D204 sets timeline for new HS

Now that the land hurdle is behind us, we can actually start to build a high school.

Thanks to the church, SB, etc for getting this done.

Let's see how long it takes for the name calling and the venom and the accusations of elitism and racism from both sides of this issue to come out. Let's see how long it takes before posters using language that most of us would be horrified to have our children use in a public forum.

Is there no way for the people interested in this issue to keep the discourse and disagreement civil? I challange all (and the Moderators too) to not let this discussion sink into the cesspool.

I'm thrilled that construction will be starting soon on the much needed third high school. My child will not benefit as she will already be out of school by then, but it is great for 204 as a whole and that is what the focus should be for now - educating the students and improving the school district.

Thanks to AME and the tenacious efforts of Dr. Daeschner and Mark Metzger, we will finally have a third high school. They have worked tremendously through all the mud slinging and stayed focused. I applaud them for doing the right thing. I only hope Linda Holmes does not go unpunished for her tampering and her efforts to try and derail this project. She also should be thanking the church for stepping in as if this didn't go through, the district would be heading for a disaster with overcrowding and a domino effect of misfortune throughout the district.

It's an embarrassment to our district.

It's amazing.

It's the biggest bait and switch in the history of school districts.

The saddest part is the "overcrowding" argument they (sb) claimed as their "need" to move on the school now.

NOT one (1) resident spoke up about that need at the last meeting.
In fact, the people who would be affected by the overcrowded were pleading to slow down and not build there.

They are building this school with the knowledge that it was not passed. They are building this school against the will of the district.

It should be illegal. I sincerely think this desire was the desire of a "few" who were just tired and upset with NVHS being as nice as it was. Thus, the opportunity to build a new shiny school up North (were no one would vote it in) became available, and they took it.

Sad. And evidence is in the NSFOC lawsuit and the 5 to 1 attendees at the sb meeting asking them to slow down.

The fix was in. Let's face it. Stop trying to spin it. They should be ashamed of themselves.

Thank you to the board, administration, AME and all others who worked thru the challenges to get this moving. Thanks their families as well as the stress of this process takes a toll on them as well. I pray that we as a community can move beyond the anger and hurt that was felt on all sides of this issue. Go Mustangs!

Just imagine where we would be if the BB Trust was as cooperative as the church.

GREED, GREED, GREED....

Confused and Confounded: I (and a lot of others, it looks) wholeheartedly accept your challenge! I've been keeping tabs on these threads as well, and I've been extremely encouraged by the majority of recent postings in "Salvation for 3rd HS Site?" It seems to me that folks on both sides of this issue have begun to lay down their firearms and make the best of this situation. If you haven't already, check out the "Salvation" thread postings from the past 24 hours. Of course, there are still those "rotten apples" who are determined to be a part of the problem instead of part of the solution. However, you'll find people from the "North" extending a welcome to the soon-to-be new attendees of WVHS, as well as residents of the "South" excited about the opportunity to help their new school continue to improve and flourish. I think we all can acknowledge the fact that our kids are watching us and learning from how we choose to handle this matter. So, "Confused," please don't lose heart! I haven't...I'm quite hopeful.

I'm very happy the SB is moving forward as quickly as possible. Hopefully, the lawsuit filed by the few residents will be dropped, and the BB settlement will only be for the fees owed to them (which is how I read it).

Re: Confused and Confounded Maybe it is time to encourage folks to write in non-combative styles. Many bloggers have mastered this art, here are a few that I came up with from the past blog:

Wvhs Already Great Dollar and sense New W V Parent

Eola Poor Choice MR Perspective Warrior Pride SC

Big Picture Issues Incredulous Civics Lilly &

Greg Forrest (aka Fast Times)

These folks emulate imho what a successful blog should look like. Another addition many of the anony. folks.

I am going to make the following comment from an objective point of view, so all you haters back off.

In my opinion, this saga is a long way from "over". You can bring out the grading equipment and even start digging a hole in the ground (watch out for those giant gas pipes!), but we have NOT heard the last from the NSFOC, the Brach Trust, and the Brodie Trust. Plus all of the other ancillary characters in this drama...i.e, Linda Holmes, Sidley & Austin, etc.

That is where the problem rests.

The ongoing litigation is NOT A SEPARATE ISSUE from the construction of MVHS at Eola. All of this is tied to the construction of a third high school. You can try to detach it, hope it doesn't amount to anything, and then high five about MVHS getting built.

But take some time to read the Brodie suit. Consider that they now are working with arguably the most powerful lawfirm in the state of Illinois, and that they are hoppin mad at 204. Metzger can tell the press that the suit has no merit, but do you really think this power team would be gathering right now if the case was fluff? Even if you think the odds of a Brodie victory are, whatever, 25%. That is still a HUGE overhang on this district. A HUGE overhang on the 204 budget. And a HUGE overhang on our wallets and our reputation as a community.

If they prevail, which I personally think there is far greater than 25% chance that they will, Metzger and Dash are going to play the victim role, call everybody else evil and "anti-kids" and then ask all of us to get out our wallets. They'll point out that thank God THEY are able to put kids first, unlike those heathens Brach and Brodie (and NSFOC of course, they never miss a chance to throw them under the bus). They'll point at their brand new MVHS at Eola, and say "See! We're the good guys!"

Folks, this is real. This is not without merit. And this continues to exist because the Board and Dash continue to pretend like it does NOT exist.

Think about it.

And while you're at it, do a little research on Sidley & Austin and decide if you'd like to take them on.

I for one am disappointed. Aside from this episode devolving into a class debate fraught with insults and half-truths, the SB & superintendent have shown that they lack both the character & ability to rise above the fray. Rather they too have allowed themselves a role in this debacle.

