There is an excellent case to be made based solely on the finances that a referendum is needed. There is also a good case to be made that homeowners should back it given what a state takeover of the schools would likely do to everyone's property values.
However there are two big barriers to a successful referendum even if one were to be placed on the ballot: trust and perceived value.
When the referendum passed in 2017, there was strong support for wanting to maintain what people believed with some justification, were excellent schools. Over the last several years, the District has seen enrollment decreases which cannot be justified by low birthrates, as much as the Board would like to cling to that fantasy. More and more families are biting the bullet and paying both our enormous tax bills and private school tuition because they do not think that the District is getting the job done. That makes it hard to justify throwing more money at the District.
The other obvious issue is one of trust. The community as a whole doesn't trust the Board and/or administration to use the resources they are given wisely. Building up trust is going to be a prerequisite to a successful referendum.
There are a lot of ways that trust can be rebuilt, but if Sergio Hernandez cares about the long term viability of this District, stepping down effective the first meeting of the new Board would be an excellent first step to rebuilding the trust with the community.
Why do I think having Sergio continue on the Board would be something that would impair the rebuilding of trust?
1. He was on the Board for all of the events that have caused the loss of trust which is the problem, from the sacking of Paul Goren to the hiring of Devon Horton and all of the issues that have been well-documented on this blog and elsewhere. After the 4 incumbents leave the Board at the end of this election cycle, he will be the sole remaining Board member who was here for all of the events, and President for a good chunk of them.
2. He was a part of the process of authorizing the lease certificates for Foster School without asking any of the basic questions to determine whether the transportation savings that were supposed to fund them were actually real. Because the transportation savings were fiction, we will be paying $3.25 million a year in tax dollars to investors that should be going to pay our teachers and provide an excellent education to the kids in our community. It is a real, ongoing harm that no one should forget about.
3. He submitted the letter to ISBE claiming that there were actually $5 million in transportation savings. This ultimately led to ISBE giving an award to D65. The real number is more like $750,000. Whether this was a lie or just evidence that he didn't know the details - neither is a good option.
4. As Board president, he knew that Dr. Horton was looking to obtain employment elsewhere and kept that secret until after the 2023 election. Turnout was awful, but certainly would have been higher had the community known that selection of a new superintendent was going to be on the Board's agenda. He came out ahead on John Martin by +/- 450 votes. Did keeping that bit of information to himself help him come out ahead? Hard to say, but it is a pretty clear Dr. Horton first, community second moment ... with more to come. Read on!
5. He was part of putting Dr. Horton on a payment plan for the $25,000 buyout from the contract with D65. There was no good justification for doing that, and of course, we know that Dr. Horton didn't honor the payment plan put into place.
6. After Dr. Horton left, he went on a spending spree with the District's p-card. The money was paid back. Nothing public was said about it, but the Board knew. After Dr. Horton had moved on and paid back the District money that he had helped himself to, the public learned that Dr. Horton hadn't honored the payment plan he was given. Sergio signed a letter waiving thousands of dollars in late charges with the admonition that this should "disabuse" him of the idea that he could continue to do so. At the time he signed that letter, he knew of Dr. Horton's post-employment misadventures with the District's p-card - but the community didn't. Knowing that makes this bit of posturing all the more empty.
It takes a certain amount of courage and integrity to recognize that you are part of the problem and not the right person to be a part of the solution. Time for Sergio to come to that realization.
I think Sergio's resignation and an apology from all board members would go a long way in the community. I realize it doesn't make money appear, but if they all REALLY care about this community, admit fault. There is so much anger towards everything that has been swept under the rug.
