Local voices ignored when school was created

I find it interesting that some of the supporters of Prairie Crossing Charter School in the current debate believe that local voices are being ignored. They say that local control of PCCS is being threatened by Woodland school district. How ironic this claim is since the local voices were ignored when PCCS was created.

It's time for a history lesson. My perspective is that of the president of the Fremont school board at the time.

The developer of the Prairie Crossing housing development first approached both the Fremont and Woodland districts with a proposal of a land donation if either district would take the entire development into its boundaries and subsequently locate a school building within the development. Both districts declined the offer.

The developers' next attempt was to petition both districts for a charter to operate a school within the development. The duly elected officials of the local school boards turned down that proposal as well.

The next attempt was to get a charter from the state of Illinois. For whatever reason, the state granted the charter over the objection of the elected local school boards (local voices). The state did not provide any funding. This amounts to an unfunded mandate imposed by the state.

The laws of the state of Illinois give the authority to run its schools to local school districts. The state trumped that authority when it ignored the local decisions denying the PCCS petitions and yielded to some other special interests.

If the PCCS wants to respond only to its local constituents, then let it become a private school and not be a burden to taxpayers. If it wants to be a public school reliant on taxpayers dollars, then it should petition to become its own school district.

I would offer to help them with that effort in the spirit of good riddance.

Andrew T. Rieder

Hawthorn Woods