Matea will be long stigmatized, the community is fractured and most importantly the rational voice of the community (those who are in favor of allowing the ENTIRE district a say in the where and most importantly how much questions related to Matea) has been alienated to an extent that I fear a feeling of apathy may win out over involvement. I say this because it seems that the one who shouts loadest and last wins.

(Full Disclosure: I would feel the same way if the SB simpy capitulated to the NSFOC however because their activities may ultimately result in providing all of the voters in 204 a voice in the Matea placement I wish them well.)

I'm surprised it didn't make today's paper that the district closed on the land yesterday. This was verified by Curt Bradshaw last night at Fry.

Good for the Board. Maybe the campaign to take away the North Siders' neighborhood school can now dry up and go away, and I hope NSFOC's members are prepared to compensate taxpayers for the extra $2.3 million they've cost us.

What a load of horse hocky!

Rush to buy the land, rush to build the school. Open it up without everything in place. Deja vu WV grand opening.

Same thing as WV fast forward 30 years. WV was a piece of garbage when it was built with a ridiculous "open" floor plan due to a brain cramp suffered by the SB many decades ago and sold a bill of goods by the then golden child architect.
WV is still a piece of garbage building that has suffered thru knee jerk building additions without ever having a master plan to guide it. It has suffered from years of neglect and deferred maintenance. It has pretty much used up it's useful life and is not too far from needing to be replaced.

Fast forward to present and we have parents and a SB who are rushing to build another piece of garbage building. Rushing just to get it open. Just to try to meet self imposed deadlines.

NO ONE HAS STOPPED TO REALLY LOOK IN DEPTH AT WHAT WE ARE ABOUT TO BUILD. NO ONE HAS DUG INTO THE DETAILS. ALL A LOT OF PEOPLE WANT IS A BUILDING NO MATTER WHAT.

Well I for one do care. I want a well built quality building that is equal to or better than how NV was constructed. I do not want my tax dollars wasted on another disposable building that was rushed to completion.

If we let this happen we will pay and pay and pay for these poor decisions. Look over the last 2-3 year period and count up the number of really poor decisions this SB has made. How many really, really poor decisions are we going to let them make? How many really, really poor decisions are we going to let them make before WE ALL say ENOUGH IS ENOUGH?

How soon do you think it will be before the first injuntion to STOP CONSTRUCTION will be filed? How has MM and the rest of the SB factored that into their timeline?

To Matea Either Way

First, Metea is spelled with an "e", not an "a". Secondly, the school will only be stigmatized if people perpetuate those labels. Stop saying that and it won't become a self-fulfilling prophecy. Metea will be a wonderful high school, I have no doubt, joining both WVHS and NVHS in providing a great education to 204 students.

M-E-T-E-A

M-E-T-E-A

M-E-T-E-A

M-E-T-E-A

M-E-T-E-A

looks like its not only the kids who need the 3rd HS

I forgot to add that Chad was only in the disappointed club for a few days - try to swallow the pill of being in the disappointed club for ever and then call the residence of White Eagle and Tall grass "elitists," when you are able to swallow the pill you are expecting others to take - like loosing your precious Metea - then I do not think you are in a position to call anybody names. And quite frankly I would definetely leave the church out of it especially if you want to call people you have never met "elitists!"

To Moderator Jim: I take issue with the following partial quote from your blog thread "So, at long last, it looks like everyone will walk away happy."

Not even a question mark at the end???????

In any case, I am fairly certain that "I for one, am not walking away happy persay." The only way I could have walked away happy was if the entire district had the same voice input into the new location as what was done for the BB location. GREAT POST by "Metea either way"

From your article May 7th is the start date for construction. does anyone know where all the diggers/bulldozers are going to be coming from? ie are they going to be blocking any roads? I got stuck this morning behind a couple of WIDE LOAD trucks carrying construction equipment. Would definately like to steer clear of those bad boys when things really get ramped up. need to find some alternate roads to utilize.

From BigMike : "And a HUGE overhang on .... our reputation as a community."

Sorry - that boat has sailed.

And for MarkM mentioning the 5 to 1 attendance ratio at the school board meeting:
1) Attendance (due to space)is limited at the sb meetings
2) A majority of people will show up at a (any) meeting in which they are at odds with the actions of a commission or board - fewer people will make time in a busy schedule to attend a meeting at which the actions of the board coincide with their views. As an example: How many park district, library, planning commission, city council, fire district, etc board meetings have you atteneded lately? Hence, most D204 citizens that agree with the sb felt no compunction to take up space in the crowded meeting room to exhibit that agreement.

Moderator Jim to Greg Forrest: Operative word "looks" - that's for you guys to decide as you weigh in with your comments. It's all about your perception, reality etc. Just because something "looks" a certain way doesn't mean it really is.

I agree with Northside Bob's post. I think the NSFOC should be responsible for the additional $2.3 million this tragedy has cost us.

Right on Active Citizen. It always seem you get bigger crowds with people who don't agree with you on something. I am quite happy with the way the SB has handled things. No need for me to show up. I sent them an email thanking all of them for their countless long hours of meetings and more importantly for their families. How many of us would be willing to spend as much time as they have away from their families? Not I!

But from the looks of things our next election is going to have hundreds of names of the ballots. All those complaining I'm assuming are going to run to make it better. Or are they the typical people who critize the work volunteers do at all levels but never offer to help.

***By Anonymous on April 17, 2008 10:48 AM
I agree with Northside Bob's post. I think the NSFOC should be responsible for the additional $2.3 million this tragedy has cost us.****

They will be, as well as me, you and everyone else in 204.......and by the way, the same goes with all other settlements/litigation stemming from the placement of Metea.

