On March 9, 2010, the Oyster River District will vote on two, at-large School Board seats. I support Lee residents Krista Butts and Ann Wright for these two seats. Both Krista and Ann will listen to district concerns and support a forward-looking vision and a comprehensive, strategic plan. As parents of young children, Ann and Krista care deeply about securing educational opportunities and academic excellence for all Oyster River children. In addition to sharing concerns for our children, these dedicated residents are also experienced professionals in their fields - Ann a documentarian and Krista a technical, project manager.
I believe Ann and Krista will be extremely effective, working together with existing Board members, to improve communication, support teachers and staff, demand fiscal accountability and, most importantly, represent our children. I look forward to a School Board with Ann Wright and Krista Butts to take Oyster River's tradition of excellence into a 21st Century framework. Vote for Butts and Wright!
Additionally, Durham residents will elect three library trustees on March 9th. I support Sibylle Carlson, David Moore, and Jenna Roberts for the Durham Public Library Trustee seats. Jenna Roberts would be the new trustee. Nevertheless, Jenna is a proven community leader as former Director of the Oyster River Parents and Preschoolers and current Durham Parks and Recreation Committee member.
I encourage Durham voters to consider Jenna's results-oriented leadership with Sibylle and David's combined trustee tenure. All three candidates provide the necessary blend of skill and experience to realize important goals, including construction of a new, dedicated library facility. Vote for Carlson, Moore, and Roberts!
A HUGE concern of mine is that we could be losing a school board member who has children in the high school.
ReplyDeleteWith all due respect to the other school board members (JoAnn excepted) and candidates, I am frightened that those people can make wide-sweeping change to the high school environment and curriculum with very little input from people with children in that school
The rhetoric from the Parents of Preschoolers as well as the taxpayer groups (Mr. Speidel and Brackett) is very scary as they have absolutely no clue what happens in our high school and WILL damage it if given the chance.
No amount of reassurance will change my mind on this and I encourage you all to think twice about voting against David Taylor.
Get off it...I don't think sweeping changes will be allowed with all the work going into the strategic plan. For your information, there are staff members in the high school, parents in the high school, and the principal involved in the plan. It will set our direction and the planning and research on this has been done with as much inclusion by all stakeholders as possible.
ReplyDeleteJust because Taylor has kids in the high school doesn't make him the defacto "go to" board member.
Frankly, that disrespects the other members. As a parent, don't you think that the quality of the ENTIRE educational system is important to parents of younger kids?
I am voting AGAINST Taylor because he is stale and has become bitter. Unfortunately, there are few people that watch every board meeting so they rely on word of mouth and posts like the one above. PLEASE understand that the person you see campaigning is NOT the same board member. The things he says do not translate to his most recent voting records...
David the candidate is not David the board member. Do not get them confused.
ReplyDeleteAs far as his having kids in the schools, it means nothing. Just look at his lack of support for the teachers there......putting down the "desimated" English department as one example.
PLEASE do not vote for David Taylor. The Board is stuck in the mud and he is a big reason for it. One way to help get some unity is to get some fresh faces with open minds.
ReplyDeleteDavid, you have been given the opportunity of serving this District for 12 years. You had your chance to leave a legacy. The last 3 years have been fruitless and antagonistic. He is no longer serving the best interests of the children of this community. It is time to pass the torch.
To Anonymous #1 above: Since you say that nothing will change your mind I can only assume you will find my own words unconvincing.
ReplyDeleteBut for what it is worth, I am the parent of two children, one just starting in our school system and the other several years away from doing so. And your assumptions about me are false; I have a great interest in what goes in our high school, and no desire to "damage" it. Just the opposite; in a few short years my kids will be students there, and I want the best possible education for them.
Your reflexive demonization of those with whom you disagree is neither helpful nor responsible. I may have differences with some of the School Board members and/or candidates, but I find it hard to believe that any of them are evil people bent on taking away those things that make our schools great.
Running for and serving on the School Board is an endeavor that takes a huge amount of time and it is often a thankless job. Anyone who does so is motivated by a deep desire to serve the people of our three towns, and they should be honored for their willingness to do so.
To imply that some candidates or School Board members or the parents of young children generally are out to destroy our schools is nonsense. I'd urge you to take a look at the three School Board candidates and vote on the basis of what they stand for, rather than on the ages of their own children.
