Dist. 57 is reaping money mess it sowed

District 57 just called, purporting to be conducting a community survey regarding “the district’s financial situation. (Read: Trying to justify a referendum).”

The questions? A flashback to the district’s three previous failed referendum attempts: As a parent of children within the district, wouldn’t I want to 1.) kick in more tax money to decrease class sizes? 2.) reinstitute canceled music and art programs? 3.) return the gifted program? 4.) enable the district to rehire laid-off teachers? 5.) enable maintenance which has gone by the wayside?

Oh, that’s right. All the problems the district created mere months ago, while hanging on to their obscene tax reserves.

Hmmm. Would I want to solve world hunger?

No, in this case, I wouldn’t!

The district continues to shirk its responsibility of wiser spending and the creation of an honest dialogue with the community; instead, it is intent on creating a panic situation to strong-arm taxpayers into coughing up funds they do not possess in order to bail out the district from its ongoing fiscal and educational mismanagement.

The fact of the matter is, that the district has created its current reality, from the entire Westbrook mess forward. Even administration and staff have come forward to criticize these untenable positions and lack of vision.

For some reason, the revolving doors of the school board are unable to sustain individuals who understand that the district is being funded by taxpayers as a service to the community, not a weapon with which to hold the community hostage.

My smarter neighbors are quietly enrolling their children in parochial schools, understanding that the district intends to be merciless to students in their unrealistic pursuits of funding to continue building castles in the sky.

Perhaps we should all examine this option.

Marijana Ignjatovic

Mount Prospect