Elect Dist. 15 board that stops bickering

The recent general election was one of the longest political campaigns in American history leaving most of us exhausted.

However, we must not overlook the coming District 15 school board election on April 7. In April 2005, as the result of anger and frustration over an unpopular tax referendum, board members Carlson, Keenan, Rowden and Millar were elected to the board - proving once again that decisions made in anger rarely succeed.

Thus began the deterioration of what was once one of the nation's premier school districts. Since then we have witnessed dysfunction and special interest bickering among board members, the exodus of key administrators, principals, and teachers, and a Board which shows little respect for its own members and those who disagree with it.

Past history not withstanding, we are now beginning to perceive the division of District 15 into two separate school districts - the affluent West side and the challenged East side. While this may not be what the board intended, it is the result of a failure in leadership caused by board members spending too much effort taking sides or scoring points against each other rather than serving the district.

It does not take long for uncorrected perceptions to become a reality. While such a separation is totally unfair to the students and teachers involved, it is also a grave injustice to the taxpayers of District 15. The game players on the board appear to have forgotten that their responsibility is to all of the schools in the district.

The primary need in the coming school board election is to replace members, Carlson, Keenan, Rowden and Millar with individuals who can conduct themselves professionally, set aside special interests and partisan groups, and honestly represent the whole school district.

F. Kenneth Dempsey Jr.

Palatine