I don’t know where you guys are getting the six-figure jobs from, especially those of you lucky enough to have TWO six figure job earners in the household. SO MANY OF US AREN’T. So the moneyed people pay for slick advertising and yard signs and full page ads in the local rags and the poorest among us are so disenfranchised they don’t vote. So the poorest get hit with this tax, either with rent increases or property tax increases. At a time when the houses for sale in the 5th ward (you know, the majority minority ward that needs the most help???) are now selling for minimum asking price of $450k. Let that sink in. Houses that 6-8 years ago sold at $200k are now selling for $400k plus. How in the hell can anyone sit there and say this is ok? People talk out their asses in this town. The only affordable housing in this town is going to be the housing Evanston residents pay for and the city buys or builds. I’m not voting for ANYTHING in d65 until we see a whole new board and a new super and some concrete plans. Not the plan a maybe candidate has that maybe will get implemented- I want to see the plan on the books. Because lots of people have said lots of things to get elected, but the reality differed considerably. I get that we need money, but I don’t think we should vote for things that will seriously negatively impact many existing residents immediately until we see where the new regimes (national and local) take us. We also don’t need more fear mongering re: Trump. Everyone thought America as we knew it was going to end last time, but here we are. Let’s take a deep breath and not make hasty decisions. After all, once you give a Board a mechanism to get “free money” off the backs of the people, like you said- there’s nothing to stop them from doing it again and again.
Yes, Sergio is a bad actor. But, come on, he is on a Trumpian level of utter shamelessness.
The fact that absolutely no one on the board or admin has expressed any contrition is the crux of the problem.
Even the gang of reprobates who are leaving can’t state the obvious that they have utterly screwed up. It’s all ‘I’m leaving my kids are out of here and I don’t care any more, good luck’ (Biz)
Tom - Thank you for all you do for Evanston and for D65!!! You are a great example of how one person's dedicated effort can make a huge difference in a community and move mountains as a catalyst for community involvement, needed reforms and positive change!!!
I did vote yes in 2017 but I wish I could have my vote back.
I think in all honesty these are new candidates who hopefully are good but they are going to have to establish trust with the community before a referendum passes. So many people are paying taxes and private tuition and aren’t going to be voting in favor of a referendum where the District just tanked millions of dollars while calling people (who questioned it) names.
To Mary Gavin's point in the Roundtable, the other problem is the "Envision Evanston 2045" has nothing about our school districts. There are claims we're going to need housing for many more people, or rather, "build it, they will come" scenario. What does this mean for families with children and access to schools? Once that land is sold, there's no getting it back. I'm not on board for a referendum until there is a solid plan and timeline on how the money will be used. Something tells me, you're ahead of the curve, Tom. The board & administration haven't even entertained researching this, and it seems like it is too late. I agree with the concern around a referendum and the impact of who will able to remain in Evanston when the property taxes and rent come due.
Exactly this. Everyone is talking out of both sides of their mouth. We keep hearing about affordable housing yet all of these tax increases will make Evanston less affordable.
First, myself and others in Evanston supported Consolidation of the school districts 3 times in the past 30 years. I still support Consolidation for fundamental reasons ; improving the curriculums from k-12 cutting the "fat"in admin. salaries, in-house curriculum between districts, balancing teacher salaries ((which the HS union was against) and creating a merit-oriented rewards system to create more dedicated teachers in their vocation to more positive outcomes.
The challenge for the new administration at D65 is transparency and elimination of nepotism, favoritism and the elimination of discriminatory practices.
The new board members will be either "change-agents" or continue "business as usual".
What are the real opportunities to pursue legal efforts against Horton? I saw recently you commented about "people making requests" but how does anyone or the board go after the credit card fraud (try to reclaim that money) and also just press charges for all their illegal actions in the last 5 years? I'm tired of just calling out blame to Horton, I want to see real charges against him and the board. Also Turner is not "brave" for calling out the issues now. Where was she since she got hired? She needs to go too.
I think they did get back some or all of the money from the credit card thing. It's honestly hard to tell the exact amounts.
I'm not sure what other mechanisms are available that would work. I just don't think there is much interest from the state's prosecutor or anyone else to take on a case like this.
Thank you Tom, for some interesting food for thought. I fully support a referendum - let the voters decide, as it were. I would have to think long and hard about voting yes on it, though. As a recently retired teacher, I saw up close and personal how unbelievably incompetent this board and administration have been (which is, in fact, why I left). I agree wholeheartedly with many of the comments about trusting them AGAIN with our tax dollars. These people got rid of reading specialists, brought in a joke of a "tutoring" program, and have repeatedly changed curriculum that has gotten worse with each iteration. I saw first hand the disaster of Horton's teacher training program. My building is falling apart, but so far down on the list because other buildings are even worse. However, at the end of the day, I believe in public education with all my heart. It is an unmitigated disaster what "we" have let happen. I was so sure in the last board election that we would get the change we needed, but voter apathy (19%?) and disinformation (d65 FB anyone?) left us with this. If they get their act together and even try for a referendum, I'm not sure how I will vote, only because you and others on this post have made a cogent argument for giving it one last try. God, I miss the days when I was so happy my kids went to d65 schools and I was teaching in one.
