Letter to the Editor: John Graff Delivers Thanks, Statement on District 308's Near Future
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With heartfelt respect to the five communities that make up District 308, the vote last night has little to do about the extraordinary educational experience we offer our children and everything to do with scare tactics, misrepresentation and voter apathy.
Over the course of the next year, this board will face issues that have not been front and center during this election. They have to negotiate our contracts with all our unions, they have to deal with a transportation budget that has been slashed at the State level, they have to adhere to performance benchmarks for education that currently 9 out of 10 high schools in this state do not meet. They have elementary schools bulging at the seems that require additional classrooms or radically alter our boundaries. They have a State that is incapable of passing a budget, even with a 67 percent increase in our income tax. The third high school is one of many, pressing issues this board will be facing in the near term.
Now, we have three new members of the board with no School Board experience, who ran on the idea of halting the third high school. We have two board members with Union ties (one, a West Aurora physics teacher, the other a spouse of a District 308 employee), how will that affect our ability to come to terms on the forthcoming OEA agreement?
As a parent of an incoming High School student in the next few years, how do you feel about sending your child to a construction zone to attend high school? How will you feel when they cannot get on a high school sports team or in the band? These are real questions to consider.
In (2006), the voters of our district, by overwhelming majority (many more than elected this new slate) gave District 308 bonding authority of $450 million to build schools to meet the educational needs of our children. To date, we have issued only $166 million of the $450 million, of which, we have spent only $134 million. We did not waste anything, rather we invested dollars that have a direct and measured benefit to the communities we serve. Our focus has always been for the children of this district and, no, it is not just a catch phrase, it is a core foundational principle!
As we approach the pending transition to this new board, it is incumbent on us to take a more active and vocal role in this process of education for our children. 2,700 votes in a district of close to 30,000 or more registered voters does not a majority make. The majority of our school district voters did not choose you, your friends and neighbors did.
That being said, you hold the ability to right the ship, if you feel the third high school is not necessary now, but in the near future, as each of you repeatedly said, issue the bonds, close the purchase agreement on the property, and build the third high school. Do not Band-Aid the two high schools, determine alternate paths that do not cost this district and its taxpayers an unnecessary $50 million dollars. You will do an injustice to our children, their parents and all the taxpayers of this district.
In closing, it has been my honor and privilege to serve as a School Board member these past eight years. We faced insurmountable challenges during that time and I am honored to have been a steward for its success. I appreciate all the notes and call of kindness and gratitude since last night and am humbled by them.
To all members of the voting body that make-up this District, the next Board election is in two years and it is your responsibility to exercise your constitutional right to vote, so please do so for yourself, our children and the communities we serve.
John H. Graff, Oswego
Jeannie LaMarre
1:21 pm on Wednesday, April 6, 2011
Congratulations on a job well done John. You have served our school district well and have left behind some big shoes to fill. We will all be watching to make sure the new board members do what is best for our children, not just our pocket books.
Jeannine Zupo
1:52 pm on Wednesday, April 6, 2011
Thank you John for your service! And, Ditto Jeannie. We will hold the entire board accountable for the decisions that will be made regarding all the issues at hand in our school district. The story does not end here, we all have a vested interest in what happens next.
Richard Saunders
3:03 pm on Wednesday, April 6, 2011
John,
Thank you for your service, and your support. I would say, the incoming board members are going to face obstacles they might not have the foresight to anticipate in their rush to strike at a "hot button".
Squeezing more students into high schools not built to handle those numbers, at one high school. there is already no room for the buses to serve existing students, let alone 500 more - call it at minimum 12 more buses. Clearly, none of the board members (new or current) calling for a halt to construction have been near a lunch session, a gym class, a music/art or special education classroom in either high school. At one high school, already, a full classroom of students EACH BLOCK are shipped off to 'bowling class' at Parkside because there aren't enough gym lockers to accommodate them.
For the foreseeable future, there will be increased class sizes, overcrowded special classes, lunches and transportation issues, while taxpayers are saved a dollar now for every three they'll have to spend when it comes time to build for what is clearly coming down the road. Voters have been sold on saving this year for the potential to have to spend more in 5 years, when construction that is needed will have to be funded - IF they can then pass a referendum to approve building, let alone the operation of the schools to provide the capacity, and continue the quality education District 308 students have traditionally received.
oCoMiK
5:04 pm on Wednesday, April 6, 2011
Maybe you geniuses should have built a more reasonable second high school. I don't see fiscal responsibility in even the operation of that architectural monolith.