$2.3M! Forget about it. That's going to be pennies compare to the BB cost.

By Anonymous on April 17, 2008 10:48 AM
I agree with Northside Bob's post. I think the NSFOC should be responsible for the additional $2.3 million this tragedy has cost us.
.............
That's the same thinking that got us in this mess to begin with. You think it is ok for the SB to have and use two legal teams at taxpayers’ expense but one Community Group who oppose this SB is not allowed to bring legal action due to a precedence the SB set. You can't sue for spite. The SB/Taxpayers will pay all of the legal fees and there will be no counter suit because there is no case. When the judge rules in the NSFOC lawsuit we will find out who is on the right side of the law, and then that will fuel the BB case. If one wins they will all win. The SB is not in a position to ask for money's to pay their legal teams to defend themselves. If I am wrong, show me the documentation that shows a precedent where a SB was able to successfully get back legal fees from someone who sued them.

Oh we won't be suing for spite - that's what the NSFOC did. The NSFOC has caused us money - the sb has saved us money - kudos to the SB.

To Anonymous on April 17, 2008 9:52 AM
What a load of horse hocky!

Rush to buy the land, rush to build the school. Open it up without everything in place. Deja vu WV grand opening.

Same thing as WV fast forward 30 years. WV was a piece of garbage when it was built with a ridiculous "open" floor plan due to a brain cramp suffered by the SB many decades ago and sold a bill of goods by the then golden child architect.
WV is still a piece of garbage building that has suffered thru knee jerk building additions without ever having a master plan to guide it. It has suffered from years of neglect and deferred maintenance. It has pretty much used up it's useful life and is not too far from needing to be replaced.

Fast forward to present and we have parents and a SB who are rushing to build another piece of garbage building. Rushing just to get it open. Just to try to meet self imposed deadlines.

-----------------------------------------------------------------

You couldn't be farther off base. In case you weren't aware, this is the same building design that would have went on BB, they didn't design it over the weekend. Just to give you a little perspective, the Sears Tower which has 110 floors and 4.4 million gross square feet, was completed and had occupancy in 36 months. Surely an experienced construction crew (like Turner) can complete a 3000 student facility in 17 months.

Check out:

http://www.sidley.com/default.aspx

This is who Dash, MM, Alka, Glawe, Bradshaw and whoever else is stuffed into their little clown car are going to be up against in the BB litigation.

All that litigation goes away if you just build the school where you told the electorate you'd build it.

I am still dumbfounded as to the support the SB is getting for settling on the Eola site. Half of the school district does NOT support the building of a 3rd HS at Eola and thousands of homeowners could see their property values decline by ~10%.

Consider the following:

1. Boundaries...shouldn't it have been a requirement that every student be afforded the opportunity to either stay at their current school or be given an opportunity to go to the new MV? People's current home values are based in part on which high school they belong to. If everyone got to stay at their current school or go the new Metea Valley, then no one's property values would have gone down...it would have either stayed the same or gone up. This is the difference between being disappointed (which I can accept) and being screwed (which I don't accept). For the people who currently go to WV, you could argue that a redistrict to MV would improve their property values, so the only people who would be disappointed would be the people who are currently at WV and would stay at WV (no chance for a property value increase), but they wouldn't be screwed because they would be in the same position as before.

Instead, people being redistricted from NV to WV could see their homes decline in value by tens of thousands of dollars. Any time someone in TG or WE sells their home or tries to refinance, they may as well be sending a $50,000 check to a family who moved from WV to MV and saw a similar increase (instead of decrease)to their property value.

For the people who support the building at Eola, would you still support it if the district personally billed you $50,000 to build there? And on top of that, increase your property taxes to send you to the least desireable HS in the district?

2. Logistics: The location of a 3rd HS that far north does not make sense. When the referendum passed in 2006, the population center of the district was located near the Walgreen's on the corner of 87th and Route 59. Today, the population center of the district is near the Wendy's on 95th street. I think most would be surprised to know that in 2009, both NV and WV would both be located NORTH of where the center of population of D204 is. If we should be building anywhere, it should be south, not north.

3. District discontent: The SB is engaged in a propaganda campaign to convince supporters of the EOLA site that supporters are in the majority and that the dissenters are a vocal minority. Given the number of people who voted NO in 2006 and the number of people who voted YES, but now regret that vote, I think an educated guess of the % of households in the district who are against building on EOLA is somewhere between 45% - 65%. With that much discontent, which has not been recognized by the SB, there is no way that we are ever going to be able to operate MV because an operations referendum will never pass.

The decision to build on Eola will be one that the district will regret for the next generation; its unfortunate that more people don't see that.

I don't know what the best answer is to resolve the overcrowding issue, but I do know that building a 3rd HS on the Eola site is not it.

By Anonymous on April 17, 2008 11:50 AM
Oh we won't be suing for spite - that's what the NSFOC did. The NSFOC has caused us money - the sb has saved us money - kudos to the SB.
_____________________________

The SB has saved us money? How is that? How many millions did we waste pursuing BB land?

5 million dollars in legal fees- already gone
??? millions spent on lobbyist fees pursuing quick take
Damages that could exceed 20 million dollars.

Someone needs to FOIA the invoices for the quick take lobbyist the SB hired.

Do it quick before they destroy or alter the documents. I believe some of that is already happening.

This is great news for the community as a whole. Let's start digging....

It is also great news for the health and safety of TG residents. Now that Metea is moving forward, we can all focus our attention on stopping construction of the "death bridge" being built over rt 59 near the TG community.

Thanks to NSFOC, we are now very aware of the dangers of EMF. Therefore, the bridge, which is right under the high voltage power lines, and brings pedestrains within 50 feet of the EMF source, can be brought to a halt.

