I am writing in response to a board member statement in last week’s article Budget considerations drive school board
discussions
about I.S.D. 166’s recent school board meeting. Thequote may be interpreted as suggesting Great Expectations School had ulterior motives in using our weekly newsletter to direct GES families to a survey Cook County Schools had posted requesting input regarding their 2010 – 2011 school calendar.
We used this vehicle to promote the survey because GES students include eighth graders who will be attending Cook County High School next year, because a fifth of our students have siblings enrolled in I.S.D. 166 schools, and because the survey was posted publicly to solicit information from the community, not just I.S.D. 166 families.
GES remains committed to supporting excellence in education throughout our county, which includes supporting Cook County Schools in their efforts to increase communication and community participation in their decision-making.
While there are certainly issues that each school must decide independently, I serve on I.S.D. 166 school board’s Communications and Collaboration Team in large part to help eliminate the “us” v. “them” perspective that too often frames conversations about education in the county. I hope this helps clarify our actions and removes any misinterpretation.
Peter James
Great Expectations School
Grand Marais
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