I spoke with School District Supernintendo Hazel Bauman this afternoon. I have some updates on my earlier post.

Hazel is always refreshing to speak to. She is very honest and really believes in her mission. Of all the local officials in this area, I she is one of the best. She listens to other opinions and is not dismissive. At least that’s my experience.

First of all, Hazel did not forward the email message from her work computer. She was at home on Thursday as it was a snow day. Further, she did not use the work account. She could have, but she chose not to.

No, it was Dr. Bell at NIC who used her work computer, at work, to broadcast the message. That was double-plus un-good.

Second, the message sent out doesn’t encourage people to skew the results. Well, it kind of does, but not overtly. It says:

I encourage everyone to go to the website and voice your opinion by participating in this community dialogue.

The killer part is this:

I know there is a strong chance the Press will report these results in the paper sometime in the next few days.

So the effort here is, in fact, to influence the reporting in The Press. That could have been handled better.

Further, the original message was from the School’s new Public Information Officer. I do not have which email address she used, but would hope that the message was not sent during school time and on school equipment.

To what I wrote:

The message, boys and girls: Cheating works!

In this case, let’s be honest: Both sides cheat. That’s not good for anyone. Still, the results of the email message I intercepted are obvious by the change in poll results: There was significant change from the earlier trend.

I wrote:

I am extremely disappointed, especially because I believed in Superintendent Bauman’s efforts at transparency.

Again, with Hazel phoning me this afternoon, she re-assured me that she was making no attempts to be underhanded. She knows the rules, but she is passionate about education. Further, she’s really concerned about this levy.

I asked her why they chose the full amount. During the debate at last Monday’s Trustee meeting, Trustee Hemenway reminded the board that they are partners with the businesses and parents, and that those folks are hurting. That the District can do more to show they are diligently cutting.

Hazel told me that they have been cutting, and they will continue to cut possible another 3 to 4 million from the budget. They need the extra to replace what they believe will be cut from the state. Still, until that figure is known, they’re only anticipating the worst, and anticipating it with money from people who are having trouble making ends meet.

By asking for the full amount, the District runs the risk of alienating voters. There may be a backlash. Hazel understands that, but felt that they had to ask for the maximum anyway. I explained that it’s going to be a tough sell, but Hazel went on to explain how much they’ve cut already and that parents and others outside the District are concerned about the cuts.

That leads me to this:

… SD271 has gone on a hiring spree for new administrators in the midst of a financial crisis

No, they have not, though it’s commonly repeated. They have replaced two positions in administration, but they’ve also cut a lot of positions and doubled up on others. So I regret spreading what is a common misconception.

Can the School District do more to get the message out? Absolutely. I would like to see more compassion from the Trustees for those people who are struggling. I would have liked to see a lower levy amount because I believe there is more cutting that could be done, especially in light of the recommendations made by the independent financial panel over two years ago.

I’m happy that Hazel called me to discuss these points. Once again, it shows that she is a good leader who is passionate about her cause, but also willing to lend an ear to those who have differing opinions.