After all, it's all about safety, right NSFOC?

District 204 is now the proud owner of the AME land. The closing was yesterday and we now have title to the property in hand. Congratulations to the community!

Actually, 6 to 1 against the new school would be the vote.

There were only 20+ people in support for Metea being built, and they were all Waubansie people.

Now, if there were more supporters they would shown up.

It's Brookdale. Also, does anyone NOT doubt that this was all drawn up years ago? When we were being feed BB land? c'mon.

You don't sell and buy 84 acres in a couple days. Not even the best firesales in business happen like that.

This was a done deal as soon as the BB land price was a "issue" -- the SB members who wanted a school up North saw an opportunity..

I want to thank the school board for working so quickly to resolve the concerns of everyone in the community. They were able to address the concerns of the toxic soil, prove to us that the power lines really are no danger, and by the looks of layout of the property, put the school a safe distance away from those very dangerous rail road tracks.

I have a child that will be attending High School next year but will not be attending Metea. Metea will help make his high school experience much better than my daughter's has been with the extremly over crowded situation at Nequa.

Thank you once again for having the conviction and courage to not be bullied by a few and do what is best for all of the students of the district.

So Mark M, who shot Kennedy?
You seem to be in to conspiracy theories. Maybe you would enjoy the blogs about the show LOST-- full of intricate theories...

It has already been posted that many many supporters of the SB and the Eola location did not attend the meeting as they felt confident the SB would do make the best decision for the district. Also, I think it is a bit extreme to thing that the whole BB saga was just for show. No one could have predicted how this would all play out. If the board has been trying to buy the AME land since 2005 (and the owners weren't interested in selling...) it is because a northern location makes SENSE.

Way to go SB and Administration. I wish you some much needed peace.

To all of the above bloggers who are still angrily obsessing about the NSFOC--

The district closed on the Eola land yesterday and you still can't give this up. So many of you are determined to keep the hate and unproductive dialogue going for as long as you can.

The NSFOC is not this school district's biggest problem. The law firms representing the BB Trusts in their $40.2 million (so far) damage claims are. That's who we need to worry about. That's the real monster bearing down on 204.

The pro-Eola camp has been jeering for weeks about how small and insignificant the NSFOC is, yet you continue to make them larger than life with your threats and verbal battering. You are so focused on kicking around the little dog that you fail to notice the rest of the pack is planning to have you for lunch.

If you don't get a grip soon, you'll be scattered to the winds when the BB storm hits.

By Anonymous on April 17, 2008 11:50 AM
Oh we won't be suing for spite - that's what the NSFOC did. The NSFOC has caused us money - the sb has saved us money - kudos to the SB.
**************************************************************

Did you read the lawsuits? It clearly states the legal issues involved (Not for Spite). If you don't want to read and express the truth you should probably stop blogging. This type of stupidity needs to stop so the area can start working together again. Get off it already. Nobody has won anything at this point. My guess is, we just wrote a blank check for this Eola property. No one can tell the tax payers in D204 what the costs really are at this point. The SB potentially cost us all millions more dollars then your little pocket book can handle. Did you see the BB legal team working on this? D204's legal teams are in real trouble on this one. Stay tuned for more stupidity.

"Walk away happy?" Let's see:
- I have 2 kids who will attend WVHS during the "transition" period in which the number of students in the building will be 25% higher than today (already too crowded, right?). I don't hear too many people talking about this, but do the math - when you lose the freshman center and implement the new boundaries = 25% more than today based on posted data. I haven't heard any plan on how this will be addressed.
- My kids will be separated from most of their middle school friends who will be sent to a different HS.
- My kids will spend 10-hours per week on a bus going to a school over 6-miles away when we live within walking distance from NVHS, less than 1-mile away.
- I feel cheated by those I elected to the SB. The reason they aren't entertaining the idea of putting the new HS location to a vote is they know there isn't a chance it would pass.
- I've come to the realization that I'm not supposed to stand up for myself or my family if doing so is in conflict with somebody else's happiness. If I do, I'm called names like "entitled," "elitist," and even "racist." To top it off, I'm told that God is against me.

No, I'm actually quite sad.

And this sadness is deepened by the fact that our community is apparently filled with, according to these blogs, people who will derive great pleasure in my sadness.

Few vs. Many vs. Most

The only way to know how many are for/against the Eloa site is to put it to a district vote, short of this please refrain from quantifying the support of either side.

To anymous:***Secondly, the school will only be stigmatized if people perpetuate those labels. Stop saying that and it won't become a self-fulfilling prophecy. Metea will be a wonderful high school, I have no doubt, joining both WVHS and NVHS in providing a great education to 204 students****

Given the tenor of these blogs, I pray that you are right.

MarkM. 7:49 post: "And evidence is in the NSFOC lawsuit and the 5 to 1 attendees at the sb meeting asking them to slow down."

This spefically says ATTENDEES for the 5 to 1 ratio.

MarkM. 12:47 post: "There were only 20+ people in support for Metea being built, and they were all Waubansie people."

Wow! How do you know "there were" only 20+ people in support of Metea? I believe you mean only 20+ in attendance at the sb meeting in support of Metea. I guess that is possible.

I restate my claim - District members in support of the school board decision did not show up in force specifically DUE TO their support.

MarkM. 12:47 post: "Actually, 6 to 1 against the new school would be the vote".

What an explicit claim. Please post the scientific polling data this is based on - I'd love to see it! I am sure the pollsters were wise enough to pick a random sampling of the entire geographic area of D204, and not just selected populations.

The referendum was passed to build a new high school. I know when I voted for the measure there was no mention on the ballot of where the new high school would be located or how the district boundaries would be set.