Overcommunicate and Empathy are two key attributes that the current Board Members and Superintendent are missing.
I will give you that those two traits won't solve the issue, but they will make the community rally behind the Board and find common ground on the problems ahead.
The current Board is delusional. I remember Sergio telling the public in one of the Board meetings in 2024 that his dream is to have a walking school for every kid of D65 (that was his reason for the Foster school)....well, how is his dream shaping up when they will have to close several schools?
D64 in Park Ridge passed a bond referendum in November specifically for capital improvements to their facilities. Can read about it here. https://www.d64.org/2024proposal
Granted, they are in much better financial shape than D65, but the care and thought and education into the proposal is good to see.
Sorry, but no to a referendum. I understand the situation around referendums, and the great need for updated buildings, etc., but seriously, fool me once, twice, but not a third time. I agree with the one comment...give me a new superintendent, one that comes to us after a national search and fully vetted; and a board that has had time to prove itself to be on point with goals and responsibilities of what a board is actually supposed to do. Evanston desires better, we can do better. Running a school district is complicated, multifaceted, and challenging but it's not rocket science and it's done well in a lot of places. It's time to get back to basics, get back to what our kids and teachers need. Let's see some positive action in those areas and then we can talk about a referendum.
The problem is that all these things take a long time, during which the money is going negative and the District is taking out short term loans to meet payroll, which only furthers the financial distress. Nationally vetting some amazing Superintendent won't do anything when the state has to step in
Oh yeah. I think this is actually probably the argument for why it will fail. Because of the 2020 shenanigans, a lot of families still live here but no longer have kids enrolled. I wrote about this a long time ago - but a school district where about half the kids who are eligible to enroll actually do is a crisis of legitimacy!
I agree with your brilliant plan for a referendum. I do not agree with the consolidation of #65 and #202. I would urge the districts to carefully vet their candidates, stop hiring as administrators deemed "unfit to hire, unfit to lead." Stop top $$ devoted to top heavy administration and put the $$ toward teachers. The districts have a long history of buying out contracts of unqualified, under vetted administrators . RJP
You say we should pass a new referendum even though:
-The last one was misused.
-Without some sort of written guarantee about what the money will be used for, why should we vote yes?
-Halfway through the article, all of a sudden you call this a "capitol improvement" referendum but earlier in the article you say, in essence, that we might have to use the referendum dollars to replace federal dollars (which are not capitol improvement dollars). So which is it?
-No, no, no to anything until after the new board is in place and has a record of doing something concrete to get us out of this mess.
I've been writing here for two years about all the bad ways that the District has burned money. I've been the most publicly critical person of the District and used my real name through the entire thing unlike the vast majority of anonymous commenters here. I've gone to Board meetings and spoke publicly on the subject. There is nobody on Earth that knows more about D65's "bad money" than me.
Yet, when I say "hey, things like look they are improving maybe here are some options" the entire comment section shows up to doubt me and say things like this.
I've gotten more hate about this story than literally any other story I've written. And I wasn't even advocating for people to *vote* for a referendum! I was just suggesting it's something that might be a good idea to put on the ballot for reasons x, y or z - which I contend are completely valid (and independent) reasons.
I get it, some % of you guys just want to punish D65 because a bunch of people ripped us off. But at the end of the day, it's the kids and families that will feel the pain, not Dr. Horton or Obafemi or the prior board members who set the 2017 referendum money on fire. It's total bullshit that the State's Prosecutor or the Department of Education doesn't do shit about these folks that clearly defrauded us, but we can only move forward.
Fair enough about anonymous commenters. My name is Lisa Pildes and I will change my name on your substack but I can't figure out how to. And I apologize that my comments sound like a personal attack. They aren't, truly. I, and many, many others are grateful to have you as a resource. I disagree with you on this but I do respect what you are doing.
