7/26/2019 Prairie Grove School District 46 board member's resignation letter

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November 11, 2014

Statement to the Prairie Grove School Board of Educationand the Community of School District #46

I was a School Board Member for almost 4 years, dedicated to serving my community

and the children of District 46, working with my colleagues to improve the learningexperience for our children. Under the current conditions of this dysfunctional Board,I cannot continue. So with a heavy heart, as of Saturday, November 8, 2014 I formallyresigned my position as School Board Member of Prairie Grove Consolidated SchoolDistrict #46.

My decision is threefold. First and foremost, I must get my priorities back in orderand put my focus back on my business and the financial obligations that are incurredby being a small business owner. I cannot continue to devote my time to the schoolboard under the current frustrating conditions and give my business the attention itdeserves. The demands of the current board from my point of view are too great.

There are some things I want to be known. It is obvious that those who hold themajority on this school board are pushing hard and fast to meet promised goalswithout regard to taxpayers, which is the case with the current HVAC proposal. It isnot good practice to make decisions for our community on emergency timelines, whenthere is no emergency. That is how I feel about the current facilities plan and thepotential to spend over $1.5 million quickly. Do you understand that there has notbeen a discussion at the Board level or an analysis regarding whether or not theproblems of air quality and humidity would be solved with this proposal? Is it prudentto spend this amount of money, potentially $4 million on the current elementary

building considering its age? Are the taxpayers willing to assume this debt? Eventhough I understand the need to improve our facilities, I am not convinced that thedecision needs to be done in the next several months. And finally do you know thatall that money could be spent without voter approval? These are important questionsthat I tried to discuss, but couldnt slow the process down long enough to getconsidered.

My second reason for resigning is that the leadership of this school at the Board levelis not conducive to collaboration. It is my opinion that the goals of the School Boardare being driven only by the agenda of a few with complete disregard to the SchoolBoard as a governing body. Please listen beyond the polite voice of the Board

President that is in front of the community - it is a mask for control and does notrepresent the voice of the school board or the community as a whole.

Third, I am putting forth an aggressive action, by resigning to signal to thecommunity, citizens, and staff, that you need to pay attention.

My decision to resign rests on a few factual examples that point to the blatantdisregard of the School Board as a unified decision-making body.

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The Strategic Plan, which was developed by the community, is NOT being usedto guide decision making for this district; rather, items to be discussed arebeing cherry-picked and decisions are being made to fulfill promises andpersonal agendas.

There has not been thorough discussions of school finances with all boardmembers to give a broad understanding of the past, the present and the future,

and there is a real reluctance to learn about and trust the financial reportingon current issues.

Committees of the Whole (where the public was invited and allowed toparticipate) were discontinued withoutBoard consensus, and instead the BoardPresident is calling committee meetings without member consensus, where thepublic and board members not assigned to those committees are NOT ALLOWEDto participate. This gives the appearance of a process, when, in fact, thedecision making is actually being led by force.

Direct advocating for the teachers union by the current President have

occurred. For example bonuses of $30,000 at retirement and a request to beinvolved in upcoming negotiations. Actions such as this deteriorate therelationship between the school board and the administration. The workingrelationship between the Board and Union is harmed and make it virtuallyimpossible for compromise.

The President takes it upon herself to have exchanges with companies on behalfof the school without the proper authority of the Board. This occurred withEnventure, the power plant developers, to get our school money for airconditioning. This makes me distrust our leadership to deliver the Boards

decisions, and through that experience I am concerned about the sideconversations being held with Siemens, over the proposed facility changes towhich the entire Board is not privy.

And lastly, there have been no initiatives since the change in boardrepresentation that are benefitting the direct education of our students.

These points of fact signal to me that this School Board is being covertly controlled bya few individuals, led by the current Board President, to satisfy some obscure agendarather than the well-being of our school and community.

Lastly, I am good with my decision though I know I am angering some people, and I am

not pleasing others. But I do feel a great obligation to speak my opinion and tell youwhat Im seeing. Personally, I have nothing to gain by serving on a school board,other than the satisfaction of being involved in my community and participating in ourdemocracy. My passions and goals in life are to respect the safety and security of ourchildren, protect the environment, and do my part to ensure all voices are heard. SoIm asking you, please take your local politics seriously. The election of those who askto serve on your behalf directly impact your quality of life, the money in your pocket,and the education of your children. Be vigilant citizens and seek information beforecasting your vote.

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Respectfully submitted,

Lori J. McConville

Submitted for the record -