Stage fright, etc...

Well, if I come up with enough points, I definitely WANT TO talk at the BOE meeting tonight, you know? However, just got a "deer in headlights" thing going on since like my entire life, lol. ;)

However, I DO feel like I owe, to an extent, Mr. Howard to at least say something. I met him before start of senior year for paper, I saw a lot of him during the year (multiple times because he sought me out for my opinions, help, etc.) AND he picked little ol' ME as one of two students in the school to go to the Leadership Conference our senior year, which was a great experience for me. (Minus Steve Hiltner accidentally kicking Pepsi aaaaaaaaaall over me... But that's a different story, lol.)

Also, and more importantly, my brother is a freshmen this year and he has to deal with THREE years of whatever person they pick next. (And have I pointed out who's on the list? Stellar, stellar choices on the short list, believe you me.) And my 13-year-old brother will be at Hudson High School in two years! So, as the big sister, I owe it to them to verbally reprimand the school board.

But I'll have to play it by ear, you know? See where the other comments are going before I phrase mine.

But, as is, this (Letter to the Editor I wrote last week but didn't have time to send to Hub before their deadline...I'll rephrase and send tomorrow, definitely, though) is probably going to be a basis (=semi-organized thoughts) of what I'll talk about:

"During the May 9 Board of Education meeting, I was cynically amused by how often board members complained about the lack of money available for their disposal, especially when one thinks about the money they must be spending on attorneys fees over the scandal they 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 their stellar candidates, who include a current elementary school principal and the head of a correctional facility?)

Multiple BOE members used the phrase "controlling expenses," once right before the board voted to approve sending our varsity football team to a "Unity Camp" at Youngstown State University in August. If our district is so lacking in funds, shouldn't the board have seen this motion alone as being superfluous and unnecessary? Nothing against our football players, but shouldn't textbooks and other basic necessities come first?

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?

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."

What do you think?

I'll let you know how it goes tomorrow...