What you’ve got here is a bureaucracy! Unlike the Catholic schools that aren’t because they have a limited budget D65 will keep hiring more consultants and administrators because they can. Give the bureaucracy more money and that’s what they’ll do It sounds good to elect new board members but if they don’t understand education, special education services, etc the bureaucracy will just grow. Some administrators will say we have to use cabs to transport students and that’s what they will do
I am a solid NO vote on a referendum until I see the board hire a new superintendent with turnaround experience (and they conduct a search in the open), cut administrative bloat, provide a realistic assessment of the financial implications of walking away from the Foster school project (assuming we can still do that).
No way in hell would I vote for a referendum in April.
We may have 16 qualified candidates running, but you are already seeing that those connected with the old guard/old guard mentality (Sorensen, Wymer, Pinkard, Anderson) are the ones developing campaign infrastructure like fundraising committees and websites.
We really need to see the new board makeup and their actual actions before a referendum is presented to the community.
Be very weary of those connected to the old guard, DPOE, etc.
Sadly, I’m afraid we’re going to end up getting the same old same old. Honestly —I just don’t think that the people living here care enough to engage, go against the grain, and revolt.
Also, I can’t wait for the candidate forums where the same shitty questions get asked, and we see the same tired BS that got us here in the first place. Just ask some of the past non-incumbents how they fared when they went against the grain, saw a different way forward, and spoke the truth. The STPs (same thirty people) and their acolytes seized on them like piranhas. Just look over at the D65 parents & guardians page to get a taste of what the town bullies are saying & what’s to come. 🤮
There is an excellent case to be made based solely on the finances that a referendum is needed. There is also a good case to be made that homeowners should back it given what a state takeover of the schools would likely do to everyone's property values.
However there are two big barriers to a successful referendum even if one were to be placed on the ballot: trust and perceived value.
When the referendum passed in 2017, there was strong support for wanting to maintain what people believed with some justification, were excellent schools. Over the last several years, the District has seen enrollment decreases which cannot be justified by low birthrates, as much as the Board would like to cling to that fantasy. More and more families are biting the bullet and paying both our enormous tax bills and private school tuition because they do not think that the District is getting the job done. That makes it hard to justify throwing more money at the District.
The other obvious issue is one of trust. The community as a whole doesn't trust the Board and/or administration to use the resources they are given wisely. Building up trust is going to be a prerequisite to a successful referendum.
There are a lot of ways that trust can be rebuilt, but if Sergio Hernandez cares about the long term viability of this District, stepping down effective the first meeting of the new Board would be an excellent first step to rebuilding the trust with the community.
Why do I think having Sergio continue on the Board would be something that would impair the rebuilding of trust?
1. He was on the Board for all of the events that have caused the loss of trust which is the problem, from the sacking of Paul Goren to the hiring of Devon Horton and all of the issues that have been well-documented on this blog and elsewhere. After the 4 incumbents leave the Board at the end of this election cycle, he will be the sole remaining Board member who was here for all of the events, and President for a good chunk of them.
2. He was a part of the process of authorizing the lease certificates for Foster School without asking any of the basic questions to determine whether the transportation savings that were supposed to fund them were actually real. Because the transportation savings were fiction, we will be paying $3.25 million a year in tax dollars to investors that should be going to pay our teachers and provide an excellent education to the kids in our community. It is a real, ongoing harm that no one should forget about.
3. He submitted the letter to ISBE claiming that there were actually $5 million in transportation savings. This ultimately led to ISBE giving an award to D65. The real number is more like $750,000. Whether this was a lie or just evidence that he didn't know the details - neither is a good option.
4. As Board president, he knew that Dr. Horton was looking to obtain employment elsewhere and kept that secret until after the 2023 election. Turnout was awful, but certainly would have been higher had the community known that selection of a new superintendent was going to be on the Board's agenda. He came out ahead on John Martin by +/- 450 votes. Did keeping that bit of information to himself help him come out ahead? Hard to say, but it is a pretty clear Dr. Horton first, community second moment ... with more to come. Read on!
5. He was part of putting Dr. Horton on a payment plan for the $25,000 buyout from the contract with D65. There was no good justification for doing that, and of course, we know that Dr. Horton didn't honor the payment plan put into place.
