U46 charter issue is about union control

June 26th shall live as a day of infamy in the U-46 School District. After years of preparation and a vote of 6-1 in April in favor of moving forward with the EMSA charter school proposal, a hypocritical U-46 School Board reversed itself by defeating the measure at the last instant 4-3. Now it can be argued that one board member who voted for it never was in favor but played games with her vote. Another new member certainly made it known she was opposed.

But to focus on the deciding vote needs clarity. That was Susan Kerr. In April she espoused the virtues and the efforts made to improve the plan for EMSA, heaping praise upon those who did the effort. I personally communicated with her after she contacted me for input on issues. I was very open on my views and she appeared to agree with them.

On June 26, Susan Kerr's words and actions were diametrically opposed to what she had said previously.

Of major significance were the stereotyped message from the four that the district couldn't afford the $2 million annual cost. Really! It was not a problem to walk away from a $2 million savings per year proposed by First Student for bus transportation, literally the same month, and then add insult to injury by granting U-46 union bus drivers a new contract guaranteeing a minimum of 5 percent more over this same period. Going back earlier this year, the basically same people voted to open full day kindergarten at a cost of $22 million.

One thing is clear. This issue is not about money, not that this shouldn't be an issue. It's about union control over the majority of U-46 board members, who simply do not have the courage or the intelligence to put students first.

It is the same issue facing every large district where public service unions of all kinds determine, the who, what and where things will done.

Richard Francke

Bartlett