Jane Enviere
5:21 pm on Wednesday, April 6, 2011
The majority who cared enough to vote....let me repeat....cared enough to vote....selected new leadership for the school district board. Quite honestly, those are the only people whose opinions are valid. And I mean that no matter how they cast their votes. It's tiring to read about people minimizing the outcomes of elections because voter turnout is, as usual, low. And, apparently, the majority of those who cared enough to vote disagreed with the direction that our district has been headed.
I am neither friend nor neighbor to those for whom I cast my vote. I am a concerned parent, taxpayer and voter. While I thank you for your service, I'd also ask you not to attempt to diminish the message that was sent simply because you don't agree with it.
Stephen Adams
6:02 pm on Wednesday, April 6, 2011
Unbelievable. I do not know any of the new board members. They might be my neighbors, but I do not know where they live. I didn't vote for my friends. I, and my wife, a district 308 employee, and our adult children ( current Oswego High student and the other a recent graduate) all voted for new members who would put a stop to the new school. I still have children who will be in the system for years, and have paid taxes in the system longer than my kids have been in it ( and will continue to do so).
I cared enough to vote. So did the others. The election results are clear. As I heard it said - Elections matter. You lost. If you don't pay attention, you won't be here in two years....
To demean me as voting for a friend, rather than an issue, and to backhandedly slap down the new members as inexperienced is uncalled for. You can be sure that you will not have my vote when your term expires. The narcicistic, holier-than-thou attitude you display is exactly what is wrong with our system. The voters spoke loudly. Listen to them.
oCoMiK
8:55 pm on Wednesday, April 6, 2011
Mr Graff,
I took the time to not only read your letter again but a third time. My reaction is that you should really be ashamed of yourself.
You may have served the constituents of district 308 admirably during your term; however, your sour grapes condemnation of the election is deplorable.
Show a little class and pay respect to the electorate. The result may not have gone your way and I find that it's absurd that the same scare tactics that you decry your opponents for are the same that you use in your letter to the editor. Quite ironic, wouldn't you say?
Michael OConnor
Diane Selmer
8:52 am on Thursday, April 7, 2011
Stephen and Michael - wholeheartedly agree with your comments. I was appalled by this letter, guess it proves the voters voted the correct board members into office.
Ryan Adorjan
8:57 pm on Wednesday, April 6, 2011
Personally, I think the high schools are going to look great with additions sticking out every which way. If we are lucky, pretty soon our schools will look like the fictional 50 story school building from the Wayside Stories from Wayside School book series.
There are a lot of things that go into these decisions that people have no idea even exist. The 308 administration is made up of honest and hard working people who have turned this district around. Typically in these situations, those who know the least seem to know it the loudest. The only answers one needs can all be obtained by going and sitting through (as opposed to talking during public comment and leaving) a Board of Education meeting as I have spent the last two years doing.
I don't know everything that goes into this, but from being a 2010 OHS grad, I can tell you that the environment inside the school is stifling, constricting, confining, and conflicting. There was not enough room last year with just over 1930 students. This year, OHS has almost or over 2100...the stories I hear when I am back are astounding and horrifying.
The third high school is an option now, sure. So, plenty of sarcasm implied, I can't wait until we scrap the option and, when it's too late, we end of with plenty of our own Wayside Stories from Oswego High Schools.
Thank you so very much, John, for your total and complete dedication during your time on the board. You and Andie were as good as they come. You both had my vote!
russ harrison
3:25 pm on Sunday, April 10, 2011
Ryan, I agree. If we're lucky, OEHS will look like it was eventually supposed to look like...and might actually work a whole lot better! I doubt it will be the Wayside extreme, but at least where they function better.
Abandoning a canoe in the middle of the stream to chase a prettier boat down river is silly. But that is exactly what has happened in the past, and apparently was about to happen. As a recent graduate, you got stuck with the smelly end of the stick. The High Schools leave a lot to be desired and need corrections. The 3rd school would have prevented those corrections and quite probably been a repeat of the design flaws you encountered.