Let's move on.

Let's talk about how middle school students are so untrustworthy they must have assigned seats in the lunchroom, and high school students can't keep their tests to help them understand what they don't know and to better study for finals and AP tests, and students from some subdivisions and towns are verbally discriminated against by other students, teachers, and staff. (One high school office worker said "I wish those students from (blank) would get out of our Naperville schools!" Most unfortunately this was heard by a student!)

We have many more issues in our community schools that still need to be addressed. This one has been.

Do we really own the land already? Is that even possible?

Moderator Jim: Another newspaper has reported that the SB has already closed on the Eola property. Your report quotes the District finance guy saying it will take two weeks. What's up?

Thank you SB for getting us back on track to a '09 opening for Metea.

Sincerely,

A proud Mustang parent

To Chimay:

How is Waubonsie the least desirable hs in the district? I wouldnt want my child anywhere near the Taj Mahal and the Elitist attitude you transmit. Why is it that you think you have the right to decide where the High School should be? I dont remember electing you to the school board. They were elected to decide whats best for the district not just you. If they feel that putting the school on Eola I am fine with that. Again I remind all of you when you voted the ballot clearly stated, "DO YOU SUPPORT DISTRICT 204 BUILDING A THIRD HIGH SCHOOL." No where did it say based on boundries or the property. A school district has the right to balance boundries HOW THEY SEE FIT!

Moderator Jim to Anonymous: Yes, it's true - news will be up on our web site shortly. Thanks.

Northside Bob on April 17, 2008 9:21 AM

I still can't believe everyone thinks this is okay. It is not and the fight may not be over yet. So they paid 19 million for Eola.

How about the $12,000,000.00 Curt Bradshaw said we will be owing in damages. Straight from the horses mouth or in his case other bodily functions.

Do I hear a thunderstorm?

I replayed the 4/14 school board meeting, and I found that at 1:59:13, Glawe stated Macom was $300k/acre. However, DD's MV Land Report on Jan 22, 2008 reported Macom's average price per acre was $209,610 for a total of $17.9 Million. That's a SAVINGS of a million bucks!!!

More lies from the School Board!

I'll never forget when the Tall Grass lady stood up at the school board meeting and said "I buy my kids clothes at Abercrombie & Fitch and I am not sending my kids to school with kids who wear clothes fom Kohl's." At least she was being honest how she really felt and didn't try to make up more politically correct BS excuses like NSFOC does to stop their kids from mixing with the Kohl's crowd. You should all be happy as you will at least have the best dressed kids at Waubonsie. Maybe your kids could teach them how to dress better and they could teach your kids that you should never judge anyone by where they shop and that there are more important things in life than material possesions.

To: BigMike on April 17, 2008 8:51 AM

Here's my only issue. While I expect the Brach and Brodie Trusts to be greedy and get as much for their land, I still question what the motive is for NSFOC? I'm asking this in all seriousness. Is it just they feel their vote negated? Was it they felt victim of "bait and switch"?

Say what you will but I did ONLY vote for the pure fact that I felt we needed a 3rd HS for everyone in IPSD. When I originally voted I didn't care if it was at BB, 248th St. or Butterfield Rd (yes our district goes that far north).

This is the reason why I keep scratching my head at the NSFOC. Do I think they raised some great points, yes. Do I think they educated all of us in IPSD, yes. However, I don't see how this will ever be a victory for the NSFOC. And at what cost? Because in the end if they are victorious, we all lose, even the NSFOC.

I guess what I'm saying is that I'm shocked that a 3rd HS no matter where it is doesn't take priority over anything else. I thought that WAS the main point of the referendum? I have also said in my previous posts that I personally don't care how much my tax dollars go up if it benefits my childs education. Will I be upset if I feel my SB or SD isn't being fiscally responsible, your damn right I will. However, I personally don't see that in this particular case.

BTW...I also read the Brodie Complaint and from as much as I can tell the SB will be only punished for the 4 months that they didn't notify BB Trusts that they wouldn't use the land. The IPSD was supposed to notify them on Sept 27 and asked for an extension and didn't officially notify the BB Trust until early Feb. Again, that's just my take on things. However, I have no idea what documents were signed between BB and IPSD that made them liable to purchase that 55 acres.

To: Anonymous on April 17, 2008 9:52 AM

Wow, such hate. Sounds to me you should have moved out of the district 30 years ago if you've been holding that much anger for so long.

Maybe you should try being part of the solution and not the problem. Because what I'm hearing a lot of is the blame game. Nothing is accomplished well when we play the blame or name game. Try working together with those you disagree with instead of insulting them. Who knows you might just change your attitude.

By ActiveCitizen on April 17, 2008 10:35 AM
From BigMike : "And a HUGE overhang on .... our reputation as a community."

Sorry - that boat has sailed.

And for MarkM mentioning the 5 to 1 attendance ratio at the school board meeting:

2) A majority of people will show up at a (any) meeting in which they are at odds with the actions of a commission or board - fewer people will make time in a busy schedule to attend a meeting at which the actions of the board coincide with their views. As an example: How many park district, library, planning commission, city council, fire district, etc board meetings have you atteneded lately? Hence, most D204 citizens that agree with the sb felt no compunction to take up space in the crowded meeting room to exhibit that agreement.

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Your statement is very true. When Napergatians have an issue of disagreement with the City Council it is standing room only.

Wen an issue is not in dispute only 5 old timers show up to agree with the City Council and every body dozes off!

The proof is in the pudding as they say!

