Mar
5
Not every debate has 2 sides
March 5, 2007 |
“One of the great American myths is that there are two equally valid sides to everything.” Mike Hendricks wrote this in his Kansas City Star article today, and I think the quote applies well to the upcoming bond vote for the West Central Valley district.
Why are we even still debating this? The bond should have been approved in each and every vote that has already taken place. Isn’t it time we stop bickering and do the right thing?
Please vote YES on March 27th.
Comments
622 Comments so far
This has nothing to do with the bond but if you want to watch the girl’s state basketball semifinal, etc games live go to http://www.ihssn.com/events.aspx
There have been some AWESOME games today. Anyone know if GC got through?
Guthrie Center plays today at 2:30. I’ve been told they have a good chance of winning the first round, but will have a tough time moving into the final rounds.
Guthrie Center lost today.
haha
the guthrie center game was very good. i watched it at work. it was anyone’s game the entire time.
How’s that paper working coming along Nate?
Why are you urging people to vote yes? It’s easy to do so when you aren’t going to be among the people who have to contribute to the whole thing. Whether money or time, you qualify for neither.
Yes, you went to school here. But you left and what have you done for this school or town since besides open up a forum where everyone and everything can be ridiculed into the ground. Not to mention all the negativity and hatred this and the other blogs have stirred among the people. I’ll admit, there have been a few positives, and I stress few, but the bad has outweighed the good.
You say you want to or are going to move back. I think you are all talk and so I’ll believe that when I see it. Until then, until you are going to contribute to the cost and have a vested interest in this new building and the district, I really don’t think you should be trying to sway people to vote yes.
You’re right anonymous. My time is worth absolutely nothing. I apologize for forcing everyone down this terrible hateful path.
That’s it everyone. This blog is officially closed. Grab your stuff. Last one out make sure to turn off the lights.
Where does 8:40 blame you for this? They are just saying that you shouldn’t try to influence votes because although you are from here, you haven’t really been part of this fight. Also, they kind of have a point with the whole you aren’t going to help pay for the school.
Now, before you go off on me. I’m planning on voting yes. I just can see both sides of the issue.
Quit being such a drama queen, Nate. They were just expressing an opinion just like you did with the post. So calm down.
Don’t listen to that person Nate. I like your blog and your input and the fact that you are trying to help out your hometown.
Nice to see you didn’t even bother to try and deny any of the things 8:40 said though. At least you’re being honest.
What exactly am I supposed to deny? No, I don’t live in Stuart. No, I haven’t contributed any money to the cause. Yes, I created this blog “where everyone and everything can be ridiculed into the ground.”
That’s all true.
But what I can deny is the “negativity and hatred this and the other blogs have stirred among the people.” If there is any negativity I didn’t create it, nor do I stir it. It was already there buzzing around town. I simply created a giant office water cooler where people can gather and discuss what’s on their minds.
I can’t force anyone to be nice. I can’t make anyone think happy thoughts. What I can do is continue to provide a place for people to vent, to discuss, to rant, to air what ails.
I want Stuart and WCV to have everything that they should. I think a new high school is part of that equation. Make of it what you will.
Amen to that, brother…:)
Ew. If the IEye supports it you know it’s going to fail. Look at the the former chief’s career, the Bears & the WCV girls basketball team. They are JINXES!
Amen to that, brother…;)
Who said we supported the Bears?
The former chief’s career didn’t fail — she was railroaded out of her job.
And the WCV girls’ had a great season overall.
but everything u supported went down down the drain
back at ya
ya ann, the girls had a kick ass season but then you jumped on the bandwagon at the end for post season play and they fell out of competition before they were really in! next year, mind your own business.
oh, and she wasn’t “railroaded” out of her job. she couldn’t perform to standard as was let go. but the question remains, where is she now? do i hear the rumblings of failed police career in the wind? because she’s not gonna ba a cop again. thanks to you!
Seriously why blame others for teams losing like they have any fault in it. The Bears lost cause they turned it over four times and let the Colts run it down their throat. The WCV girls lost cause they were out everythinged that night, out coached, out hustled out PLAYED period. What the heck get serious. Maybe you dont agree with someone big deal, dont through stupid ass stuff in that has nothing to do with anything!
And Nate does support the town, everytime he is back the local pub reeks great profit from him being here.
That’s true. I do support the pubs.
Thanks, Nate, for your long-distance support for your former school district.
The WCV website has posted the bond issue information.
im still voting no
well, well, well!!!
Very interesting, Nate!!
You made one slip-up with a post though. You said you want STUART AND WCV to have everything they should have.
What the H*** are the rest of us, dog turd under your feet to be stepped on and scraped off?
This just proves most NO voters point.
Thanks for doing that in an open forum!!
Broman, why don’t you keep out of it and do your job?
OH sorry, you only work a couple hrs. a day and have an aide to grade papers, huh!!
MY BAD!!
You two have done more negative things to this than any two I can think of.
Hats off to you both.
Shut up Nate or pay your share. You shouldn’t have a say, if you don’t want to pay.
Hey that rhymes, guess I did learn something in that old piece of crap building in Stuart.
Come and get me Nate, I can’t wait!
Your mind and Broman’s together don’t add up to a fart in the wind.
Yeah, I’m from the old S-M side, but I’m voting NO, NO and NO.
The general populace hasn’t been informed and what I have heard, I don’t believe.
When the educational establishment, aka known as Broman,etal., the administration and the Board elected to represent the taxpayers, finally decides they want to tell the truth and also listen to the public except when they want help and that help is 150% in agreement with them, then this thing might pass. Vote NO, people.
You are being railroaded.
Has a house gone up 50% in costs in 2yrs. time? No way!
Yes, there does need to be a new High School, but your Stuart comment Nate, just shows how divided and predjudiced and acrimonious this whole set-up still is.
The new plan is set up perfectly to be a jr-sr building in the future.
Having not been that long ago that I was in school, those two groups need to have separate locations.
Being female, I can tell you for sure that is a fact.
Any parent who has a daughter and is for one school for all and the mixing of those age groups in today’s society has the morals of an alley cat in heat!!
I saw first hand what went on during open lunch and left in amazement that the admin. would do nothing about it.
Care for kids, give me a break!! They wanted a break during the noon hr. to go to the lounge and to save money.
Under Nulph it was the money.
When did S-M ever pass a bond issue on their own? Huh, Nate and Broman(the Mr. isn’t deserved, by the way, and calling you Tod gives me the creeps)?!?
C’mon both of you tear me down, I can’t wait for your replies.
Vote NO people, until they explain things to you. Why the cost is now so much, why it has to be done so soon. Why the citizen’s petitition(which I have only read about) wasn’t negotiated on, and what the wording of the bond issue is going to say.
Going in blind and giving them a blank check makes a lot of sense, doesn’t it?
Read the ballot very carefully before you mark yes or no. I bet it isn’t spelled out very clearly just where the money is going.
Look into the future. With declining enrollment, the new building will become a mixed school(jr-sr high).
