Skip Navigation Links

Opinions need to be made to school board

March 21, 2015   Editor: Dave Uphoff
We learned a few things from the last Fieldcrest Board of Education meeting in which massive cuts were made to both teachers and support staff. The board was prepared to include arts and music in the cut but the large crowd and testimony from individuals persuaded enough board members to exclude them from the cuts. It is good to know that the board can be influenced by public opinion. After all, the taxpayers should have a say in how their dollars are being spent.

What is unfortunate is that the public sentiment was not voiced until the board meeting itself. Board member Danielle Reichmann remarked that she wished her constituents would have made their opinions known to her prior to the meeting so the budget could have been adjusted accordingly before the meeting. She made a valid point. News media and this website announced a month ago that cuts were to be made. Why does everyone wait until the meeting to voice their opinion?

Everyone now voices their opinion on Facebook rather than on local media like MinonkTalk and the Woodford Journal which reach a wider audience. Unfortunately, opinions on Facebook are usually heard only by the friends of the opinion maker. I suspect most school board members don't get to see these opinions.

To affect change, one must make their opinions known to those who have the power to make change. Not only must we let our school board members know of our opinions but also our state legislators. As the State legislator is currently debating the school funding issue, now is the perfect time to contact your state legislators to let them know that the State needs to increase funding for our schools.

Our two legislators are Jason Barickman and Thomas Bennett. Unfortunately, our legislators do not have an email address but you can email them through the Illinois Education Association Mail System at this address. When you pull up this web page, click on the Elected Officials link at the top middle. Then for each of our 2 legislators, enter their last name and click the Go button to pull up their record.

When their record appears, click on the Contact tab and then click the Contact by name link. You can then enter your own message or click to send a default message that supports school funding. If this is too much, look them up on the internet to find their address and send them a regular mail message.

Meanwhile, the school board must still look for more ways to cut costs. It is good that art and music are still part of the curriculum as they are activities that one can participate in for the rest of one's life. Opinions have been voiced that sports should be cut to some degree as it involves the participation of only a select few and will not be participated in after high school. This is already happening as Lexington is dropping football next year. Other areas to look at are outsourcing the transportation system and meal preparation as other districts do. Also, administrative costs must be reviewed. All of these areas must be considered before making cuts to the core curriculum.

It is unfortunate that we live in the most corrupt state in the country and have to suffer because of past mismanagement. Our school system and other government entities will have to learn to live with less until the State can find a way to increase revenue or reduce pork and corruption.

The school board has a tough road ahead in deciding how to achieve a balanced budget and how to resolve the building issues. Both of these items are hot buttons and it is important that citizens voice their opinion to the board members so they can make decisions based on community preference.

To reply to this editorial in the email section click here

Your letter will be published in the email section. Viewers are welcome to submit a guest editorial.


Submit your comments

You must log in with a registration ID to be able to submit comments. If you do not have an ID click here.

User ID:      

Password: