Conquering the speech-give phobia...

Oh gurlis-here it is in all it's glory-what I said at the Hudson City Schools Board of Education meeting last night.

"My name is [blanked for security purposes), (blanked for security purposes) Drive, and I'm a member of the Hudson High School Class of 2003 and I stand here not only as a graduate and a voting member of the Hudson community, but also as an older sister of three students still within the Hudson School District, one of whom is currently a freshmen here at this very school.

Before I start, I would just like to point out to Mr. Duff that, contrary to your comments at last Monday's meeting, NONE of the people here tonight are here because of offhand comments you made at an obscure winter board meeting wishing for high attendance levels as was implied. I spent numerous Monday nights my junior and senior years of high school at that bank of computers over there as both a news editor and Editor-in-Chief producing the school's newspaper and you never had more then a dozen people at those meetings that I was aware of. These people are here because of their passion, not yours whims-excluding an apparent government class assignment.

Also, last week Mr. Funk called Mr. Frahlich, my high school guidance counselor, to apparent task for not making what he deemed to be sufficient eye contact with the board members. On top of all the other outrageous comments made from the table you're sitting at in the last two months, that definitely ranks in the top ten, including Mr. Duff's professed wishes at the March 21st meeting that this all blow over and that he didn't feel there would be any need for continued coverage of Mr. Howard's firing at future board meetings. HOW DARE anyone from the Hudson Board of Education accuse anyone in this audience of not making eye contact when YOU are the ones who refuse to meet OUR eyes the last few months. You can scribble notes and talk among yourselves all you want, but this is NOT GOING AWAY.

*Ad lib praise of Howard, which was done off the cuff, so I'm not sure exactly WHAT I said, lol.*

Last week, I was cynically amused by how often you, the board members, complained about the lack of money available for your disposal (and multiple BOE members used the phrase "controlling expenses"), especially when I think about the money you must be spending on attorneys fees over the scandal you caused by refusing to rehire the most popular and effective principal Hudson High School has seen in recent years. (Come to think of it, how much money is being spent on the unnecessary search for a replacement for Mr. Howard among your stellar candidates, who include a current elementary school principal and the head of a correctional facility (on the published 19 member short list)?)

In a proposed effort to raise money, next year there might be a 60 dollar fee to participate in extracurricular activities at HHS, a 40 dollar charge at the middle school, and a 10 dollars price tag at East Woods Elementary. Ten dollars might not sound like much, but since the newly hiked fee at HHS alone is 20 dollar jump from this year, how much will ten-year-olds be expected to pay by the 2006-2007 school year, especially considering a program like this has never been considered necessary in Hudson before the 2004-2005 school year?

Considering the BOE has alienated most of the tax paying community, I find it laughable that the board speaks as if they stand a chance of passing their proposed levy for the 2006 election, especially since the last time the board passed a levy-by a scant 12 vote margin- that vote was cast under more favorable conditions after years when no levy passed at all.

In closing, I would like to thank the Board for "listening" to my comments, and I can only pray that FOR ONCE you HEAR what the audience is saying."

And you will NOT believe this-most of the audience gave me a few minute standing ovation! :blushes:

And, as the icing on the cake- I RAN INTO MR. HOWARD IN THE PARKING LOT WHEN WE WERE LEAVING THE MEETING, and he gave me a big hug and congratulated me and what I'd said-apparently he was watching the meeting from some closed circuit system or something.

Is that not awesome? :happy dance: :) :) :)

Also introduced him to Patrick, who's name he recognized from the student government election posters Patrick's had up for the last week AND he said a specific hello to Patrick in the hallway at school today. How cool is that?? :)

Oh, and I'm going to send this into the Hub later today, once I find the address...

"BOE still refusing to acknowledge reasons behind community passion

After weeks of stone-faced silence from the BOE in the face of audience upset at board meetings, at least someone from the board had the honesty to finally say what the board has been thinking for months regarding HHS principal Roger Howard.

Mr. Hackney acknowledged that the BOE "perhaps made a mistake," but only in announcing their predetermined decision regarding Mr. Howard's firing immediately after hours of community support for Mr. Howard, not in the decision itself because they "were being honest."

Apparently, he also sees retaining Mr. Howard is like being asked "to do something illegal." I invite Hub readers to watch the replay of the May 16 BOE meeting on HCTV if they feel that I am misrepresenting these comments.

Most endearingly, Mr. Hackney also snapped at audience members who were attempting to get a straight answer from the BOE on what percentage of their decisions are affected by public opinion that "it took many years for people to get the law changed to make these [BOE] meetings public." Perhaps Mr. Hackney was warning people not to jeopardize this opportunity?

However, fear not Hudson community- Mr. Hackney wasn't originally considering running for reelection in the fall, but in the face of the current anti-BOE controversy, he stated, "now I guess I am."

Perhaps the BOE should recognize that people do not feel the need to come to board meetings, week after week, when things are going RIGHT in Hudson. We also do not come to these meetings because we enjoy sitting in wooden chairs for hours and being treated like we lack useful knowledge and are a general waste of the board's time. We come to these meetings to support not only for Roger Howard to remain as HHS principal, but for a positive education for our students."

Opinions? Think it's too much and they won't publish it? Let me know!

Thanks again for calming me down last night Bets! :)