Should school districts consolidate?

When was the last time you went to a school board meeting?

Why is Tuesday night the popular night for school board meetings? Take a look at the scheduling conflict with other public meetings, such as City Council, Township, County Board. It's hard to be everywhere at once; right?

Marengo is in the news. Four schools - in three different school districts! What kind of administrative duplication is there? The killer type! No wonder taxpayers there keep turning down referenda.

McHenry? A high school School District with only two schools in it?

Now look at Woodstock. One early learning center. Six elementary schools. Two middle schools. Two high schools. One therapeutic day school. ONE SCHOOL DISTRICT.

Look at your property tax bills for the past five years. Don't just pay it and ignore it. Of course, you will pay it, because most property taxes are escrowed out of your total bank payment.

Frankly, I don't know how people afford to live in Woodstock or even in McHenry County. Property taxes are out of sight. And that's because people just pay the bill, blow off a little steam about it, and go back to work.

Another stupid Z-T case

Z-T? Zero Tolerance. You know - where a school district jumps up on its pedestal and takes a stand on an indefensible position on "weapons", when in fact, no "weapon" was involved.

Parents must get involved with their kids' school district before some insane position is taken and a "consequence" (penalty! discipline!) is needlessly inflicted on a student.

The problem with school discipline is that the discipline is administered immediately. If a student is going to be suspended for 3-5-10-20 days, he's out. Sure, he can appeal it. If he wins, how does he get that period of time, for which he was out of school, back? He doesn't!

In this case a Lansingburgh High School (Troy, N.Y. area) senior, Matthew Whalen (photo above), was suspended for 20 days because he had a two-inch pocket knife in the glove compartment his car. Whalen, an honor student, Eagle Scout and National Guardsman who returns to school today, is fighting to clear his name.

Lansingburgh Central School District Superintendent George Goodwin ruled it was a weapon that is forbidden on school property under Lansingburgh's "zero-tolerance" policy on weapons.

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You can read the whole story at www.troyrecord.com/articles/2009/10/20/news/doc4add45ae92bc5185554251.txt#story_comments

Okay, local parents. It's time to get involved with your school districts now. Do not wait for your child to get caught up in this type of insanity.

Contact your school administrator nows, and don't do it alone. Bring up the topic at school board meetings. Form parent groups at all the schools in your district. Understand exactly what is and what is not a weapon. If you have a knife in the trunk or glove compartment of your car, it only becomes a weapon if you take it out and brandish it at someone. An inanimate object in your car is not a weapon!