To: Matea Either Way on April 17, 2008 9:02 AM

Matea will be long stigmatized, the community is fractured and most importantly the rational voice of the community (those who are in favor of allowing the ENTIRE district a say in the where and most importantly how much questions related to Matea) has been alienated to an extent that I fear a feeling of apathy may win out over involvement. I say this because it seems that the one who shouts loadest and last wins.
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You are correct. The longer you harbor those feelings overall stigma over a certain area this SD will never heal. I guess I'm more of the optimist type. I see in the past 2 days people trying to work together. People reaching out their arms and being welcoming.

I for one have not put the blame on anyone or any group. I think we are all to blame for what has taken place in a small or large way. Sure we might not have made the mistakes the SB may have made but we all developed an opinion and that has driven us these past 2 months or past 3 years when this all started. It's all in our perception on how we create our opinions, right?

Until people try to perceive things differently and try to make changes you're right apthy will win over involvement. I for one took it upon myself to involve myself and have since trying to work with Greg Forest on common issues (even though we disagree on the HS) and create a working involvement environment again. Hell, maybe the SB can take a lesson from us!!! That's my hope anyway.

To Anonymous on April 17, 2008 11:57 AM

You clearly do not know the facts of Turner's record related to coming in over budget and/or behind schedule. I'm sure their low ball bid looks real good though they have a really nasty habit of running up project cost with change order after change order after change order. In the end who is going to go back and compare that against the original bids?

Now maybe you would like to talk about dissatisfied customers, or how about shoddy work, lawsuits, employee fatalities? No, I didn't think so.

Come back and offer something credible when you have some facts to back you up.

The jury's still out on that one - the BB damages suit cannot be ignored as a potential cost of the SB's mishandling of this entire process. The BB suit asks for either the district to purchase the land at the decided price or for monetary damages. By rushing to build at Eola to meet a self-imposed 2009 deadline, the SB is eliminating the first option.

The BB land right now would be $12 million more, with no more accruing legal fees and no future damages. What happens if BB is successful in its suit and wins damages of $50 million or more? Does the SB tell us, "Oops, sorry, we didn't think we'd lose - but hey, we paid less per acre for the land itself - we did a good job, right? Now pay up"?

Sorry, but I don't have a lot of confidence in the SB's assessment of the pending BB lawsuits based on their track record.

By Anonymous on April 17, 2008 1:18 PM
"Walk away happy?" Let's see:
- I have 2 kids who will attend WVHS during the "transition" period in which the number of students in the building will be 25% higher than today (already too crowded, right?). I don't hear too many people talking about this, but do the math - when you lose the freshman center and implement the new boundaries = 25% more than today based on posted data. I haven't heard any plan on how this will be addressed.
- My kids will be separated from most of their middle school friends who will be sent to a different HS.
- My kids will spend 10-hours per week on a bus going to a school over 6-miles away when we live within walking distance from NVHS, less than 1-mile away.
- I feel cheated by those I elected to the SB. The reason they aren't entertaining the idea of putting the new HS location to a vote is they know there isn't a chance it would pass.
- I've come to the realization that I'm not supposed to stand up for myself or my family if doing so is in conflict with somebody else's happiness. If I do, I'm called names like "entitled," "elitist," and even "racist." To top it off, I'm told that God is against me.

No, I'm actually quite sad.

And this sadness is deepened by the fact that our community is apparently filled with, according to these blogs, people who will derive great pleasure in my sadness.
.......................................
Let me be clear. There is no plan other than to slam WE and TG in there to help with OVERCROWDING and balancing the test scores. This test score thing is a bad idea and a gamble at best, but when did that stop our SB. They really must think WE and TG are that much smarter than the Stonebridge students as evidence of this transaction. On that I would have to agree with them for a change. If you follow the SB's thought process they will be expecting a decrease in the value of education so great that it will drop the scores significantly. Don't worry, many tell us that the overcrowding is already happening in the hallways so we are already seeing the scores drop. Wait a minute; WV and NV are very high scoring schools. Do you see any contradiction here? The classrooms themselves are not overcrowded according to students I have talked to. Walk into any HS during class changes and you will see the massive overcrowding the SB supporters are talking about as justification to build the 3rd HS. I would say that the transition will most likely happen as those Northsiders flee WV and we come in. Don't have a heavy heart. There is much change still ahead of us. Even the boundaries and buildings could change and most likely will.

By Anonymous on April 17, 2008 1:18 PM
"Walk away happy?" Let's see:
- I have 2 kids who will attend WVHS during the "transition" period in which the number of students in the building will be 25% higher than today (already too crowded, right?). I don't hear too many people talking about this, but do the math - when you lose the freshman center and implement the new boundaries = 25% more than today based on posted data. I haven't heard any plan on how this will be addressed.
- My kids will be separated from most of their middle school friends who will be sent to a different HS.
- My kids will spend 10-hours per week on a bus going to a school over 6-miles away when we live within walking distance from NVHS, less than 1-mile away.
- I feel cheated by those I elected to the SB. The reason they aren't entertaining the idea of putting the new HS location to a vote is they know there isn't a chance it would pass.
- I've come to the realization that I'm not supposed to stand up for myself or my family if doing so is in conflict with somebody else's happiness. If I do, I'm called names like "entitled," "elitist," and even "racist." To top it off, I'm told that God is against me.

No, I'm actually quite sad.

And this sadness is deepened by the fact that our community is apparently filled with, according to these blogs, people who will derive great pleasure in my sadness.

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To: Anonymous on April 17, 2008 1:18 PM

I feel the same way you do. On top of all the sad facts you listed above, we know learn courtesy of Curt Bradshaw that 19 of 21 Elementary attendance areas in the district hate us.

