Final FINAL Letter to the Editor concerning the stupidity of the Hudson BOE

My final FINAL Letter to the Editor concerning the stupidity of the Hudson Board of Education (so far, they could always get worse and tick me off enough to write more) stands as thus:

"After attending multiple BOE meetings in the this spring, and as a 2003 graduate of HHS that benefited both on a class and individual level from Mr. Howard's leadership, I can honestly say I have never been more frustrated or disappointed with the highest level of administration in the HCSD.

The BOE offers flimsier and flimsier excuses in their attempts to justify their reasoning behind firing Mr. Howard, if they can be brought to comment at all. For over an hour, HHS faculty members and department heads -- many of whom were my teachers and whose knowledge I can personally vouch for -- offered the board support that clearly contradicted the published "problems" Mr. Howard supposedly had at the time of the board's decision and Ms. Wolowiec's evaluations. Unfortunately, the BOE members still apparently lack the courage to step forward and admit that a grievous error has been made that will make our students, educators and community suffer in the future.

Even the best teachers cannot teach as effectively in a negative environment and our students will graduate not having learned as well, or as much, in the future our district is sailing towards. Trust, in this case between staff and administration, will not be easy to rebuild now that it has been broken.

Recently at HMS, in a move that in no way reflects the way the "real world" works, a decision was handed down that students will no longer be rewarded with something as symbolic as a bumper sticker for hard work and good grades. Combined with the actions of the BOE, I can only deduct that the message our district is conveying isn't so much "if you don't do your job, you'll lose your job" but "even if you do your job well, that doesn't matter here.""

I, personally, like my other one that was more of the "smack-down" variety, but my mom pointed out that if I was too overtly sarcastic it made me sound "like a moody 17-year-old" and I was less likely to be taken seriously. After MUCH debate, I conceded the point and typed up and sent the above less overtly sarcastic note. ;) ;)

Also, my fifteen-year-old brother would probably rather I didn't send in any letter at all (whoops, too late) because people might deduct we're related and they will think less of him, supposedly. (I don't see the logic, but maybe the age difference factors into that, lol.)

The darn 300 word limit, though... There was seriously so much more I wanted to say! Argh. The writing of the ones that didn't make the final cut was at least therapeutic, if nothing else, lol.

Happy travels to Betsy-of-the-packs-disgusting-early! ;)

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