No declining enrollment you say?
Take a look at downtown Stuart or what is left! It is gone or going!!
And if you pull the old switcheroo in the future and Adel has built, you don’t think Redfield people won’t open enroll to Adel as they have done? And you don’t think Dexter won’t go to Earlham?
C’mon defend your positions, that make you both look like, I won’t say.
I’m trying to keep this above the belt, but it’s hard for me too.
Vote NO and send a message one more time that you want to be educated before you pay 20 yrs for something you got shoved down your throat!
Putting 1.1 million in that old Stuart HS building is the biggest farce of all! It should be the first to be dozed, in my opinion. It was crap when I went there. The sewer smell in Menlo can’t be fixed? Give me a break!! I don’t know the facts, but subjecting children to that to get a vote passed is beyond belief and the Board and administration should be in front of a judge!
So Nate and Broman, sell me on the idea why I should vote Yes!! Why is this the panacea of all panaceas’?
In conclusion, please, both of you SHUT UP!!!
You do more damage than any two could do if that were their only mission in life, but maybe that is truly your only mission in life is to see STUART get everything they want and deserve!! Right, Nate!
Two pieces of dog turd, trying to sell people and treat the populace just as that!
Come at me, I know neither of you will be able to resist! I can hold my own.
Dear “Pekie”-
Sorry to burst your bubble, but I work more than a few hours of the day and shockingly, I don’t have an aide who grades my papers.
Were you one of my former students who did not like how I ran my class and expected my students to behave? If not, then you are terribly misinformed judging by your accusations.
Maybe you’re spouting off at me because I have the guts to post my thoughts along with my real name. Maybe you don’t like hearing what I have to say…are you afraid of what I have to say?
Please, come visit the high school and watch me work. All you have to do is first stop in the office to get Mrs. Wilson’s permission.
Hey, “Pekie”, have a nice day!
Dear Pekie- Quote- “I don’t know the facts…” says it all.
You want the bond issue to fail. You don’t want a new HS building, but you feel that the present HS building should be bulldozed down first. Makes a lot of sense to me.
What DO YOU WANT the district to do? Keep as is?
I’ll wait for you to calm down and think objectively before I’ll respond to more of your acidic comments.
Have a nice day, Pekie!
Hey, Broman, thanks for the reply!!
I knew you wouldn’t be able to resist.
Yes, I was one of your students. Did very well too in spite of it.
I’m in no way afraid on what you have to say!
I don’t see an answer to any questions i raised, now do I? You are great at attacking people and I intend to reciprocate!
YOU work more than a few hrs. a day? Gimme a break!! See I’ve made the transition to the real world where I have to WORK 8 full hrs. a day and 260 days a yr. and keep my head down and not blow my mouth to and about my employer! Yes, that’s right, I believe the populace is your employer! So, continue to blow! You and Nate are a perfect pair!
Neither of you can answer a question without dodging issues and facts!
I’m not asking rhetorical questions!
Give me some one-sided answers!! They would be better than nothing at all!!
Looking at the budget for the new building shows aggregious allowances for contingencies!
Other things are very debatable.
I’m voting NO until someone sells me!
I urge all to vote NO until someone sells them.
As for you, Broman, you have always been the the knight in shining armor riding in from the sunset to rescue everyone and blow your own horn. I’m sure the other teachers swoon at your God-like appearance and so many guts for posting your name.
I bow to Thee, OH BROMAN, for you are the HOLY TRINITY wrapped up into one package!
Just look in the mirror and tell yourself that, because you truly believe it along with the supt. and others in your profession.
HA HA, YOU are a great one to talk about settling down and making acidic remarks.
I’m coming from a qualitative, quantitative, non-subjective point of view.
Not knowing the facts. Why hasn’t the school put out the facts?
Why should I have to dig for facts?
Why should you know things the populace doesn’t, because you (sic)work there?
Read my second post, if you can without seeing red(as you do most of the time when someone challenges you)!
I agree there needs to be a new HS.
Answer the other points.
You won’t, I don’t think you have the guts too! Is that challenge enough for you, Broman?
I have to be to work, to be continued.
I know you have to walk to you day position to put your feet up in the lounge for a bit.
Do you have a hotline to this blog?
HA HA, you bemuse me to no end.
Later, and I don’t give up, just for your information, until i get answers.
Tod: Ignore Pekie. And the rest of the anonymous trolls, porcupines and skewers who love to insult and enrage but remain anonymous.
Check out this site for more tips on handling those who like to start flame wars on blogs:
contentious.com/archives/2005/01/26/handling-online-vermin
And remember: You must be doing something right or they wouldn’t take the time to try to annoy you.
Wow somebody is having a rough day.
When Panorama build their new elementry building my taxes jumped a whopping $16.00 a year. Had to settle for one less bottle of alcohol per year. That was the hard part. Todd, Nate, I agree WCV needs a new high school. I prefer to see it in Stuart, cause thats where I put in my time. [almost typed work]
Dexter wouldn’t bother me much. It’s close. I realize that I’ll probably catch heat too Nate cause I don’t live in the district, but my kids went to a fairly new school, and Ann’s son goes to a fairly new school. The kids in Guthrie have a fairly new school and A/Cs is a little worn. All in all the old high school in Stuart isn’t half bad. More like 75 percent.
If you want to vote no, not much anyone can do or say to change your mind. I voted yes in Panora for what I felt was the only reason that mattered. The kids, and their kids, and their kids. I knew they were the future, and I thought they deserved it.
pekie, will you be my friend?
also, could you please set ann kult right and make her believe that just because we choose to vote no, we are not “trolls, porcupines and skewers who love to insult and enrage but remain anonymous.” i happen to want a new school because our kids deserve it but i don’t want it built half-assed like the current one purposed.
oh, everyone, ann shouldn’t have a say either. she lives in coon rapids and her kid goes to cr-b.
My first obligation is to keep my household solvent. My property tax will raise over $275 per year for the next 20 years. Then how many more taxes will be added on later. Just how far can you stretch an already strained budget?
UHH HUH HUH
I posted a comment on Anns’ site and it never got put up!! Wonder why?
I wasn’t nasty at all, but did make the comment that putting your name up in a small town blog isn’t a good idea or something to that sort.
I’m an experienced blogger and she is the one who is insulting people with her characterizations of trolls, etc. whatever.
I think she needs to take her own advice on flaming.
Funny how others have their remarks posted on her blog and I couldn’t get mine. Must be that I mentioned I was from the east-side, don’t know.
I’d like to comment on Mr.Godwin’s post, just a little.
They are talking $4.05/$1000 valuation here. That will be lots more than $16, I guarantee you. Just wanted to bring that up.
I agree with “pekie” in many ways. I’ve never had a problem with Tod so don’t know where she is coming from there.
He is entitled to his opinion.
But I do agree with her that we need to be educated and informed totally on an issue of this size.
Speaking as one who hasn’t followed this until just lately, she is completely right about needing to educate people.