I'd also ask you to refrain from divisive and corrosive rhetoric which only serves to strain the bonds of community, not strengthen them.
Are you seriously lumping Oyster River Parents & Preschoolers with a taxpayers group? Huh? Apples? Oranges? Bueller?
ReplyDeleteFirst, the Board cannot and does not make sweeping curriculum changes. Changes to the curriculum come primary from the internal committees who oversee and direct curriculum. Suggestions and recommendations for change take years and would have extensive public input from various stakeholders--teachers, students, parents, administrators, etc. Ideas that are taking shape now would ultimately effect the young children of today.
It continues to trouble me that young parents are vilified when we have so much skin in this game. We want great schools, we want to be involved in the process and we have much to gain or lose.
As I read these posts, I can't quite figure out why people are threatened by requests for more information, better access to information, more transparency, increased communication and community involvement. It is a real head shaker.
Anyway, as a proud member of ORPP, I am thrilled to see young families involved and making a stand--don't get discouraged!
Proud ORPP Parent
A few years ago many young parents stood up during a meeting on the grade scale. We stood up to speak on behalf of positive changes, and stated "we will be here for a long, long time"
ReplyDeleteWe want a quality high school, we want continued excellence.
However, we were continously met with arrogance and resistance.
Why? Many of us are educators within the UNH community or former public school educators.
Why were we treated as though we are out to cause trouble, when really what we desired was simple.
Open conversation regarding educational excellence.
The reason we moved to this community was, we believed, that this would occur on a continous basis.
Why are we then treated as though we only seek to disrupt?
At that infamous meeting regarding the grade scale much evidence was presented regarding the reason for change.
Change finally did occur, after what I have been informed was a 20+ year battle.
In the meantime parents were treated with disrespect and disdain.
From my understanding many teachers were in favor of such a change but not provided the opportunity to speak.
Throughout this process Mr. Taylor showed an arrogance to particpating parents that can not be forgotten. I for one, will not forget as I cast my vote on Tuesday.
I am a high school parent. Please remember that David Taylor said that changing the grade scale "wouldn't make a difference." I'm not making this up, he said it at a Board meeting. I haven't done a study, but my informal observation is that our kids have been getting into colleges that have more challenging admissions requirements (also during the historic national bubble of application numbers) since the change. David also said that it would "dumb down" our program. What an amazing insult to our teachers.
ReplyDeleteI, for one, am incredibly impressed with and grateful for the current group of parents of young kids in our communities. As the above blogger mentioned, the grade scale battle took 20 years (this is not an exaggeration). For about 18 years it was only parents of high schoolers who were fighting. Then, when they realized that they were close to the end of high school, they would give up. I can remember being told, by another high school parent, "good luck with that, but nothing will change." What gave the battle teeth was the involvement of the parents of young children. They had no kids in the high school, but they became actively involved in supporting the high schoolers and the change happened. Do not underestimate the parents of young children. They have the most at stake in the game. And they are completely capable of researching and getting up to speed on high school topics. I actually think that they bring fresh eyes to the table and aren't angry and volatile, as David Taylor has become (and I actually voted for him in his first 2 terms). This is why I wholeheartedly support Krista Butts and Ann Wright.
I hope that the insults from the earlier blogs infuriate the parents of young children in the OR community. And I hope that this makes them come out to vote on Tuesday! I am a parent of high schoolers. I agree that the more parents, of every aged child, the better our system will become. In all honesty, the parents of high schoolers are often looking toward the end, the college search, and how they are going to finance college, and it is hard for them to consider 3 years on the School Board. You just don't see as many high school parents running for School Board. I applaud the parents of young children in our community. Stay involved and don't let anyone minimize your opinions! Many of us value your involvement.
ReplyDeletePlease do not fear parents of young children. They have an energy that should be welcomed. I also have high schoolers and I find the parents of high schoolers to be burned out and focused on the end. I can say this because I am one of them. Parents of younger children have the years to get involved with and see through innitiatives that will take many years. The fact that a candidate has no one in the high school should not eliminate them from consideration. There is so much more to look for in a candidate.
