My Thoughts on Our Presentation to the School Board

by Gary Einhorn

I think that, for me, the defining moment of Wednesday's School Board meeting came when, towards the end of my speech, I looked over my shoulder and saw all the kids, parents, posters and waving-signs. After being mislead, disrespected, and directly lied to by various members of the District Staff, it would have been easy to erupt in rage. But our group stayed respectful, positive, and unified. That, in many ways, was more powerful than any electronic slide show presentation could have been.

For those of you who don't know, on March 12th, I sent an email to our District Representative requesting to be put on the May 2nd agenda to present on behalf of West County Community High School. Several times following that email, I, and a few members or our board, were told by the representative that I would have between 10 and 15 minutes to speak, that I could use a powerpoint, and that members of our community would have up to 2 minutes each to speak in support.

On the morning of the presentation, I received an email from the Board President, Karen Pfiefer, saying that she was looking forward to my presentation.

You can imagine our surprise when, upon arriving at the meeting, we were told that I was not on the agenda, that we only had time for public comment, and that there was nothing that could be done about it because the equipment for a powerpoint was not set up.(although this equipment was pulled out and used for a presentation after we left the board meeting.)

Legally, the district must allow for public comment on any charter petition. They also have the right to set any amount of time, up to 30 minutes, for the agenda item. However, I think we were all taken aback by dismeanor of the District representatives and the Board. For myself, I was particularly disheartened when I was told by Ms. Pfiefer that we should have let them know that we were planning to present when she had sent an email that same morning stating her excitement about the presenatation.

It's important to know that while the District broke the law with regards to our presentation, it was, ironically, in our favor. They can legally limit time, including time for my presentation, anyway they saw fit; however, they illegally neglected to allow desenting speakers to come forward. It is true that our District Representative made a mistake in not agendizing my presentation. Up to that point, he had been helpful and professional. I suppose that it may have been an oversight on his part.

So, should we have argued more? Should we have fought for more time? Should we now sue to present again?

According to our many experienced advisors, we (and you, who were there) did everything exactly right. You remained repectful, positive, and used the time allowed to make an effective case. You showed up big. The district knew that we had community support (one of the requirements for having a petition passed), and they could see that we don't just say “be the change”, we live it. I received an email apology from Ms. Pfiefer the following day which I thanked her for.

If you weren't there, you missed the ACLC representative speaking elloquently about the effectiveness of this educational plan; you missed Barbara Large, our Board President, speak on how we will serve Special Education students; you missed Wendy Kerr's speech on the necessity of our school; and, most of all, you missed Roberto Torres' stirring, passionate, emotional plea to the district to rise above the mediocrity and allow a school that will be truly special.

So, where do we go from here? Well, Barbara Large and I will be meeting with Board members and the Superintendent to assess whether or not they are planning to approve the petition. If they believe that our petition is not legal, we will ask to present again so that we can make our case properly. In the meantime, it is really important to continue to rally support for our school. If you know somoeone who was there, please thank them for being there and let them know how proud I am for their behavior, attitude, and enthusiasm.

Lastly, we had some special guests there on the second who I want to thank for attending. Linda Delgado from Manzanita came ready to speak on our behalf. Jon Lawless, the owner of 4800 Bissel was there ready to speak about the site. Nick Driver from the Charter Association came to speak on the legality of the petition, and Dara Ackermoore came to speak about the effectiveness of Challenge Day.

We will keep you posted as things develop. If we indeed decide to present again, we will need you to be there in even greater numbers but with the same level of respect and dignity.

Thank you for supporting this important Charter!