Lord knows we need a new HS. Things need to be handled fairly with all questions getting an answer. No matter how many times they have to be answered.
To tell you the truth, Ann became a big part of the problem with me just now.
I was on the fence about how to vote.
If she doesn’t want to post only certain people, then that shows me this thing isn’t ready to proceed.
So in the last 1/2 hr. I’ve gone from not knowing how I was going to vote to a definite NO.
Petty of me, damn straight. Get the facts out and treat people equally and you will get your school.
If you can’t tell she p****d me off, kind of big time.
So maybe the girl has a lot more reasone to talk like she does than I had thought, huh?
Keep p*****g people off Ann and others and you will be crying again.
And why don’t you make it clear your kids go to a different school? It’s easy for you to put your name up then isn’t it?
So get off the anonymous peoples’ backs.
Sorry you really, really DID pee me off badly.
Vote NO!!
By the way, after the above post, I fully expect to see my original post on her blog now.
What cha think?
good luck with that east-sider. she won’t post comments unless they agree with her views or kiss her ass.
Dear East Sider:
For starters, I just posted your comment now because I work at a grocery store 9-6 and I can only moderate comments on my break and during my lunch hour…so please bear with me…
Secondly, you aren’t apparently comprehending fully what I said…or maybe I wasn’t clear…
I didn’t say that just because someone posts an opposing viewpoint they’re a troll or a porcupine or a skewer.
I was refering to the the lowdown, mean, vicious personal attacks as exemplified by Pekie’s personal attacks on Tod Broman that I am talking about.
Being cynical and critical about Mr. Broman does nothing to further discussion about the bond issue, yay or nay — it is typical, however, when it comes to controversial issues like the bond referendum, that people start tearing apart each other instead of tearing into the issue.
And that’s too bad…
Trying to get back at someone attacking you anonymously gets no one anywhere…answer issue questions, but ignore the personal jabs.
That’s all I’m sayin’…
Dear Townie: You are right — not everyone realizes my son attends CR-B.
My son attends CR-B.
I have covered every bond issue for the last five years — or has it been six — and have friends with kids in the WCV District. So I care and want to make sure the facts get out.
Take or leave my thoughts, insight.
Check out facts.
Do your homework.
Vote how you will.
Ann, you are such a HYPOCRITE! You complain about pekie’s “personal attacks” but isn’t that what you do on your blog? I don’t think I can count the number of times you’ve personally attacked the council members, mayor, paige williams, guthrie county sheriff, etc. because you didn’t agree with their opinions.
Now you are attacking the No voters and anonymous posters. Shame on you.
The only reason you are defending broman so vigorously is because he gives you nothing but misguided praise for the trash you write on your blog. I don’t think I’ve seen him leave you a negative comment yet. It’s always “good job,” “right on,” blah blah blah. Makes me sick to be quite honest with you.
Pekie, I fully expect you are married, but if you aren’t, will you marry me.
I think I’m in love with you!!!
Wow, did you hit the nail on the head.
I don’t know who you are but I’ve watched as Broman has stuck his nose in everything for years.
Now he is SOOOOO proud that he puts his name up. God how shallow can one person be!!
I had him in school too and didn’t realize I hadn’t learned much until I got to college.
I really doubt if you will get the straight answers you deserve from him or anyone else.
And talk about pulling something out of context as Ann mentions.
What did Broman do with your ‘not know the facts’ when you said it about the Menlo sewer smell.
Keep up the good work.
You have just this morning made a lot of people happy, I assure you that.
I shouldn’t say this but Ann and Tod are just setting off the people ‘on the fence’ like the ‘east-sider’.
But they will be the first two to cry and wonder why things happened…..again.
in response to Ann’s reply to east-sider.
First off, Yes I fully agree with ‘pekie’.
For you to say in the same post about answering issue questions, is pure nonsense.
Broman did everything but answer a question of hers or address any of her other opinions other than he doesn’t work much and then he attacked her as well.
God, this one sided stuff smells so bad. I bet the Menlo sewer is a breathe of fresh air after reading you and Broman…oh and let’s not forget Nate.
After reading East Siders comment at 11:44, I called the courthouse and found out that my taxes went up $16.00 for 6 months instead of a year. Thats $32.00 a year. Dang, another bottle of hooch. I stand corrected.
Don’t blame Ann for following this issue even though she doesn’t live in the district. This is like a massive car wreck that you can’t help but look at, no matter where you live!!!!
Ann can “watch” all she wants. It’s her input we can all do without. Ever heard of the old adage “seen but not heard.” That should apply to Ann… Nate too as far as that goes. He’s kind of in the same boat - the one that isn’t docked in town.
So, shhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.
I am not attacking no voters or anonymous posters — I am merely noting that when anoymous bloggers trade polticial commentary for personal insult that has nothing to do with an issue, that the target of said insult should ignore it.
That goes for everybody on either side of this issue or any issue.
Remain anonymous till the cows come home, but I think the rudeness gets out of hand.
And, I didn’t say that Broman did answer any questions — I said that people should answer questions, just ignore the personal rude remarks.
I’m not “defending” Tod, Tod just happens to be the one person who has taken a lot of personal crap of late. He is a big boy and can defend himself if he wishes.
And just for the record — political and public figures are fair game for political commentary on the Eye. There is a difference between political commentary and personal attacks.
See ya.
ya think there’s a reason that Tod has taken a lot of personal crap lately?
Could it be his attitude? His mouth? His subtle superior attitude? His know it all attitude?
Quit picking on ‘pekie’! She has every right to state her feelings. Like you said public figures are fair game. Tod gets paid with tax dollars.
She may have gotten carried away just a little, but not much.
As mentioned, why do you think Tod is catching
a lot of personal crap? It’s not just pekie, is it?
Reading from two former students gives me a little bit of wonderment about things, huh?
Ann, I don’t know you, but do you and Broman talk often? Evidently!!!
You have a lot of whatever coming down on me about personal attacks when you post and call people names.
So I’m a troll, porcupine, skewer and vermin in your mind I see. You don’t know me and I don’t know you, but who’s calling people names here?
What I said about Broman is my opinion of the truth in my own words. If the shoe fits wear it and it fits him perfectly.
As mentioned, I know him, been around him in class anyway, and put up with his ego for a longer time than I care to remember.
You don’t know me so don’t judge me, OK?
I still don’t see any answers!! I’m just getting home from work and expected something!
Silence is often so loud it is deafening. It seems to be that case here.
Broman has lots more coming to him than I gave him or ever could!
So if you want to talk about not using personal attacks, please stop calling people names, Ann, OK?
I’m with ya think in wondering why Broman is catching personal crap. Why do you think Ann?
Time for me to start work here at home again.
Thanks to those who said kind things about me.
HAH! Ann, My husband just showed me your comment about my mean, lowdown, vicious attack on Broman!
If I wasn’t so tired I would get down on the floor and roll around laughing.
Awww, I think it’s cute that you are sticking up for him!!
Telling him how to handle vicious little me.
He DOES need all the help he can get doesn’t he?