ReplyDeleteRegarding the "more to look for in a candidate" comment... Yes, David Taylor has kids in the high school. So what? He vehemently opposed the creation of a strategic plan (do not let his recent campaign rhetoric fool you, he can be seen opposing it in the meetings beginning in March '09). He even claimed (again, publicly) that ORCSD already had a strategic plan. When pressed on this, it was a book that he claimed was the ORCSD Strategic Plan. A book? Written by an OR citizen?? I don't think so. Don't our kids deserve better than this? Taylor opposed the one thing that would bring all stakeholders together (parents, teachers, and administrators) to discuss the future of the Oyster River Cooperative School District. He has discouraged communication at every turn. This cannot be evidence of the way he listens to the parents. His condescending attitude toward the citizens, who would like to be heard, has become annoying. And his seat-of-the-pants approach to the future of our kids is unacceptable. We need candidates who value thinking out side of the box, exploring possibilities, and team building to create a united vision for the future of the ORCSD.
ReplyDeleteMy kids are in the high school and I will vote for Ann Wright and Krista Butts on March 9th.
I am not goihg to attack my opponents to better myself, however, what I can say is that I was a high school youth advisor for 7 years and continue to be involved with that age group on the Board of Christian Ed at the Lee Church Congregational. I assure you that these kids education is just as important to me as the kids in elementary school and middle school. After all, my kids will be high schoolers before you know it as well! Please vote for me on March 9th because I promise to make my vote count to serve the children and members of this community. Thank you.
ReplyDeleteIt is interesting that one of the anonymous writers wrote about changing the grade scale.
ReplyDeleteIF anyone remembers that debate, it that very moment when this community went negative and down-right dirty and mean. The parents who were there had venom in their words and even SHOUTED down a high school senior who had the courage to step into that lion's den. How mature those parents were (exaggeration intended).
In reality, that debate was not a positive one. It left a scar in this community that is still festering, is smelling quite rank right now and showing no signs of healing. Voting for one candidate over another won't heal it either.
It is really sad that those people who have a distaste for David Taylor resort to such bitter name calling and negativity. While yeah, he might be a bit stale, he does offer a unique perspective on things in this district. If he is defeated, that leaves one board member with any sort of lengthy experience of more than 3 years.
Be it what it is. If you don't like what I wrote, I am fine with that and can live with your opinions. Everyone is entitled to that. I just wish we could go back to the years where our school board was a welcoming place to discuss issues affecting our schools. Unfortunately, there is no innocent person on that board right now - they all have mud on their hands.
Again...why should we support David Taylor? It seems no one can answer that. For the voters....BE CAREFUL!!!! The speeches you hear from him on the campaign is NOT the same person. Look at all the comments on here WITH EXAMPLES! There are also references to actual factual voting records and personal accounts from TEACHERS.
ReplyDeleteThe evidence is overwhelming and the only thing the Taylor supporters can do is label as morons, idiots, and "Sarah Palin".
The time for change is tomorrow...VOTE!!!!!
From where I sit, throughout these blogs, the name calling has been coming from one side. I came here to hear a healthy debate and to learn more about the candidates. The supporters of David Taylor are the only ones I have heard calling anyone a name. There have been considerable requests for actual reasons to support David Taylor. Those requests have been ignored, I suppose because it is far more fun to make up names to call people. It really is sad, because this was an opportunity, but I have read through all of these blogs and I can't tell you anything about David Taylor. The other two candidates posted links to give their position letters. To read David's information, I would have to join LinkedIn, whatever that is. Someone even asked him to post his letter, and that request was ignored. Maybe David Taylor has a lot of support, but those people aren't pleading his case in a productive manner. The references to the Tea Party and the other insults flipped me to the other side of the fence. Thank you Taylor supporters for helping me to decide who to vote for tomorrow. You really made it quite clear.
ReplyDeleteThank you David Taylor for your years of service. I respect you for that.
Being on the SB looks like such a miserable experience. I give all the members credit for their service.
ReplyDeleteSadly, the Board has the power to take charge and make it more productive but the will is not there. I do not think that is going to happen until we get a new Board and and change in attitude from the administration. Not sure if two new members will make it happen but one can dream... Vote for change and hope for miracles.
Regarding the comment "the years where our school board was a welcoming place to discuss issues affecting our schools." Wasn't that also during the time when we had an amazing leader as the superintendent of schools? He set the tone for teamwork and communication and valued what people had to say... unlike the current superintendent.
ReplyDelete