To: Anonymous on April 17, 2008 11:44 AM

You can't sue for spite. The SB/Taxpayers will pay all of the legal fees and there will be no counter suit because there is no case. When the judge rules in the NSFOC lawsuit we will find out who is on the right side of the law, and then that will fuel the BB case. If one wins they will all win.
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Wow, do you dislike your school district that much or is it just the SB? Is it the parents as well? You can't sue for spite? I'm having a hard time seeing how if the NSFOC wins their case it benefits all of us? Please enlighten me? I'm not trying to be rude I'm just trying to understand?

Finally, do you wish to see your School District go down in flames that bad? Are you hoping that they owe $50 million plus? Is that was it is about? Who's on the right side of the law? I'm sorry I'm not seeing the connection between how a win for the NSFOC is a win for all of us?

I'm sorry I thought it was about our children and making our school district a better place. I voted on a 3rd HS plain and simple. I also said yesterday that I was proud to be fellow parents with everyone in D204 even if their opinion differed then mine. However, I can't support wanting to see all of us and our children suffer because of lawsuits. I'm not sure how one can take glee in this? I don't care how much you dislike the SB, what you're saying and doing goes against my ethics and morals.

Sorry for my outburst. I'm allowed to have one a day.

To: By Anonymous on April 17, 2008 1:18 PM

"...- My kids will spend 10-hours per week on a bus going to a school over 6-miles away when we live within walking distance from NVHS, less than 1-mile away..."

I can't wait for the bridge to open up so I can see the huge parade of TG high school kids walking to school.

Anyone interested in making a guess of the number of TG kids that walk and use the bridge???

I'll never forget when the Tall Grass lady stood up at the school board meeting and said "I buy my kids clothes at Abercrombie & Fitch and I am not sending my kids to school with kids who wear clothes fom Kohl's.

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I don't believe this nonsense. I don't know if it was said or not. I doubt it was said. And if it was said, it was said by a planted person.

I have seen these plants on both the Napergate Threads and the School District Threads when the temperature rises.

I wish the Moderator would not publish these "plants" as they cause hostility.

In the Napergate Thread they call these plants out. We have to learn from them and also call these plants at.

No lady would ever make such a statement unless she had no screws...at that point her statement has no merit.

The Moderator should not allow such planted statement most likely by the oppositon to destroy the reputation of TALL GRASS.

I am hoping most of us can see through this nonsense.

Weird. According to Naperville demographics, my personal income is at least higher than 97% of all household income in Naperville. Yet, we still shop at Kohl's for clothing (as well as other stores, but still . . .).

People are just stupid sometimes.

Well,
Looks like the board and superintendant has taken the multi-million dollar gamble with your tax dollars that the school district will win ALL 3 lawsiuts against them.

I am sure glad we all have confidence given all of the other done deals they had sold to us that never materialized.

I can think of one word that describes this board and superintendant
Irresponsible.

> Irresponsible to buy property you're not sure you can afford (until lawsuits settled/defeated)
>Irresponsible to build a school on a site that has safety concerns over other sites without the risks (even if their chances are small)
>Irresponsible to buy property without negotiation (contaminated farmland that is more expensive than two other farms)
>Irresponsible to build a school further away from the population when other property is available nearer the population today and tomorrow
>Irresponsible to conduct public comment periods and not listen/respond to issues/questions.
>Irresponsible to hire a superintendant who was fired from his previous job and when you read the media reports he's cited as someone who did not listen to teachers nor parent.
>Irresponsible to lie OVER AND OVER to the community you represent. Ex "All options are on the table" but 8hrs later (1 business day) make a decision.

Editor Jim,

It would be a great story to contact Macom, Hamman, etc to see if they were even contacted by the board Fri-Mon to see if there was an attempt to look at other sites and to see what their new price was for sale since the previous prices for Macom and Hamman reported by Daschner in Jan were both less than what they paid AME.

Folks, I am personally fed up with the continued lies and spinning done by the board to us. ITs not right.

Christine Vickers appears to be the only member who has the cajones to speak up when something doesn't feel right. The rest hide behind the lie that they are just doing what they think is right. What a convenient shroud to pull over your incompetence and irresponsibility.

Editor Jim, Any chance you guys can see if "all/any options were explored"? Thanks!!

YOu are Sooooo Right Dollars and Sense!

The Big dogs to fear are the BB trusts. It all depends on how pissed off they are and who is in charge of the trust. They have deeeeep pockets and from big mikes post, a Scaaaaary looking legal team. I could sell everything I own and probably would only get to sit in the lobby and talk to an intern for my cash.

Now, our "crack" district legal team and the "top notch" direction they receive from our Admin/SB leaders do not fill me with the unbridled confidence that our SB seems to have.

To all the posters that keep repeating;
read your ballot
read your ballot
read your ballot
hey, dont forget to read your ballot.

Parroting the same thing over and over does not mean that there is no basis or there is no risk no matter how much you, we, me, etc want to believe that it is true.

Usually when someone continues to harp on the same thing over and over and over, they are VERY WORRIED about something. I know this to be true at least in my case. I (and many others including "Metea either way") repeated essentially the same thing for over a month (put it up for a vote). And you know what? in the back of my mind I was fearful that it would never come to fruition. I held out hope to be sure, but look at what actually transpired (my worst fears).

Now my worst fear is that we will get torpedoed by the big dogs, the budget will be wiped, we will have half a HS hanging in the wind waiting for the money that is frozen by the BB damages; WHEN WE could have cut the knees out of the lawsuits by putting it up for a vote to take a big chunk of the basis of the suits and made them MOOT by a confirmation vote.

you dont think I didnt have a few folks come up to me over the past 8 weeks and say in a nice way, "hey there GF, why are you so big on promoting a confirmation vote? what happens if it passes, why risk it if someone actually listens to you since you are also not a proponent of the location for the district as a whole?

