The meeting of the District 200 board last night was both heartening, and disgraceful to watch.
It was heartening to hear the eloquence, reasoned thought, and commitment evident in the current board of Ranney, Rigas, Fernandez, Conway, Fisher, Greenwald, and Millard. The time and commitment that these people have put into this job and into this search for the superintendent is commendable. It is gratifying to see this group working together for all students (some of these board members do not even have children at the school). It was gratifying to hear from people like Mike Gibbs who works tirelessly for the Huskie Boosters just because of a belief and love for OPRF High School.
On the other hand, it was disgraceful to see the Bermans, Wyanetta Johnson and others completely disparage the board, turn their backs (literally) to the current board members and then leave before hearing the explanation of each board member regarding the length, breadth and process of this superintendent search. It is mind-boggling to think that the board had to sit through these tirades repeatedly throughout the years.
Mr. Rigas went on to say that he received an e-mail from Ms. Johnson saying that the APPLE group refuses to work with Mr. Weninger. What happened to the kids in this equation? My question to Ms. Johnson is: How committed are you to changing things for the better at OPRF or is this a sounding board to spread blame and criticism for your woes? Where are the voices of reason and civility in your organization? Next time, you better send them.
Lastly, I would strongly encourage everyone in this community to make it a goal to attend a board meeting. Let the voices of reasoned discourse and civility rule the day.
Janet Weis
