YOUR HELP IS NEEDED!! School district continues trying to slam-dunk the early release/calendar for 2005-06 school year
In an effort to resolve the ongoing frustration between parents in the Oshkosh Area School District and the Board of Education over the early release/calendar for the upcoming school year, school board member Dan Becker drafted the following Calendar Survey and requested that the administration copy it and send it home with children last week so their parents could have a chance to response prior to the May 25 school board meeting.
Following is what Mr. Becker said he was told by the administration about his request:
“I was informed by administration that any input at this point was best used
in working on future calendars and not making alterations to any existing
calendar. In addition, I was told that some concern was expressed by Tom
McDermott that since the full BOE has not approved this survey it was not
appropriate to utilize School District resources to distribute it,” Becker told Eye on Oshkosh.
The interesting thing about this last part of the comment is that the original calendar survey was sent out by the school district, presumably with school district resources (i.e. our tax dollars). More importantly, Becker says he poured through minutes from past school board meetings and could find nothing where a vote was ever taken by the school board to approve the original survey. If that is the case, then it would seem our school administration is trying to stack the deck in their favor and they have some questions to answer to Mr. Becker and parents in the entire Oshkosh Area School District.
We realize that time before tonight’s school board meeting is short, but Dan Becker would like whatever input from the community he can get between now and then concerning his survey and the administration’s most recent response to him. Feel free to call your school board members and/or attend tonight’s school board meeting beginning at 7 p.m. at the administration office on So. Eagle Street next to Tipler Middle School. If you cannot act before tonight’s meeting, your voice still needs to be heard and you are encouraged to call or write your school board members.
- Cheryl Hentz
The following comments are owned by whomever posted them. This site is not responsible for what they say.
YOUR HELP IS NEEDED!! School district continues trying to slam-dunk the early release/calendar for 2005-06 school year
Authored by: tthiel on Wednesday, May 25 2005 @ 04:59 PM MDT
What Mr. Becker fails to realize, is that as a single board member he does not have the authority to direct the administration to do anything. Only the Board, acting by resolution can direct administration to act. I'm not sure what "original survey" is being referred to. If it is the letter that went home asking people to call if they had problems, that was not something an individual board member directed the administration to do so there would not be a need for the board to approve it. The board has been dicussing the calendar for some time (I would guess it started in Jan. if not sooner) so why didn't Mr. Schneider or Mr. Becker ask that a survey be distributed while the board and union were negotiating this issue rather than at the 11th hour?
YOUR HELP IS NEEDED!! School district continues trying to slam-dunk the early release/calendar for 2005-06 school year
Authored by: Anonymous on Wednesday, May 25 2005 @ 07:12 PM MDT
Because it was in the "11th hour" that more than 600 parents expressed concern about the calendar and were summarily dismissed by our school board. That's why it was brought forward.
YOUR HELP IS NEEDED!! School district continues trying to slam-dunk the early release/calendar for 2005-06 school year
Authored by: Anonymous on Thursday, May 26 2005 @ 09:06 AM MDT
While discussions with Admin, and teachers union may have been taking place in Jan if not earlier, when were the parents told, or even asked for their input to this calendar? We are the parents after all, we do pay for the services rendered correct?
Was it not the 11th hour Ms. Thiel?
YOUR HELP IS NEEDED!! School district continues trying to slam-dunk the early release/calendar for 2005-06 school year
Authored by: Anonymous on Thursday, May 26 2005 @ 12:40 PM MDT
Actually the changes to the early release days in the calendar were partially in response to concerns expressed by parents last year that the release days be the same for all grade levels.
My point was that neither Mr. Becker or Mr. Schneider asked that parent input be sought before the calendar was approved during negotiations nor did they ask the board for such a survey after the first vote or even after the second vote and waiting till one week before the third vote on the calendar to send out a survey, and again not asking the board to direct the administration to distribute the survey but trying to direct administration as an INDIVIDUAL board member, this is not appropriate one board member has no such authority, only the board acting by resolution has such power. At some point as a board member you need to move on and not keep bringing back the same issue over and over again.
tthiel
YOUR HELP IS NEEDED!! School district continues trying to slam-dunk the early release/calendar
Authored by: Anonymous on Thursday, May 26 2005 @ 12:53 PM MDT
Mrs. Thiel is false when she indicates I didn't ask for parent input...(Were you in the closed door meeting?).....In fact, there were specific comments in response to my asking for public input PRIOR to vote of "we are elected to make decisions" along lines of we don't need to ask......If you wish to go there, I will elaborate more and people will only become more upset with the Yes voters as they will realize how truly poor this whole process was!...I specifically did and asked for time to allow public to express input.....But it doesn't matter, does it Mrs. Thiel, as your definition of compromise is for us to see your point of view?.........A point of view, I might add, that resulted in your being voted off the Board........
Ben Schneider II
YOUR HELP IS NEEDED!! School district continues trying to slam-dunk the early release/calendar
Authored by: Anonymous on Thursday, May 26 2005 @ 07:19 PM MDT
Way to go Ben! I think that this situation has gotten way out of control. The calendar seems to be set, much to our dismay. I still think that collaboration is a good thing if the appropriate format is developed and followed. Rather than 75 minutes per session, wouldn't a Friday afternoon (2-3 hours), once a month be much more productive? I applaud your effort in bringing this matter up, meeting after meeting, despite the criticism. I hope that our persistance in this matter can make a difference for the next calendar. Or, even better, April is just around the corner!
