To confirm your footnote #6, as an Evanston taxpayer I would absolutely vote against a referendum to increase the budget until this board changes. At the risk of sounding terribly dramatic - if this board that allowed this crisis to happen had any love or respect left for our local schools they would resign. You are absolutely correct - …
To confirm your footnote #6, as an Evanston taxpayer I would absolutely vote against a referendum to increase the budget until this board changes. At the risk of sounding terribly dramatic - if this board that allowed this crisis to happen had any love or respect left for our local schools they would resign. You are absolutely correct - there is a crisis of legitimacy and until they step down it will not improve. I don't see how anyone has any optimism left that these are the people to right the ship.
It's an interesting political science question that doesn't happen in the US very often: what happens when a public body makes so many bad decisions that the people it represents no longer have confidence in the entity? At some point (in a post a long time ago) I did the census math on the number of K-8 students in Evanston and it is around 8500-9000. If D65 is around 6000 kids, that means something like 60-70% of the kids who live here utilize the public schools. That's ~2x2500=5000 parents that are likely voters in a referendum that gets like 14% turnout.
Remember a few months back when the financial consultant warned them about the huge building maintenance bill? Sergio flippantly responded that they could just ask for a referendum as if it was a slam dunk.
To confirm your footnote #6, as an Evanston taxpayer I would absolutely vote against a referendum to increase the budget until this board changes. At the risk of sounding terribly dramatic - if this board that allowed this crisis to happen had any love or respect left for our local schools they would resign. You are absolutely correct - there is a crisis of legitimacy and until they step down it will not improve. I don't see how anyone has any optimism left that these are the people to right the ship.
It's an interesting political science question that doesn't happen in the US very often: what happens when a public body makes so many bad decisions that the people it represents no longer have confidence in the entity? At some point (in a post a long time ago) I did the census math on the number of K-8 students in Evanston and it is around 8500-9000. If D65 is around 6000 kids, that means something like 60-70% of the kids who live here utilize the public schools. That's ~2x2500=5000 parents that are likely voters in a referendum that gets like 14% turnout.
Remember a few months back when the financial consultant warned them about the huge building maintenance bill? Sergio flippantly responded that they could just ask for a referendum as if it was a slam dunk.
And Sergio ran his campaign on affordable housing!!!