As a younger voter, you can make a difference. Take time to research decisions and don't be swayed by the here and now glib. Bad situations should be corrected, not just addressed by the "oops..we screwed up, let's just build another one" mentality. I understand that you were in favor of a 3rd HS, but what about fixing the other 2 first? Let's not even talk about when you decide to own a home here, or start a business, or family, or the myriad of other wonderful experiences your young soul will encounter... then the decisions to buy the shiny new bike take a second seat to fixing the old one.
Good Luck Ryan, and remember...when someone over 18 yrs old voices their opinion about an electoral issue, you look them straight in the eye and say.."Did you vote punk? Well..did you?" and give them your best Clint Eastwood glare.
Paul Lark
7:44 am on Thursday, April 7, 2011
Ryan,
This election wasn't about the administration, it was about leadership, governance and policy decisions the Board made. The voters decided it was time for a change.
Perhaps this should be posted as a reminder. http://oswego.patch.com/articles/character-counts-president-issues-challenge-to-community. One should always lead by example, right?
Ryan Adorjan
11:30 am on Thursday, April 7, 2011
Mr. Lark, You're absolutely right! I'm simply doing as I stated in that article: "I’m challenging everyone (myself included) to jump on board the CitizenShip! Be the person you would like to see in others and help get this community to where it is capable of going: from great to awesome."
Personally, the person that I would like to see in others is someone who speaks out and defends his or her point of view which, as I recall, is what I was doing.
So you're right, Mr. Lark, one should always lead by example and that's exactly what I plan to continue doing.
Sandy Illum
2:15 pm on Thursday, April 7, 2011
While voting Tuesday, I could not stop thinking of the the compelling argument made by Alan Cox. Thank you Mr. Graff for your service, but your double talk is exactly what Mr.Cox wrote about. I am excited about the new leadership. Others may cry over spilled milk, but our new board members have promised to clean it up. Some may cry over the number of voters, if it implies a mandate to squash the third high school construction, but it doesn't matter. The successful candidates clearly stated that they would vote to reverse a third high school - they won the electin. NO THIRD HIGH SCHOOL regardless of what the losing side thinks.
Thank you Mr.Cox for telling me about the impending tax hikes regardless of a third high school, the operating budget shortfalls,And how Mr.Graff has simply done the will of the administrator and not his constituents.
Paul Lark
2:21 pm on Thursday, April 7, 2011
Ryan,
Good! because not everyone gets it.
Becky M.
4:36 pm on Thursday, April 7, 2011
John,
Thanks for your service to our district. As a teacher in the district and parent of 3 students ranging from Kindergarten to 8th grade, the past board served honorably. You made tough decisions that were not always popular, but were always what was best for kids. I hope this new board will serve the needs of students and will make the tough decisions that need to be made to make Oswego a great community to educate children. We will miss your dedication.
Becky
russ harrison
8:27 am on Sunday, April 10, 2011
Mr Graff,
Thank you for your previous service and dedication to our school district.
After reading your letter, several times, I can empathize with your disappointment about losing the election. Your comment " voters did not choose you, your friends and neighbors did..." can also mean that YOUR friends and neighbors did NOT choose YOU, Mr Graff, as was apparent by the overwhelming majority of votes not cast in your favor. Harsh as that may seem, it is the reality.
Vote apathy almost always, with rare exceptions, works in favor of the incumbent.There is no doubt that voter apathy was sinfully present this past election.However, votes are reality, and votes reflect the constituents mandates. The voters felt that they were being ignored, that the seated board was not addressing their concerns and answering questions, and they expressed their desires by voting in new members.They elected members that they feel have a better grip on reality and have demonstrated a better skill level at communication and apathy.
The repeated claim that the 3rd HS property was already purchased when it hasn't even been closed upon was an issue that repeatedly was NOT addressed by the incumbents.The voters didn't like it. Likewise with mandating an artificial turf.
The simple fact is, the victors addressed the questions effectively, the incumbents did not.The 3rd HS was not the cause of your defeat, it was lack of response to the voters.
Again, thank you for your past service and good luck.