I’m sure he will be commenting later after I’m asleep and he is just starting to relax after his tough day at the office! RIGHT!!!
Remember people—–NO ANSWERS=VOTE NO!!!!
Ok, I have been chastised for not answering “Pekie’s” questions, so I went back over her blogs and located all of the questions that she posed.
So, here goes:
1) “Broman, why don’t you keep out of it and do your job?” Why should I get out? Passing the bond is, in my opinion, the best thing for WCV, so I will campaign for it. Now, the part of doing my job, which I assume it means teaching, well, I am.
2) “Has a house gone up 50% in costs in 2 yrs. time? No way!” I would agree with you on that. I have no answer as to why the architects think that the new HS would cost $12.2 million. Could it be the increase cost of concrete and shortage of building materials due to the rebuilding of the south after the hurricanes? Sorry, I can’t help you with this one.
3) “When did S-M ever pass a bond issue on their own?” S-M has never passed a bond issue. The district came a reality in 1971 (?) and since then there have been several bond issues to build on to the Menlo building and/or add an addition on to the HS for tech.
Since the plaque in the HS dates 1961, my guess that the last bond issue passed, in Stuart, was around that time.
The tech. addition on the HS was built, in the late 1980’s, using accrued funds that only needed a 50% + 1 majority vote to use.
4) “No declining enrollment, you say?” Sure, our enrollment has declined since we first started whole-grade sharing back in 1994 (we started sharing athletics in 1993). Lately, our numbers have “leveled off” with no great drop off foreseen.
5) “The sewer smell in Menlo can’t be fixed?”
I can’t help you with this one, either. I’m not a plumber. I do know that this has been a problem for quite some time.
6) “Why is this the panacea of all panaceas?”
In my opinion, because the Redfield and Dexter buildings have been renovated with a newer addition being put on the Redfield building (in order to tear down the 3 story structure). The district is making an effort to make those buildings better by using sales tax dollars, so the taxpayer won’t see their tax rates go up. This should free up more funds to build a new HS and renovate the old one. I think there was one bond issue in which some money would be used to fix up the east side buildings, but the main focus was on a new HS.
I still think this is the best option…the district won’t have to spend as much money on a building to accomodate the students from the Menlo building and then get a much better HS building.
7) “I don’t see an answer to any questions I raides, now do I?” Well, I have now attempted to answer them.
9) “Why hasn’t the school put out the facts?” They have posted them on their website. I just read in the Stuart Herald that there is a committee that will meet next Monday(?) regarding the upcoming bond issue.
Otherwise, in this case, I cannot speak for Dr. Arnold and the school board.
10) “Why should I dig for facts?” To give you a sense of accomplishment? To help you become better informed? I do agree that this information needs to be made available pronto.
11) “Why should you know things the populace doesn’t, because you (sic) work there?” Working for the district and working in the HS does give me a front row seat.
I hope that this shows you that I can be civil. If you have any more questions, then ask. I’ll try my best to answer them.
Dear “in love”
In all sincerity, I am sorry to hear that you felt that I didn’t a good enough job teaching you.
So, I have a request: let me know what I should have done to make your education better. Every year I tweak my curriculum, so if there is a deficiency, then I need to correct it.
Thank you for your time.
Now, to everyone who has bashed and vilified me.
You are certainly entitled to post what you think, even at my expense.
The only reason I am posting my thoughts is that over the years I have seen so much misinformation, rumor, falsehoods and muck spread around for every major issue, be it a school bond, consolidation or even paving streets! I got tired of seeing this stuff being said and not much else done to counter it. That’s why I post.
Yes, I have gotten terse lately with my posts so I apologize to those who were offended. My intentions are sincere…I support WCV and I sincerely believe that this bond needs to pass.
Do I think of myself as a “god”? No. Do my fellow teachers genuflect in my presence? No. There are times where my colleagues will ask my opinion and I have been asked to head up certain efforts.
Is posting my real name an “ego trip”? No. I just don’t like hiding. I know that I am taking a risk by posting my name and it has gotten nasty lately.
Am I full of myself? I don’t think so, although I have been accused of being obnoxious.
I just truly believe in this bond issue and I sincerely felt that the people who were “riding the fence” on this issue, needed to hear from the “pro” side instead of being unfairly persuaded, in my opinion, by the “con” side who find it very easy to spread around “hearsays” and rumors without any facts to back them up.
It was never my intention to make people decide to vote “no”. If so, then I hurt the efforts of many fine people who are working hard to make this pass. So, I apologize to them.
Go ahead and question my sanity and/or teaching ability. That’s the risk I take for being vocal about an issue. As a teacher, I’ll always have my detractors (former students), but then again, there are those who make me feel that I have done well over these 30 years.
Everyone has the choice to make March 27th. Use facts to base your decision, not emotions.
I will vote yes.
Sorry, “Pekie”, I don’t know how I put that Smiley Face where #8 should be. That was not intentional.
I have to admit you surprise me Broman, even though it took being chastised to do it.
Thank you for your answers and the time it took for you to post them.
I can be civil also, am 99% of the time.
For the life of me, I don’t know why the administration and the Board doesn’t disperse any and all information to the public.
Do they think keeping things under wraps gives people confidence in them?
By doing that, they just turn people off and make them(me included)think they are hiding things.
The major gaff of not adding right????
Now that has a lot of explaining that needs to be done?
Honestly, that was the last straw with us.
I don’t believe them one little bit!!!
Thanks again and it was really a surprise.
Get your guns ready to shoot me.
I’m from Stuart and plan on voting NO on this bond issue.
I was all for it and totally want a new HS.
BUT…….the cost makes NO sense and now the misadd? Come ON!!
I mean I’m naive, granted, but like to think I’m not stupid!
Where did they get this guy for Supt.? Lives in Ankeny in tall cotton, right?
And why the hurry?
There are so many misunderstood things now that why should I vote Yes?
I’m ALL for the kids and a new HS, but not for being worked over by a Supt. and a Board that evidently doesn’t have the backbone to ask questions and find out the whys?
I’ve seen better reports of a subject from my jr. higher than the Supt. published in the last newsletter!
I truly am sorry, but I will NOT vote for this bond issue as it stands now.
The board and admin. has the means, opportunity and motive to be feeding us with answers and facts daily but what do we get?
NOTHING!!
I have to agree with pekie. I don’t trust them one little bit. I’m not into getting railroaded and after the fact finding out the truth.
Tod, I appreciate your statements very much.
It explains your viewpoint a lot. But still I can NOT in all good conscience buy into this.
I don’t want to delay things anymore, but I keep repeating myself I know and am sorry, but this whole thing needs reworked from step one. Will we find another million dollar missadd? For the life of me, I can never understand how that could happen. It just gives me the opinion something is going on that shouldn’t be. I’ll be voting NO unless something gets done and fast. Shoot me, like I said, but that’s just the facts. Board members, would you buy into this if you were in our shoes? Please do your job and represent us and get some explanations and answers out to us. As far as a public meeting and myself attending and from her comments pekie attending and lots of others, we just don’t have the time to attend those things. We are just too busy. Our days are full. We can’t afford to miss work. The budget is that tight, yes. That’s my personal situation but I’m reading others who will have a hard time with more expense, but I am still for a new school if you can explain to me why it will cost so much and why the details seem to be a secret. Otherwise, you have a NO vote here in Stuart.