6. After Dr. Horton left, he went on a spending spree with the District's p-card. The money was paid back. Nothing public was said about it, but the Board knew. After Dr. Horton had moved on and paid back the District money that he had helped himself to, the public learned that Dr. Horton hadn't honored the payment plan he was given. Sergio signed a letter waiving thousands of dollars in late charges with the admonition that this should "disabuse" him of the idea that he could continue to do so. At the time he signed that letter, he knew of Dr. Horton's post-employment misadventures with the District's p-card - but the community didn't. Knowing that makes this bit of posturing all the more empty.
It takes a certain amount of courage and integrity to recognize that you are part of the problem and not the right person to be a part of the solution. Time for Sergio to come to that realization.
I think Sergio's resignation and an apology from all board members would go a long way in the community. I realize it doesn't make money appear, but if they all REALLY care about this community, admit fault. There is so much anger towards everything that has been swept under the rug.
I don’t know where you guys are getting the six-figure jobs from, especially those of you lucky enough to have TWO six figure job earners in the household. SO MANY OF US AREN’T. So the moneyed people pay for slick advertising and yard signs and full page ads in the local rags and the poorest among us are so disenfranchised they don’t vote. So the poorest get hit with this tax, either with rent increases or property tax increases. At a time when the houses for sale in the 5th ward (you know, the majority minority ward that needs the most help???) are now selling for minimum asking price of $450k. Let that sink in. Houses that 6-8 years ago sold at $200k are now selling for $400k plus. How in the hell can anyone sit there and say this is ok? People talk out their asses in this town. The only affordable housing in this town is going to be the housing Evanston residents pay for and the city buys or builds. I’m not voting for ANYTHING in d65 until we see a whole new board and a new super and some concrete plans. Not the plan a maybe candidate has that maybe will get implemented- I want to see the plan on the books. Because lots of people have said lots of things to get elected, but the reality differed considerably. I get that we need money, but I don’t think we should vote for things that will seriously negatively impact many existing residents immediately until we see where the new regimes (national and local) take us. We also don’t need more fear mongering re: Trump. Everyone thought America as we knew it was going to end last time, but here we are. Let’s take a deep breath and not make hasty decisions. After all, once you give a Board a mechanism to get “free money” off the backs of the people, like you said- there’s nothing to stop them from doing it again and again.
Yes, Sergio is a bad actor. But, come on, he is on a Trumpian level of utter shamelessness.
The fact that absolutely no one on the board or admin has expressed any contrition is the crux of the problem.
Even the gang of reprobates who are leaving can’t state the obvious that they have utterly screwed up. It’s all ‘I’m leaving my kids are out of here and I don’t care any more, good luck’ (Biz)
Yes yes and yes!
100% this. 👏🏻👏🏻
Tom - Thank you for all you do for Evanston and for D65!!! You are a great example of how one person's dedicated effort can make a huge difference in a community and move mountains as a catalyst for community involvement, needed reforms and positive change!!!
I did vote yes in 2017 but I wish I could have my vote back.
I think in all honesty these are new candidates who hopefully are good but they are going to have to establish trust with the community before a referendum passes. So many people are paying taxes and private tuition and aren’t going to be voting in favor of a referendum where the District just tanked millions of dollars while calling people (who questioned it) names.
To Mary Gavin's point in the Roundtable, the other problem is the "Envision Evanston 2045" has nothing about our school districts. There are claims we're going to need housing for many more people, or rather, "build it, they will come" scenario. What does this mean for families with children and access to schools? Once that land is sold, there's no getting it back. I'm not on board for a referendum until there is a solid plan and timeline on how the money will be used. Something tells me, you're ahead of the curve, Tom. The board & administration haven't even entertained researching this, and it seems like it is too late. I agree with the concern around a referendum and the impact of who will able to remain in Evanston when the property taxes and rent come due.
Exactly this. Everyone is talking out of both sides of their mouth. We keep hearing about affordable housing yet all of these tax increases will make Evanston less affordable.
Stay tuned I have a story on affordable housing vs “affordable housing”
Hi Tom....you must eat, drink, and sleep D65!
