I strongly support Jeff Waters and Peggy James for the Hinsdale High School District 86 Board. Jeff and Peggy will bring much needed good governance to the school board. Our high school is the gem of our community. It is widely regarded as one of the best high schools in Illinois, and we need to ensure that remains the case. School board decisions not only affect the quality of our children’s education, they also affect home values, which are directly tied to the quality of our schools.
A top quality high school must have a properly functioning school board. To function properly, school board members must really listen (not just pretend to listen) to parents and residents. The recent practice of limiting public comment at school board meetings is inexcusable and should not be tolerated. A school board that adopts an “us versus them” mentality in interacting with parents fails to serve the community. School board members who blindly follow advice from so-called “experts” in making key decisions and avoid public discussion before implementing those decisions have effectively abdicated their responsibilities to parents and the community.
Jeff and Peggy are committed to listening to District 86 parents. While they will give due consideration to the advice of experts, they will make decisions only after open, public discussions in which all relevant information is considered. That is how our school board needs to function. We need Jeff and Peggy on our school board to ensure that good governance returns to District 86. — Tom Cauley, Hinsdale