If this bond fails, the suptintendent and school board has no one to blame but themselves. With less then two weeks before the bond referendum I can’t believe they are just now talking about appointing a committee to help inform the public.
With all of the inaccurate information they have provided so far they should be ashamed.
I believe the board, instead of being proactive are just following the lead of the Dr. Arnold who in my opinion should be fired.
Seconded, Arnold hasnt done anything sense being here but ruffle feathers. He doesnt care about anything (students included) but building a building. Yes I believe it needs to be done, but without creating a bigger mess then before he got here. If it fails he will be gone next year anyways.
Sorry SINCE, not sense.
I will try to be much less contentious this morning.
We called two contractors last night that my husband knows, to get their thoughts on why the cost may be so much higher in such a short amount of time.
They did say things are a little higher and mentioned land as being a primary source of the increase.
Well, as I understand it, the land was already in place, right?
They had no idea why there should be such an increase in such a short amount of time.
Then I went to bed and slept….kind of….getting madder the longer I thought about it. Good thing, I’m tired at night, I guess.
So my opinion was about to sway before we did this. Why hasn’t the board done this?
I can only imagine that contractors are thinking…’Hey govt. money we will sock it to these guys’!
Where the blank are the board members heads at and where is their hot shot attorney at?
Oh, MY BAD, Engle works for and with the Dept. of Ed. and about every school I’ve heard about according to sources who should know. So he isn’t going to cut off the hand that feeds him.
I’m comparing the Board and Supt. to people at work we call ‘powertrippers’. They don’t want anyone else to know because by God you don’t need to know!
Either that or there truly was three people who forced this bond thru and it is their way or nothing.
Wouldn’t surprise me a bit.
Bottom line is I trust them even less than last night and I didn’t trust them at all then.
Just a little over two weeks before a vote and they have the stupidity to not send out information.
Either the Board is truly not with it, or more likely total puppets for the supt. and maybe the three people some have talked about.
Until they get some explanations out, I totally agree with ‘need reasons not excuses’!
I’m not going to be their lackey and vote on something I know nothing about. I will vote but it will be NO just to send a message.
They better soon start thinking about a different supt. because this guy has so many people mad at him, he doesn’t have a chance to recover.
But maybe there is a ’secret group’ that we have heard about for several yrs. that is truly running things.
Well, if there is one, they can stick it where the sun doesn’t shine as far as I’m concerned.
It wouldn’t surprise me one little bit that there is. And probably getting some kick backs to boot.
My husband also said he read about some calling for an independent audit, before construction starts and during and after if this passes. Now that is a VERY good idea. I will sign that petition just somebody post on here where to sign it.
I’m running short on time as always.
If the Board and Supt. don’t care what we think, then I’m voting NO.
Yes, I want a new school. That’s not the issue with me. We NEED a new school. But it needs to done right. Not this hide information and have a supposed missadd.
I urge everyone to call contractors and check as we did. Get some ideas anyway.
Got to go. I’m really glad a good friend told me about these blogs. Like everything else around here it seems they were not well publicized either. But then we don’t take papers. No time to read and full of mostly nothing anyway. NO REASONS = VOTE NO
I’d like to meet pekie. She seems to have stirred the pot, for sure!
In my opinion, we are being played big time.
They aren’t putting out information until right before the vote, so we won’t have time to disseminate it, discuss it, ask tough questions, etc. This is all a grand plan, in my opinion. No doubt led by the Supt.(kind words).
Where’s the Board at and the Supt. at on these blogs? They under orders not to say anything? Answer, YOU BET!!
Games, games, games and they plan to foul us to death to win their game.
They evidently think we are stupid, and to tell you the truth, that really sets me off.
I think they all need to step down and this thing start over fresh as mentioned.
Ask yourself what they have done? What has been accomplished? Don’t give me that bull about the citizen’s petition being over the limit. It could have been tweaked and compromised on. I’m not involved with any group, but have been following the blogs.
I fully support a new school, but not under the current circumstances.
To repeat myself, I truly believe this has been planned to at the last minute hit us with information and make it look so sweet we can’t help but do their bidding. And probably get screwed in the ground at the same time.
Who the heck put these people where they are at? Answer, you and me. Now they are better than us and think we can’t handle making a decision on our own.
Well, if we are that dumb we shouldn’t have elected them then.
So why doesn’t the board president at least get on here and tell us something. The feeling I’m getting is the ship is sinking fast on getting this passed. Maybe it should with the cost so ungodly high.
I understand the supt. not getting on here. He is in Ankeny and his computer probably doesn’t reach out to hicksville here. Or so he probably thinks. But I betcha he has no trouble cashing the check from old hicksville now. This is an emotional issue in the best of circumstances and they have just made it about as bad as they could.
So let’s watch. I’m betting that we will be getting information right before the vote. Sell, sell, sell right before so they don’t have time to check things out and ask questions. Send them a message that they work for us. We don’t work for them. Also, there exists a little thing called the freedom of information act that makes them show us what is going on. But how can that work when we don’t know the facts and know that we will be seeing the whole picture. Besides that, they could stall us for two weeks, I’m sure. This ship has been hit and is sinking. It’s no one’s fault but the Board and the Supt’s!!
Has the Board no guts to stand up to this guy or have they been beaten down so often they just don’t have any fight in them? Tell you what, if the guy has a PHD he should be able to add up figures, so I for one am not buying the missadd fiasco as a human mistake. The board had those figures too and ALL involved couldn’t add? Give me a break. I’ve also heard about this secret group thing. I’ve always just thought it to be talk, but now I’m starting to believe it. If this Board has essentially sold themselves to something like this then they need to be thrown in jail. If they are indeed withholding information they need the same fate. The Supt. is a given, he is worthless in my and many others’ opinion.
I’m another Stuart person voting NO! A BIG NO!
Not changing my mind either. Get us a bond issue that makes sense and I will vote for it in a second. You think many farmers are going to vote for this. How many dollars you think this is going to cost them? Answer, a bunch!!
I agree with whoever said it but look at downtown Stuart. It’s basically gone. It went fast and I can’t think of any reason why it would recover. I’ve always went by the idea you can do a hundred things right and no one will remember, but do one thing wrong and they will never forget. Hey, Board and Supt. I’m not forgetting this!!!
Downtown Stuart basically gone? In the downtown area there is a bank, Dollar General, 3 bars and a restaurant and lounge, 2 hardware stores [1 with a lumber yard and 1 with appliances], a library, a Chevrolet dealership, post office, 4 insurance agencies, several realtors and lawyer’s offices, 3 beauty parlors, a doctor’s office and a chiropractor,a funeral home, a furniture restoration place, Stuart Municipalities, a documentation business, and a convenience store. Probably a few others I forgot to mention like the churches, but I certainly don’t see downtown Stuart as basically gone.
must be the president of the chamber of commerce, I take it?
not going to dispute what you said, but I have to agree there are a lot of empty storefronts that weren’t there a short time ago.
