Cambridge Lakes parents give only director piece of their mind

Parents from the Cambridge Lakes Charter School in Pingree Grove have said the school board has not heard their concerns.

After Friday night's town hall meeting, parents said it is likely the school board is still not hearing them.

About 80 parents and residents attended a town hall forum intended to open the lines of communication between parents, teachers, officials from District 300 and the Northern Kane Educational Corp., the body governing the charter school.

But only Northern Kane's executive director, Larry Fuhrer, was on hand to answer questions ranging from disciplinary action to the school's charter and plan.

"This was a waste of time because he kept dancing around the questions," said Christy Blohm, a parent who questioned the school's discipline standards because she says her children are being bullied. "He wasn't answering directly. He was cocky, arrogant and demeaning."

Earlier in the week, about a dozen parents sat in on a school board meeting and said they had not been given the opportunity to serve on the charter school's six-member parent council or attend the group's meetings.

Fuhrer, who absorbed often heated criticism for more than 90 minutes, admitted there were glitches in the school that need to be worked out. The school is in its first year.

"I don't believe that we have the perfect faculty or the perfect system," Fuhrer said. "But it does improve every day."

Other parents supported the school.

"We are extremely happy with the school," said Andrea Swanson of West Dundee, who has a daughter in the sixth grade. "She is assessed, and we are completely satisfied with the school. Charter school is not for everybody."

Steve Swanson said parents should cut the school and Fuhrer some slack since the school is still in its infancy.

"Things need to be worked out and it is the first year of a brand new charter school," Swanson said. "If you don't like it, you don't have to come back next year."

Bill Doran, principal at Westfield Community School and a member of the Northern Kane board, said the meeting was a step in opening communication.

"It is good to capitalize on the energy of the parents who have come to voice their opinions," Doran said. "It is a way to improve an educational institution. We need to look at methods to keep lines of communication open."