Last night I watched the village board meeting online. I could not be at the meeting physically, but I wanted to follow it and fortunately the village board has made the meeting available online. Also, I know a number of residents have had concerns about the village board recently so they have contacted the trustees who were open and available individually to hear the residents' concerns.
However, when I asked the D25 board about community input, The board President said in a July 14, 2016 email, “We meet regularly with our constituents: most often it is via phone, email, or in person in one-on-one meetings...for example, when you talked to me briefly after the last meeting. Also, there is a Board Rep who meets regularly with the ABC25 group and a rep that meets with the PTA Council, and then there are the various D25 events thru the school year we go to (parent nights at the schools, PTA meetings, Cultural Arts nights, community forums, etc.).” However, There has not been a board member at a single PTA meeting at my kids’ school in 2 years! Additionally, these meetings are closed to the general public. The Board cannot adequately represent the community if it does not regularly communicate with parents, teachers and the community at large.
Additionally, what should be simple and clear communication vehicles are not even correct. For example, some of the email addresses and phone numbers have been incorrectly listed on the School Board’s website. When parents have reached out to individual board members, they have refused to respond to emails and phone calls. In a July 13, 2016 email to a number of parents, Board President Page said, “As the president, I am the spokesperson for the Board and am responding on our behalf to your group.”
This leaves parents and the general constituency wondering what the other board members think about the issues facing our schools. It also leaves us wondering whether there is a free exchange of ideas and opinions. We must vote for four board members, and we should be entitled to hear from all of them about the important issues involved in our children’s education. Individual board members should be free to contact their constituents and there should be more opportunity to connect with the public.
Board members should have a public presence at community events; they should have a monthly open house coffee or brown bag lunch where constituents can come and discuss aspects of the school district.