Tom, why don’t you move to Stuart? You seem to be one of if not their biggest supporters!
At least move in district so you can help pay for this mess. How about it?
Also, I’d like to see the sales figures for Stuart minus the interstate businesses for the last couple of yrs.
Probably can’t get those though I’d guess.
One last point, to go along with the sales figures. Who buys here except in an emergency?
Appliances and hardware, etc. are so high you can afford to drive to Omaha let alone DM to buy!
regarding the appliances — they may be cheaper in DM … until you add in the delivery fee. I bought a stove and microwave from TruValue last year for cheaper than I could get them in DM, once you figured in delivery and installation. Plus, they were delivered the next morning, instead of having to wait until whatever day the mega-store “did their route”.
If the price is even close, it only makes sense to buy local.
9:25. I’ve often made the comment that if my wife didn’t work in Jefferson, we would live in the Stuart area. Like many small communities, there are a lot of good hard working people here and not many slackers, and I like that.
Following pekie’s train of thought, I’d like to know why the cost is so much higher when the board has opted to have parts of the original plan cut out to “save money.” Considering the significantly high new building cost the school board and Arnold are trying to convince us to pay, I think we should be getting everything we origninally wanted if not more. Yes, I am mainly talking about an auditorium but there are also a lot of other little things too.
There is no reason that less is costing more. Until someone can explain this to me and make me believe, I’m voting no.
I’m surprised Nate hasn’t chimed in on all this. Especially considering pekie called him out yesterday.
I’m not the original poster about prices, but want to reply and relay our experience.
You may be a personal friend or at the very least a much better negotiator than we are.
A yr. or more ago, we priced a washer/dryer at TruValue(was hoping no names would be used but since you did I will also).
We had been looking and got model #’s, features, etc., whatever we could.
We went to DM, not to a megastore either, because I wanted someone who might be able to service them.
We saved right at $230 on the exact same model # and brand, got free next day delivery, free set-up and they took our old almost 30yr old Maytags no charge. If they made money on the old ones, more power to them. They were out of our house.
So that was a very moneywise trip to DM if we ever have made one.
Just my experience and don’t want to start a war. We DID give local the first chance.
I would like this discussion to continue about the bond issue. Which we will be voting NO on unless things change. Oh, we live by Menlo by the way.
I guess I would rather help out a friend than a stranger. These friends of ours in a small community that support the school, donate to about every local cause whether it be an after prom party or a fundraiser for someone who is sick or injured. Don’t mean to toot my horn but as chairman of the Guthrie County Hospital Foundation, I know first hand how important the local businesses are to the community. The local establishments generously gave to the foundation and the businesses are usually the first places hit for any event. The big mega stores don’t give a crap about us. They just care about the money you spend with them. I like to save a buck also, but I won’t do it at the expense of the people this community depends on. Just me I guess.
Sorry, usmctdg is me.
The “gang of three” need to know we don’t need them deciding what’s best for them but what’s best for the district.
I shouldn’t even be doing this, but I just have too.
I’m from the east-side(?) and am laughing my butt off.
I can’t wait for Nate to get on here and offend even more people. Just as Broman and Ann have already done. This is just too easy!
About the time Nate tears into pekie, you will lose more Yes voters immediately. So bring it on. She seems to have captured a lot of attention and negativity towards her will just serve we NO voters purpose! She makes good points and says what she thinks. What’s wrong with that? I don’t think she will have any trouble handling the situation anyway from what I have read.
Nate and Tod, Thank you!! We NO voters couldn’t have better allies than you two!! Tom same with you but to a lesser extent. Everything is always ALL about STUART, STUART, STUART!! You know there are other towns and lots of rural areas involved also.
Just as an aside, if I could save $230 I wouldn’t buy from my family, let alone just to keep it in good ole STUART!!!
But everything comes back to it all being about STUART! Like I said we don’t have to do anything over here. You two are doing it for us!! Please continue, please!
Please, Nate get on here and tear into people, I beg you, please!! Say you want STUART to have everything they should have and deserve again, please! Tod, please keep posting and getting upset, it won’t be the same if you don’t!
God, I love it!
The school board and Supt. are working at, or maybe already have assured this won’t pass unless they pull a rabbit out of their hat.
Yeah, there needs to be a new HS. I can’t argue that. But who’s kidding who on the cost?
I’ll just be repeating what’s already been said. I just wanted to give a big THANK YOU to you STUART guys for helping the cause! I think more than you can ever imagine. Thanks again, no one else I can think of could have done it better!!
You know I’m not negative Stuart until you guys go defending it and demanding that you get your own way come Hell or high water.
I think a bond issue would pass now if one that made sense were put in front of us. But you guys have done more damage than can be repaired for this one.
So please, Nate, I beg you again, please, tear into pekie!!! You may find you bit off more than you wanted to chew anyway!!!
AMEN—11:58—AMEN
Now, now anonymous at 12:24. Just because I am choosing to vote no this time has nothing to do with me supporting the east side of the district. I want a high school in STUART and will NEVER EVER vote for one in Dexter or Redfield, but I digress. The ONLY REASON I’m not voting in favor of this bond is because it’s too much money for too little and explaination. I think the high school, and district wide elementary if we ever get one, should be in STUART. THAT is where the majority of the kids are located and come from. I wouldn’t be surprised if Stuart had more kids in the schools than Redfield and Dexter combined. It’s insane to pay the high cost of bussing of our kids to the east side when they all live here.
Truth be told, I’m hearing a lot about dissolving the district lately. If THAT ever comes to a vote, like I have a feeling it will, I will vote YES. Why? Well, not entirely because of your attitude on here (you don’t have that much power), but it didn’t hurt. So THANKS for helping sway me to favor dissolving the district!
Now you see what the true intentions of those in Stuart are concerning a new HS and district wide elementary. This is what they have planned from the very beginning per the sharing agreement. Keep up that kind of talk, it’s Stuart that will end up being dissolved, not Dexter and Redfield.
who said townie lived in stuart? and you can’t really deny he/she is right.
oh, and i live in dexter. so don’t go off on me being a stuart person.
Yeah i pulled that one off.
I got just the reaction I wanted by just telling the truth.
I never said anything about building in Redfield or Dexter or dissolving the district.
It’s just too easy to pull the truth cause it’s right under the surface at all times.
One thing they don’t want to address is where the bulk of the tax money comes from.
That would be 68% from Dallas County.
Plus they don’t want to address that the east-side will pay 20yrs for something in Stuart with property taxes when the west-side paid nothing in property taxes to do work in Dexter and Redfield.
It’s just too easy.