Kent Monte
Following is what Mr. Becker said he was told by the administration about his request:
“I was informed by administration that any input at this point was best used
in working on future calendars and not making alterations to any existing
calendar. In addition, I was told that some concern was expressed by Tom
McDermott that since the full BOE has not approved this survey it was not
appropriate to utilize School District resources to distribute it,” Becker told Eye on Oshkosh.
The interesting thing about this last part of the comment is that the original calendar survey was sent out by the school district, presumably with school district resources (i.e. our tax dollars). More importantly, Becker says he poured through minutes from past school board meetings and could find nothing where a vote was ever taken by the school board to approve the original survey. If that is the case, then it would seem our school administration is trying to stack the deck in their favor and they have some questions to answer to Mr. Becker and parents in the entire Oshkosh Area School District.
We realize that time before tonight’s school board meeting is short, but Dan Becker would like whatever input from the community he can get between now and then concerning his survey and the administration’s most recent response to him. Feel free to call your school board members and/or attend tonight’s school board meeting beginning at 7 p.m. at the administration office on So. Eagle Street next to Tipler Middle School. If you cannot act before tonight’s meeting, your voice still needs to be heard and you are encouraged to call or write your school board members.
- Cheryl Hentz
The following comments are owned by whomever posted them. This site is not responsible for what they say.
YOUR HELP IS NEEDED!! School district continues trying to slam-dunk the early release/calendar for 2005-06 school year
Authored by: tthiel on Wednesday, May 25 2005 @ 04:59 PM MDT
What Mr. Becker fails to realize, is that as a single board member he does not have the authority to direct the administration to do anything. Only the Board, acting by resolution can direct administration to act. I'm not sure what "original survey" is being referred to. If it is the letter that went home asking people to call if they had problems, that was not something an individual board member directed the administration to do so there would not be a need for the board to approve it. The board has been dicussing the calendar for some time (I would guess it started in Jan. if not sooner) so why didn't Mr. Schneider or Mr. Becker ask that a survey be distributed while the board and union were negotiating this issue rather than at the 11th hour?
YOUR HELP IS NEEDED!! School district continues trying to slam-dunk the early release/calendar for 2005-06 school year
Authored by: Anonymous on Wednesday, May 25 2005 @ 07:12 PM MDT
Because it was in the "11th hour" that more than 600 parents expressed concern about the calendar and were summarily dismissed by our school board. That's why it was brought forward.
YOUR HELP IS NEEDED!! School district continues trying to slam-dunk the early release/calendar for 2005-06 school year
Authored by: Anonymous on Thursday, May 26 2005 @ 09:06 AM MDT
While discussions with Admin, and teachers union may have been taking place in Jan if not earlier, when were the parents told, or even asked for their input to this calendar? We are the parents after all, we do pay for the services rendered correct?
Was it not the 11th hour Ms. Thiel?
YOUR HELP IS NEEDED!! School district continues trying to slam-dunk the early release/calendar for 2005-06 school year
Authored by: Anonymous on Thursday, May 26 2005 @ 12:40 PM MDT
Actually the changes to the early release days in the calendar were partially in response to concerns expressed by parents last year that the release days be the same for all grade levels.
My point was that neither Mr. Becker or Mr. Schneider asked that parent input be sought before the calendar was approved during negotiations nor did they ask the board for such a survey after the first vote or even after the second vote and waiting till one week before the third vote on the calendar to send out a survey, and again not asking the board to direct the administration to distribute the survey but trying to direct administration as an INDIVIDUAL board member, this is not appropriate one board member has no such authority, only the board acting by resolution has such power. At some point as a board member you need to move on and not keep bringing back the same issue over and over again.
tthiel
YOUR HELP IS NEEDED!! School district continues trying to slam-dunk the early release/calendar
Authored by: Anonymous on Thursday, May 26 2005 @ 12:53 PM MDT
Mrs. Thiel is false when she indicates I didn't ask for parent input...(Were you in the closed door meeting?).....In fact, there were specific comments in response to my asking for public input PRIOR to vote of "we are elected to make decisions" along lines of we don't need to ask......If you wish to go there, I will elaborate more and people will only become more upset with the Yes voters as they will realize how truly poor this whole process was!...I specifically did and asked for time to allow public to express input.....But it doesn't matter, does it Mrs. Thiel, as your definition of compromise is for us to see your point of view?.........A point of view, I might add, that resulted in your being voted off the Board........
Ben Schneider II
YOUR HELP IS NEEDED!! School district continues trying to slam-dunk the early release/calendar
Authored by: Anonymous on Thursday, May 26 2005 @ 07:19 PM MDT
Way to go Ben! I think that this situation has gotten way out of control. The calendar seems to be set, much to our dismay. I still think that collaboration is a good thing if the appropriate format is developed and followed. Rather than 75 minutes per session, wouldn't a Friday afternoon (2-3 hours), once a month be much more productive? I applaud your effort in bringing this matter up, meeting after meeting, despite the criticism. I hope that our persistance in this matter can make a difference for the next calendar. Or, even better, April is just around the corner!
Kent Monte
posted by Cheryl Hentz at 1:46 PM
<< Home