making an uninformed vote, putting you and your own community at risk. And that’s good citizenship?
to B2010
Just because the district has called the charade a “Town Hall Meeting” does not mean a thing or bears any connection to meaningful information or dialogue. You can choose to accept these meetings as relevant, but please allow others to view things differently without putting them down.
To Anonomyous or Actually it is about the election–
Patriotic or not,
informed or not,
having attended a town meeting or not,
it sounds as if you have made up your mind about the current proposal and nothing anyone says will change it.
So be it.
It is the students who will be most affected by the outcome of the election. That seems to be lost on some.
I hope the majority of the electorate will cast informed votes rather than voting one way or another out of anger, spite or worse, a lack of information.
And I am not b2910
to
To go or not to go
I plan to vote no on the proposals based on an informed decision. I am not angry or spitefulI, nor a member of any group.
An e-mail to share:
“Notice of May, 2012 election: Please relay to your contacts
Q: Why do school districts ask for more money in off-November elections?
A: Because they CAN.
A May election for a tax increase is a “DIRTY TRICK” on taxpayers
and voters. Please do not reward local school districts and governments who
take this back-door approach to financial gain.
A low voter tun-out makes it easier for those on the receiving-end of your tax dollars to control the outcome of an election.
Don’t let them get away with it.
Vote NO.
Recently, the Clarkston board of education voted 3-4 to approve a May, 2012 election.
BHSD trustees will vote 7-0, and will wait til the LAST MINUTE to do so, in the hopes of preventing an effective opposition.
Too late.”
Mr. Mehra, How can a May election be “phantom” when BHSD is openly telling the community at all of the Town Halls that this is the most likely scenario? The only thing “Phantom” here is the negative hype. Mr. Glass is being completely open about the process and timing. Better come up with something different to complain about. By the way, I never see you at any of the Board or Community meetings. If you are too good to mix with us “commoners”, why not keep your opinions to yourself? Either get involved or get back to your jigsaw puzzles.
To B2010
I object to the expense of a May election. As a result, concluding the district does not have finances as a priority, I will not approve a request for money. And, I will urge my neighbors to do the same.
If the Board was truly concerned about gaining trust and showing transparency there would be no question of when the vote would be. It would be in November when the community is geared up for an election and reading about all the options. A vote in May, if passed, would mean the Andover construction would be built on a sham and would be a 30 or 40 year reminder of a horrible phase of board of ed control in the BH district history.
You would not see me at any meetings, yet I might have some valuable input. The reason? I saw what the OBU group did to those who opposed their view. I cannot and will not risk my welfare by participating.
To: “No Meeting”, OBU is not the “Boogey Man”. People who cannot stand up for themselves, will need to be content with the will of the people. If you don’t get involved, you have no room to complain about the outcome.
to b2010
No claim that OBU is a boogeyman, whatever that means to you. I saw what the OBU club did to a district family who expressed a view in contrast to belief of OBU. There are many ways to be involved rather than these meaningless town meetings, aka, dog and pony show. Do you read the comments before you reply?
The Town Hall meetings are just a scam to provide an image that the board and admin are interested in what the public taxpayers think. I went to the meetings when they were considering what schools to close. They chose the buildings that contradicted the professionals and public, and did the reconfiguration sham. So, why waste time at the Town Meetings for the pretense of going through the motions? I have had it with this district- time for private schools.
Had the same experience with the elementary schools. Went to lots of meetings, took the time to be informed and write thoughtful, respectful feedback. Two things happened: 1) people who are now part of OBU got all judgmental and nasty when any contrary opinion was expressed (see example above) and 2) the board did not listen to overwhelming feedback. That decision was made in private meetings months before any of us even knew what what planned and the meetings were just a farce. Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me.
Likely you all would vote no even if you went to a Town Hall meeting, so I guess it wouln’t matter if you go or not. It is really too bad though because the meeting I went to was quite informative.
Is the purpose of the meeting for US TO RECIEVE information, which I can find on the district website, or for the board and administration to GET information FROM US on how we feel about the bond, the construction,etc?
The pretense is that we will both give and receive. I had a similar experience to earlier posters, though. When I asked a question about student life during construction I received an indignant response with finger wagging at me from another audience member and dirty looks the rest of the meeting. I promise you that my question was asked in all sincerity and with no tone of hostility. It certainly makes me think twice about going back for more. And for the record I am undecided. I have to say that it almost makes me sick to think of rewarding such behavior with a “yes” vote. I am trying very hard to look at the bigger picture and not respond in kind to such attacks.
Well that is interesting because a similar question was asked at the meeting I went to by a parent of students. All I saw was other people nodding and wanting to hear about how the transition will work. There was no finger wagging no dirty looks from what I saw, just people looking for an answer and some of those people were those I would assume would vote yes. I would even say that the question was asked in a concerned and cautionary tone so I could see where people might react back in a negative way, but no one did. We did have one person complain that the questions weren’t being answered fast enough. I gathered they were a firm no based upon other comments they made.
Why was a Berkely school board member at one of the town hall meetings?
Probably spy of Simeck, the Berkley school district supt. who wanted Dr. Gaynor’s job.