Excuse me, the west side bought the land long before we were ever consolidated. If you recall, Stuart and Menlo didn’t want to consolidate in the first place. They were forced into it by Redfield and Dexter. Don’t bitch about what the east side has or will pay for. You wanted this situation. You got it. Deal with it.
Truth be known I think a new HS needs to be built in Stuart. I agree with townie in some respects.
But it does as you say show the immediate venom that comes out.
We should have never consolidated, but that’s old news. I highly doubt if the state would let the district dissolve. I can’t see that happening.
I also agree with townie that if there was a
good bond issue to vote for I would probably vote for it.
This ‘thing’ they have in place now has such an aura and stench about it I would never vote for it. They(board and admin.) can’t even get their stories straight. So townie, hey, I do business in Stuart, I really don’t like the all for me attitude when it comes to a school, but there are a lot of good people there. Look at the numbers I put up and try to put yourself in our shoes.
Yeah we remember the past too much, no doubt.
If I could ask you one thing I would appreciate it. You don’t have to do anything you don’t want too. That would be just to have an open mind about the other towns. I’m not saying build there, but they are part of the district and to get along we all have to bite our tongues and come out of this with what is best for all.
But not with this bond issue. I won’t change my mind on that. Nor will I change my mind on the fact that Nate and Tod have,like pekie said, done more damage than 2 people could ever be thought able to do.
2:55 you couldn’t be more wrong. The ground was bought because the S-M board at the time wanted to spend money so it wouldn’t go into the general fund and MAYBE just MAYBE benefit someone besides them. Also, it was their way of trying to assure a HS would be built there.
Truth, check it out. I was involved at the time. And no one forced S-M to consolidate. They openly negotiated starting with a three-way arrangement with Earlham included. Earlham backed out. So please you can say I don’t know what I’m talking about but check it out.
I have no problem with the other towns. Hey, I prefer the Rusty Duck to Lincoln’s and currently the Dexter Casey’s to any gas station in Stuart. But I am so sick and tired of all the bickering, name-calling, and backstabbing. I’m sick of it and I’m done with it.
Hey townie, let’s shake.
You’ve acted like a class act here.
Thanks, I appreciate it.
Wow, 12:24, you must be a good fisherman!!
You threw out the bait and they bit hard!
I know you are kidding, but if you aren’t please keep an open mind yourself, OK?
Redfielder
Was that the board president?
Makes me wonder!
3:01- You are absolutely correct! Some might hope people to forget this fiasco but I know it was Leo Pieper at the time that instigated the purchase of the land east of town.
Plans for this purchase have always been to build a new HS on the site. Then at a later date build a district wide elementary in Stuart. The trouble encountered by these people (now the gang of three) is that the east side of the district isn’t as stupid as some had presumed.
Exactly right and it came at a time when the two schools were combining finances. The money spent on the land would have went into the general fund but instead it was spent by the above mentioned and his board(he was president) to insure a sight for a future high school. The money could have, at the time, been used for many other dire needs of the district, such as buses, supplies, and repairs. Instead, they chose to spend it rather than share it. These are true statements people. However, I’m sure they will fall on deaf ears. I can’t honestly remember the exact amount, but I am 99% sure it was $200,000. That may make him and his heroes to some of you, but it set off the feelings that have pervaded this drawn out process. That is just one example of many things that happened. I won’t go into anymore, because it is past history. Let’s just say, how would you like to be on the wrong side of Nulph. In other words, he used and abused Dexfield equipment, falsely saying he couldn’t provide buses, equipment, supplies, athletic gear, weights, and on and on. Also, agreements were made at joint board meetings that the next day were ignored. Believe it or not, I don’t care. I know it to be true. Dexfield was NOT in debt when whole grade sharing came about. They had a surplus of over $300,000. This was constantly misquoted by certain individuals. The S-M people are probably heroes to you, but put yourself on the other side. I know you won’t believe these things, but they are truths. Dexfield wanted to break away from the sharing but was taken to court by two individuals from their own district, so the statement that Stuart-Menlo was forced into consolidation by Dexfield is totally false. All of this is provable. It’s old news and we need to move on, but those are the facts along with many other things that occurred. As mentioned, nothing is going to change the past, it’s not going to happen. As I said, believe these things or not, I don’t care. They are totally true.
True they are a moot point now, only they may open eyes about animosity, hard feelings and mistrust that exists.
I fully expect the vast majority of ‘west siders’ will consider these individuals heroes as mentioned and will be chuckling as they read this. It really isn’t funny.
However, it is time to move on. A new HS is needed. I personally don’t know what to do about the elementaries. I would vote for a new HS on the site that was acquired under the above circumstances if there were a feasible bond issue in front of us. I’m like a lot of people and totally confused about the costs and why there isn’t information being put out to the public. I know most of the board personally and can’t believe them to be leading us astray. I have to believe it is the Supt. and maybe the state is involved pushing as they are so good at and prone to do. But the cost item is just undefendable and unexplainable to me. I, like so many, have to have facts presented to me and to be sold on this issue to vote for it. The time has come to put the above behind us and move forward as a unit or we will possibly be going in many different directions, or in my opinion, be doing what the state tells us to do, after they take over management of the school. Not sure if that can happen, but I think they would if push came to shove. Then probably no one will be happy. There is a lot of knowledge out here that is untapped and will probably stay that way because of fear of retribution and/or because of a desire to simply remain out of it.
Bottom lining it, we can’t change the past. The sniping has to stop though, and compromise should be a word in everyone’s vocabulary. As mentioned, I know many on the board, but I’m not happy about the bond issue at all, or how dissemination of material(s) is/not being done. We need all of the facts in time to peruse them fully to make an informed decision. A brief synopsis isn’t going to be sufficient for many of us. We need details, reasoning behind, and whys to make that decision with. I, personally don’t care for the layout of the planned building. The best thing that happened with whole grade sharing, in my opinion, and it has been mentioned a few times prior in this blog, was the separation of jr. and sr. high grades. I can foresee the planned structure becoming a 6-12 building. It is layed out with a commons area and has two separate sides as you know, that could house jr high on one side and sr high on the other. That disturbs me, but the cost is the prohibitive factor to me. Repeating myself, I cannot fathom why the cost of building has risen that fast in that short of period of time.
I’m afraid I have gotten carried away here. I hope at least a few of you believe the above. I wouldn’t put it in a public forum if it wasn’t true as I remember it. That doesn’t mean you care, I fully realize that. I’ve done all that I can to voice my opinion and throw in some facts from the past. I truly feel the time is ripe for a bond to pass if it was comprehendable and we had been presented with the facts in an orderly fashion. Unfortunately, neither of those have happened. I also have to call the Supt.’s explanation in the last newsletter specious at best. I think that is being kind, actually.
Facts should equate to knowledge. Without facts about the bond issue answered we cannot have the knowledge to make that informed decision on how to cast a ballot. I, along with most everyone else, wish the facts were in front of us, two weeks ago. Enough, I apologize for getting wordy. Thank you for the opportunity to present my feelings and words.
