Happy Homecoming!
Here it is World Series time and to much surprise, the best example of courage stepping up to the plate has come in the form of our very own Onteora School Board of late. Despite having come together partly from protest, and partly from unbridled idealism, as with so much of our political world these days, our students’ and taxpayers’ trustees have not shied away this term from facing a series of extremely difficult junctures, and either making decisions or moving toward understanding in an open, knowledge-seeking, ears-and eyes-open manner.
Even their decision to hold a board retreat last week, questioned by some as a possible infraction of state Open Meetings “Sunshine” laws, seems to have yielded a very American sense of strength through diverse opinion, rather than the creation of some lock-step means of pushing an agenda whether the school community wants it or not.
What did the board accomplish during their time together away from public scrutiny? A lot of discussion, in the public part of the meeting, about what they want to accomplish over the coming years, to be released in the coming term as soon as everyone gets a chance to look over what they talked over with some care. Most of all, an opening up of their lines of communication, in private, so they could better understand each other without any of the bickering that thwarts so many boards in our area… them included.
We applaud the way in which the board listened to the community and passed a new policy regarding military recruiters at the high school. Kudos to policy committee members Rita Vanacore and Cindy O’Connor for working something out that was even-handed and responsive, as well as responsible.
We also applaud the way in which the meetings have been held about possible restructuring of the school district, as hard a decision Onteora’s faced since its inception. Sure, there have been some rough edges so far, and more bound to come. Many people want some new options on the table. But at least the process is being handled calmly, with patience and apparent understanding. Anf the board is gaining new ideas from their stakeholders.
We also look back at the way in which the board reversed their decision to cut special ed funding last Spring. Even though many feel they have quite a distance to go yet before restoring much of their constituency’s trust on these matters, discussion has been opened. And the district should be happy not to have ended up on the list of a dozen or so schools in the Hudson Valley who were actually chided for their bad performances vis a vis special ed in recent reports.
Much of the current calm, we feel, is likely the result of strong leadership on the part of interim superintendent Jack Jordan. It’s been a difficult time as the entire district has moved beyond several tragedies, from the loss of former superintendent Justine Winters to the loud splits that occurred over the onslaught of large parcel battles into school matters. Jordan, and the new board, have been working hard at moving beyond such things into as full a consideration of all that really matters to our student’s education as our students deserve.
Sure, there’s still a bit too much worrying about money for some tastes. But that’s the nature of American politics.
For all Onteora’s faults, the district is unique, and somehow lends those getting schooled within it both a strong sense of wider community as well as a rare sense of individual-oriented education.
By actually listening to each other, and the public, the Onteora School Board seems much better poised towards making the hard decisions ahead of it, from the search for and naming of a new district-wide superintendent to restructuring, renovations, and helping to move us all ahead into this 21st Century.
Who knows, what they accomplish may end up being just the beacon the rest of our towns need to start getting along and helping each other.
All good thoughts to consider this Saturday, October 14, when the high school celebrates its annual homecoming with a big bash. Idealism, community, and the future… the stuff of any good education.
In a separate note, we’d like to reiterate and clarify our own plans to hold a regional roundtable for our district towns and communities. Because of the clamorous nature of the current election season, to be followed shortly by the usual slew of late autumn and early winter holidays, we’re now looking to put together our event for Martin Luther King weekend in mid-January. We’ll likely do our roundtable, which needs space for everyone to get in a circle and listen to each other, in one of our schools, the more centralized the better.
But those details will come. And we’ll be sure and give you plenty of time to make plans to attend, and speak.
And most importantly, to listen to each other as well.
Happy homecoming! PS