NOW LET ME STATE FOR THE RECORD, NO ONE tied to the NSFOC that I am aware of spoke to me about this, just a couple of concerned citizens and pro BB folks that know me and are my friends did; as they would prefer not to take the risk that I am more than willing to take for the good of the district long term (in my opinion). As many of you have already deduced, I am just one of the "uninformed persons who is easily parted with this money" or whatever the catchphraze was at the time.

Putting it up for a vote. AFTER THE FACT and the damages are in, does us little good.

Good luck to us. For all you No limit holder players out there, Looks like our district just moved ALL IN with a pair of jacks. Not sure what BB is holding. Also dont know what NSFOC is holding. But from the parinoid concern by some of the bloggers, they are more worried about NSFOC when we should be looking and worring about the Pro player sitting next to us ( the BB guys/gals)

By What about the safety of TG residents? on April 17, 2008 12:23 PM
This is great news for the community as a whole. Let's start digging....

It is also great news for the health and safety of TG residents. Now that Metea is moving forward, we can all focus our attention on stopping construction of the "death bridge" being built over rt 59 near the TG community.

Thanks to NSFOC, we are now very aware of the dangers of EMF. Therefore, the bridge, which is right under the high voltage power lines, and brings pedestrains within 50 feet of the EMF source, can be brought to a halt.

After all, it's all about safety, right NSFOC?

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Just a few comments. First, please stop the Tall Grass bashing.
Second, while I agree that the bridge seems awfully close to the power lines, I don't remember anyone from the City or IDOT asking the residents of Tall Grass where they wanted the bridge built. Third, the power lines you are referring to are powering homes and are relatively small compared to the massive tower and lines at the Eola property. I assume that would also mean a big difference in EMT output, but you and I both should leave that to the experts. Lastly, being in the presence of these lines for the 45 seconds it takes to cross the bridge (which no one is going to use anyway, right?)is not at all comparable to sitting in a school 8 hrs. a day for about 200 days/yr. Please stop....and maybe consider thanking the NSFOC for at least stopping the district from buying 15 acres of land contaminated with PCBs.

To: chimay on April 17, 2008 12:19 PM

Half of the school district does NOT support the building of a 3rd HS at Eola and thousands of homeowners could see their property values decline by ~10%.

Instead, people being redistricted from NV to WV could see their homes decline in value by tens of thousands of dollars. Any time someone in TG or WE sells their home or tries to refinance, they may as well be sending a $50,000 check to a family who moved from WV to MV and saw a similar increase (instead of decrease)to their property value.

For the people who support the building at Eola, would you still support it if the district personally billed you $50,000 to build there? And on top of that, increase your property taxes to send you to the least desireable HS in the district?
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What a bunch of ignorant statements!! Is this what this comes down to? YOUR PROPERTY VALUES? Silly me I thought we all moved into IPSD because all the schools were good. I also thought we passed a referendum for a 3rd HS. Not pass a referendum for a 3rd HS so it could increase someones home value. It benefits all of us. I'm sure I could show you how my elementary or middle school out performs yours. It's the SD. What a selfish statement.

Quit being so negative and be positive. Make WVHS the best HS in the district instead of being so unhappy and negative. Otherwise, move out of the district. There are plenty of children and parents that would much rather be at WVHS then NVHS I don't care how new it is. Don't fool yourself and think that everyone in IPSD wants to go to NVHS. It is exactaly statements like this that will always cause division in our SD. I'm sorry to call names but this does strike me as someone that feels entitled. Maybe you should drive around the district. I'm sure you'll find your house isn't the biggest by far in the SD.

Maybe I need to take a break today. I'm trying to be as diplomatic as possible but then there are posts like these.

To: no seg for our childern

your kidding right? someone else mentioned a story like this awhile back. did you witness this first hand? If so at which meeting? I have been at most meetings since Jan 2008 but dont remember this (did it happen back in 05/06?). I have also heard stories of some Brookdale comments at meetings way back in 05/06 time frame, but I have never spoken to anyone that witmessed them first hand.

I dont do much shopping so I am not sure if Kohls is a "bad" thing? I am guessing from your tone it is when compared to Fitch? I do most of my shopping at Costco. They have really good deals on everything including clothes.

To: chimay on April 17, 2008 12:19 PM

there is no way that we are ever going to be able to operate MV because an operations referendum will never pass.
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Thanks, another selfish statement. One of many in your post. Do you not realize that not passing a referendum hurts the whole school district? Are taxes that important to you and outweigh your childs education? Shocking.

BTW...sounds like you have a lot of assumptions.

To: Mark M on April 17, 2008 12:47 PM
Actually, 6 to 1 against the new school would be the vote.

There were only 20+ people in support for Metea being built, and they were all Waubansie people
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Hmmmmm...I recall petition in which close to 1,100 signatures from parents in every elementary school in the IPSD said they supported the SB and the Eola site. By the way these signatures were received during spring break and over 1 weekend. Otherwise, I'm sure that number could have been close to 5,000 if not more.

Why is it TG is complaining so much about driving times. Do you think you will have to drive the farthest? I laugh when I keep seeing the times go up to drive to WVHS. First it was 20 minuest, then 25, then 30, then 45, now I just saw an hour one way.

I drove from the TG clubhouse 6 times during normal time when school would start to WVHS. Guess how long it took me? 15 minutes average 1-way. Just don't drive 59 to 75th to Ogden. That will take you longer.

Here's another tid bit of information TG even if they attended NVHS is 80% a busing community. This was mentioned during the school board boundary meeting. The overall majority of TG would be bussed no matter where they went to HS. Except for 20% and that's only if they went to NVHS.