A Board of Education is a public agency comprised of elected officials who make decisions for us.  Sounds simple enough, right?  We elect people to run our school system in our collective best interest.  The truth is it’s just not that simple.

I have spent the last 4 years being heavily involved in education issues in Woodstock.  I started out like most folks advocating for our kids.  There was a lot that I did not know or understand so, I started asking questions.  The more questions I asked led to more questions needing to be asked.  Why?  Because I didn’t really get any answers.  In fact, many (if not most) of my questions were met with condescension and disdain.

Unfortunately, the more questions I asked, the bigger the target became that was being painted on my back.  I was labeled as anti-education, a liar, and so on…

With every question that was not answered, someone all too often ended up resorting to a Freedom of Information Request.  And, well, with every FOI request the BOE and Dr. Baran would pay the BOE’s very expensive lawyers to tell them if they HAD TO PROVIDE THE INFORMATION being requested.  Say what???  Remember, the BOE is a public agency doing the public’s business.

But, hey, I didn’t just ask questions of the BOE, I asked them of Woodstock Academy as well.  And, the amazing thing is…every question has always been answered.  EVERY ONE.  No one ever told me no and no one ever inferred that I was harassing them.

So, let’s see…what else?

Well, most of you may remember the 9th Grade Proposal that was generated by Dr. Baran and the BOE.  The intent was to retain the 9th graders at the Woodstock Middle School instead of sending them on to high school.

There was a sub-committee formed to “research” the proposal.  I (along with several other concerned parents) attended every one of the meetings of the sub-committee.

I was extremely disappointed by the data that was being presented at the meetings (and the lack thereof) and decided to do my own research.  Steve Rosendahl was extremely helpful and provided mountains of fiscal and educational data.  Between the two of us, we obtained the opinion of a nationally-recognized expert in the field of middle school education, documentation supporting the national trend to move away from the “junior high school model” and fiscal data which completely and inarguably proved that our children would NOT receive an equivalent educational offering if they were retained at the middle school for 9th grade.  In fact, we found that there would ultimately be NO COST SAVINGS to the town of Woodstock and that any initial savings that were being touted by the BOE “disappeared” in subsequent years.

And, of course, there was the infamous “Breen Proposal”.  This proposal was meant to change the governing structure of Woodstock Academy and give more authority or “power”, if you will, to the Woodstock BOE while granting less authority to the other sending towns.  This was an 11th hour proposal that Mr. Breen tried to sneak through the CT Legislature in a dummy bill being put forth by State Rep. Andrew Fleischmann of West Hartford.  It was commissioned by and heartily supported by the BOE.

In my opinion the Breen Proposal suited the BOE’s agenda perfectly.  Because the Breen Proposal along with the 9th Grade Proposal essentially held Woodstock Academy hostage.

I believe you all know that we still do not have a contract with Woodstock Academy, right?  Nice bit of leverage for the BOE don’t you think?  Unfortunately, the children were also being held hostage to the BOE’s initiatives.

As a result of the BOE’s actions and initiatives, several of us formed the Coalition of Citizens and Parents so that everyone could stay informed on these very important issues.  We added members to the coalition at an impressive pace and I am still amazed at the sheer number of the membership.  It was and still is the most inspirational experience that I have had in public involvement.  We had members of every political party, teachers, students, and the everyday Joes…and we worked as a TEAM.  I have great respect and admiration for all those who were involved in the coalition efforts.

But, let’s face it, we have an ongoing Education War in Woodstock and it is going to take all of us to see an end to it.  It’s no easy task and take it from me…it’s exhausting.

Many of those who attack and vilify me are constantly saying, “if you are so unhappy with the way things are, just vote them out at the next election!”  Ah hah!  That’s it…exactly the problem!  Because the current structure of the BOE only allows that if you are unhappy with the officials that you elect to work for you, well, you get to vote them out…IN 6 YEARS!

So then you have to ask…  Why can’t we get more people involved?  Why can’t we get more citizens interested in running for the BOE?  Why are our voting options so limited to individuals who are only all too eager to continue the ongoing Education War in Woodstock?

And the answer?  Well, it’s a simple one…We all have lives!  Who wants to COMMIT to 6 years on a board!?!  Who wants to get bogged down in the bureaucratic mess in which education issues in Woodstock are mired?  Anyone who has ever attended any meetings of the BOE or its sub-committees knows exactly what I am talking about.  So much time and energy spent with very little (none) citizen involvement and results that do not legitimize the efforts used to obtain them.

So, how do we solve this problem?  It’s not easy…CT Statutes provide for the number of members and terms for all BOEs.  The ONLY legal way to change this is by referendum (we don’t have a town charter).  Again, this is the only way.

We have some wonderful folks here in Woodstock!  Well-educated, well-intentioned, honest, hard-working people who are not interested in political or personal agendas.  People who are only concerned with the welfare of our children, our schools and the health of our community.

I believe that if we had more reasonable terms for BOE members we would have more citizens who are willing to become involved.  Add to that an environment which invites the participation of citizens/parents in molding our school system into a healthy place that IS embraced by us all.  And, if we are dissatisfied with the job that our BOE members are doing?  Yes…we can vote them out at the next election…IN 4 YEARS.

For those who say that BOE members NEED 6 years because there is a lot to learn?  Well, gee, the guy running this entire country only gets 4 years and I think he’s got a heck of a lot more on his plate.

Again, a BOE is a public agency.  The BOE is there to represent us and should be accountable to us.  There is no place for egos, personal ambitions and personal/political agendas on the BOE.  And, with 6 year terms, the pool of potential volunteers is greatly diminished and the energy (stamina) to “keep up the fight” dissipates with time.  Citizens become disenfranchised and weary…they just want to move on and enjoy the good things in life.

But, isn’t that what we all want…to just be happy and enjoy the good things in life?

Changing the BOE structure from 9 members to 7 and the term length from 6 to 4 is a critical step in embarking on a new path in Woodstock.  It’s time for greater community involvement and a new way of thinking…one where we all work together to achieve the best opportunities for the children of Woodstock in the most forward-thinking, fiscally responsible, and sustainable way.

That is why I am voting YES tomorrow.

Lisa Rapose