First, myself and others in Evanston supported Consolidation of the school districts 3 times in the past 30 years. I still support Consolidation for fundamental reasons ; improving the curriculums from k-12 cutting the "fat"in admin. salaries, in-house curriculum between districts, balancing teacher salaries ((which the HS union was against) and creating a merit-oriented rewards system to create more dedicated teachers in their vocation to more positive outcomes.
The challenge for the new administration at D65 is transparency and elimination of nepotism, favoritism and the elimination of discriminatory practices.
The new board members will be either "change-agents" or continue "business as usual".
What are the real opportunities to pursue legal efforts against Horton? I saw recently you commented about "people making requests" but how does anyone or the board go after the credit card fraud (try to reclaim that money) and also just press charges for all their illegal actions in the last 5 years? I'm tired of just calling out blame to Horton, I want to see real charges against him and the board. Also Turner is not "brave" for calling out the issues now. Where was she since she got hired? She needs to go too.
I think they did get back some or all of the money from the credit card thing. It's honestly hard to tell the exact amounts.
I'm not sure what other mechanisms are available that would work. I just don't think there is much interest from the state's prosecutor or anyone else to take on a case like this.
Thank you Tom, for some interesting food for thought. I fully support a referendum - let the voters decide, as it were. I would have to think long and hard about voting yes on it, though. As a recently retired teacher, I saw up close and personal how unbelievably incompetent this board and administration have been (which is, in fact, why I left). I agree wholeheartedly with many of the comments about trusting them AGAIN with our tax dollars. These people got rid of reading specialists, brought in a joke of a "tutoring" program, and have repeatedly changed curriculum that has gotten worse with each iteration. I saw first hand the disaster of Horton's teacher training program. My building is falling apart, but so far down on the list because other buildings are even worse. However, at the end of the day, I believe in public education with all my heart. It is an unmitigated disaster what "we" have let happen. I was so sure in the last board election that we would get the change we needed, but voter apathy (19%?) and disinformation (d65 FB anyone?) left us with this. If they get their act together and even try for a referendum, I'm not sure how I will vote, only because you and others on this post have made a cogent argument for giving it one last try. God, I miss the days when I was so happy my kids went to d65 schools and I was teaching in one.
Overcommunicate and Empathy are two key attributes that the current Board Members and Superintendent are missing.
I will give you that those two traits won't solve the issue, but they will make the community rally behind the Board and find common ground on the problems ahead.
The current Board is delusional. I remember Sergio telling the public in one of the Board meetings in 2024 that his dream is to have a walking school for every kid of D65 (that was his reason for the Foster school)....well, how is his dream shaping up when they will have to close several schools?
D64 in Park Ridge passed a bond referendum in November specifically for capital improvements to their facilities. Can read about it here. https://www.d64.org/2024proposal
Granted, they are in much better financial shape than D65, but the care and thought and education into the proposal is good to see.
Sorry, but no to a referendum. I understand the situation around referendums, and the great need for updated buildings, etc., but seriously, fool me once, twice, but not a third time. I agree with the one comment...give me a new superintendent, one that comes to us after a national search and fully vetted; and a board that has had time to prove itself to be on point with goals and responsibilities of what a board is actually supposed to do. Evanston desires better, we can do better. Running a school district is complicated, multifaceted, and challenging but it's not rocket science and it's done well in a lot of places. It's time to get back to basics, get back to what our kids and teachers need. Let's see some positive action in those areas and then we can talk about a referendum.
The problem is that all these things take a long time, during which the money is going negative and the District is taking out short term loans to meet payroll, which only furthers the financial distress. Nationally vetting some amazing Superintendent won't do anything when the state has to step in
Hemingway said it best…
"How did you go bankrupt? Gradually, then suddenly"
No, I just meant 2013 was the last time I felt good about D65 and would have voted in favor of a referendum.
(My kids had not yet started school so I did not realize the layers upon
layers of dysfunction at D65.)
Oh yeah. I think this is actually probably the argument for why it will fail. Because of the 2020 shenanigans, a lot of families still live here but no longer have kids enrolled. I wrote about this a long time ago - but a school district where about half the kids who are eligible to enroll actually do is a crisis of legitimacy!
I agree with your brilliant plan for a referendum. I do not agree with the consolidation of #65 and #202. I would urge the districts to carefully vet their candidates, stop hiring as administrators deemed "unfit to hire, unfit to lead." Stop top $$ devoted to top heavy administration and put the $$ toward teachers. The districts have a long history of buying out contracts of unqualified, under vetted administrators . RJP
NO, just NO frickin' way.
You say we should pass a new referendum even though:
-The last one was misused.
-Without some sort of written guarantee about what the money will be used for, why should we vote yes?
-Halfway through the article, all of a sudden you call this a "capitol improvement" referendum but earlier in the article you say, in essence, that we might have to use the referendum dollars to replace federal dollars (which are not capitol improvement dollars). So which is it?
-No, no, no to anything until after the new board is in place and has a record of doing something concrete to get us out of this mess.
How do you propose the District get out of the mess it is in without one
So just throw good money in after bad??
I've been writing here for two years about all the bad ways that the District has burned money. I've been the most publicly critical person of the District and used my real name through the entire thing unlike the vast majority of anonymous commenters here. I've gone to Board meetings and spoke publicly on the subject. There is nobody on Earth that knows more about D65's "bad money" than me.
Yet, when I say "hey, things like look they are improving maybe here are some options" the entire comment section shows up to doubt me and say things like this.
I've gotten more hate about this story than literally any other story I've written. And I wasn't even advocating for people to *vote* for a referendum! I was just suggesting it's something that might be a good idea to put on the ballot for reasons x, y or z - which I contend are completely valid (and independent) reasons.
I get it, some % of you guys just want to punish D65 because a bunch of people ripped us off. But at the end of the day, it's the kids and families that will feel the pain, not Dr. Horton or Obafemi or the prior board members who set the 2017 referendum money on fire. It's total bullshit that the State's Prosecutor or the Department of Education doesn't do shit about these folks that clearly defrauded us, but we can only move forward.
Fair enough about anonymous commenters. My name is Lisa Pildes and I will change my name on your substack but I can't figure out how to. And I apologize that my comments sound like a personal attack. They aren't, truly. I, and many, many others are grateful to have you as a resource. I disagree with you on this but I do respect what you are doing.
Sorry I barked at you here - I'm going through some personal stuff today that just set me off and you were the cannon fodder! I'm sincerely sorry
I think there is something that can be done about the defrauding. I still owe you an update email.
What you’ve got here is a bureaucracy! Unlike the Catholic schools that aren’t because they have a limited budget D65 will keep hiring more consultants and administrators because they can. Give the bureaucracy more money and that’s what they’ll do It sounds good to elect new board members but if they don’t understand education, special education services, etc the bureaucracy will just grow. Some administrators will say we have to use cabs to transport students and that’s what they will do
This is true until money runs out, then no more anything. Unlike the feds, D65 can’t print money
I am a solid NO vote on a referendum until I see the board hire a new superintendent with turnaround experience (and they conduct a search in the open), cut administrative bloat, provide a realistic assessment of the financial implications of walking away from the Foster school project (assuming we can still do that).
No way in hell would I vote for a referendum in April.
We may have 16 qualified candidates running, but you are already seeing that those connected with the old guard/old guard mentality (Sorensen, Wymer, Pinkard, Anderson) are the ones developing campaign infrastructure like fundraising committees and websites.
We really need to see the new board makeup and their actual actions before a referendum is presented to the community.
Be very weary of those connected to the old guard, DPOE, etc.
Sadly, I’m afraid we’re going to end up getting the same old same old. Honestly —I just don’t think that the people living here care enough to engage, go against the grain, and revolt.
Also, I can’t wait for the candidate forums where the same shitty questions get asked, and we see the same tired BS that got us here in the first place. Just ask some of the past non-incumbents how they fared when they went against the grain, saw a different way forward, and spoke the truth. The STPs (same thirty people) and their acolytes seized on them like piranhas. Just look over at the D65 parents & guardians page to get a taste of what the town bullies are saying & what’s to come. 🤮
I think it was Donna Su who said to the RoundTable that she felt ok leaving the board because she talked to ‘good people’ who were going to run.
I wish she and her fellow board members would endorse candidates so I know who to cross off my list!
As it stands Sorensen, Pinkard, Wymer and Anderson all have major red flags that make it easy to exclude from consideration.