I don’t hate the kids. I own WVC shirts. I go to the football, basketball, and soccer games. I attend the music concerts and the plays. I cheer and clap along with the rest. But, look at the example we are setting for the kids. I’ve heard Stuart kids (not mine - i have none) say they dislike others because they are from Redfield and I’ve heard Redfield kids putting down others for being from Stuart. There is no end.
There will always be dislike and discord among the towns. It’s just a plain fact.
I’m for a new school if it would work and if it was reasonable but it won’t and the current plan isn’t. Even the admin and board have taken to backstabbing us now.
We can’t get along. We’ve tried. I just wish people would open there eyes and realize it’s time to cut the cord.
I’m voting no.
“Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.”
It sure got quiet when some truths are told.
Just shows that we maybe should definitely consider dissolving.
If the truth hurts that much, look in the mirror and ask yourself what kind of person you are!
Redfield and Dexter have a lot easier go if this does dissolve. They have several directions to go that aren’t too far away.
I’m thinking that may be the direction to take.
If kids are sniping at each other then it is definitely time to do something.
Like the one person said, If the state steps in, I really don’t think any of us would like it.
Forgotten in Menlo
Tom, Been thinking about a new pick-up since first of yr.
Since my wife showed me your comments though bout shouldn’t be worryin about prices I guess I’ll look around.
Like the guy on tv says, price sells cars.
Course I’m just a dumb old farmer, but I know when somebodys rubbin my nose in it.
I’ve got to make money too and not to keep the school goin. Thats just gonna cost me a ton of money.
So might stop in to see what kinda deal you can make but might not either.
If I gotta pay extra to keep small business alive then they ain’t gonna survive.
Just the way the world is.
Guess all the blogs got shut down huh?
Wonder why?
Says volumes about sharing!
Have it your way!
My mind just got set even harder!
i don’t get it. what do you mean 8:38?
I agree with 8:38.
For some reason, an active discussion on all the blogs came to a screeching halt.
Don’t want both sides?
Don’t expect people to buy into things.
You ‘Yes not matter what’ people deserve just what you have gotten in the past.
Furthermore, you are the one’s who are the name callers and flamers.
We’re voting NO, we have taken Stuart’s crap since 1971, and it’s about time Stuart gets used to taking crap as well as giving.
Face it, you don’t care about kids or a bond issue would have been passed before consolidation. Take that back, some of you do, but the great majority don’t.
You just want it your way or the highway.
Calling No voters ignorant and taunting them really is smart, isn’t it?
Maybe when they and us see something that will work long term and makes sense then we will vote for it, IF you stop your holier than thou attitude.
One last thing and I will take my own advice and be quiet. Will just vote no.
Just because you’re the biggest town and have all these wonderful businesses, as outlined by an employee who lives out of district, doesn’t mean you can tear others down and expect them to kiss your behinds.
What about the other three towns?
See how business and those town’s vitality left when the school went your way?
But, I know you all don’t care, it’s all about Stuart. Always has been and always will.
Have a nice day plotting.
FYI, person from Stuart has about the same feelings about this posted on Tyler’s blog.
Wrote this once, but doesn’t look like it got posted.
Just FYI, a person from Stuart has a post on Tyler’s blog that has about the same feelings as I(we) do.
Wow - the humanity. The emotion! Its great, isn’t it? I think that most of us can agree that Mr. Broman, as an educator - can be a real cunt. read on.. I stress “as an educator” because I really don’t know the guy as a regular person. One thing that I have to remind myself to do is to separate people from their profession. I’ve learned these can be two completely different entities. One thing Ive noticed about Mr. Broman The Teacher, is that he hates to be challenged. Or disrespected. Who doesn’t? I hate being disrespected too. But…with teenagers..its not about your respect. Its not about how you feel. Its about their perspective. Teenagers are idiots - seriously. They’re brains aren’t developed to process consequences - their judgment is the equivalent of a bronze medalist special Olympian. These are things to keep in mind when dealing with teenagers. The most important thing is not if you are being respected or disrespected. Every kid is different and should be treated accordingly. You have to hand it to him for using his real name here. I see the point about posting anon in a small town. It makes sense. I dont blame people for doing it. I dont use my real name, but its not that hard to figure out who I am. I have seen Broman at his worst. Its not a pretty site. Also - I have seen him at his best, and it can be pretty impressive. Hes human - Im learning this. He’s seen me at my worst too - that wasnt a pretty site either. What I do not understand is how someone can just completely butt heads with Broman on a daily basis then walk in to another teachers class room and be a complete delight as a student. Its puzzling. I really applaud his participation on this blog, agree, or disagree - people get fired for shit like this…hes got balls. whatever the resolution is for the bond.. I really pray that its done with the students best interest in mind. Sometimes, in situations like this - people lose sight of the real cause with all the bureaucratic stuff. good luck.
Hate to say it Ticked, but building in Menlo is a ridiculous idea. There’s nothing there. What is it, only like 35-40 kids in the school come from Menlo? So, why would we (Stuart) pay to have ALL our kids, not just elementary, bussed there? That is undue costs and it’s not going to happen. Besides, you (Menlo) aren’t currently being cut out. Wasn’t it suggested the alternative school be in Menlo?
Guess I didn’t make myself clear, sorry.
We’re not talking about building in Menlo. Totally agree with you on numbers, etc.
Our point is the attitude that’s there with a bunch of Yes voters.
Calling people ignorant and stupid and trying to get them upset is at best childish.
Plus, you kind of made my point by saying why should we(Stuart) pay to have the kids bussed.
I know I’m nit-picking, but that’s what the rest of us get besides being taunted and called names.
Why not say we(the rest of the district?) pay?
Sorry, like mentioned, I know it’s nit-picking
but a lot are getting tired of it always being one town wanting it all. There are 4 towns involved, not one, plus a lot of rural areas.
Just trying to make a point, I don’t want to become a flamer as Ann says.
Have a good one.
I said “we (Stuart)” because Stuart supplies 75%+ of the kids in the district.
“I said “we (Stuart)†because Stuart supplies 75%+ of the kids in the district.”
Let’s see some stats on that comment, I find that hard to believe. If Stuart has the major population why is it that you can never pass a bond referendum?
The way I see it nothing has changed since 1971. They wanted it all then and they want it all now. It’s all about STUART!!!A petition was presented that would have provided a new high school along with a district wide elementary but that wasn’t good enough. Did anyone ever question the fact that we are bonding for the MAXIMUM AMOUNT ALLOWED!!!! If we could have bonded for 20 million I bet they would still have found a way to spend it all on the HIGH SCHOOL in STUART. Win loose or draw I say we need an audit and NOW!!! I bet we will be shocked what is disclosed!!
You make a very good point, 7:22!
How is it the cost of the project just happens to match our maximum allowable bonding amount? VERY, VERY, VERY good question!
Does that mean the amount is adjustable and if so why and how?
Is that why the amount is so high compared to just a short time ago?
I think you might have hit THE MOTHERLOAD here
7:22!! The answer to lots of questions and the answer to why we aren’t getting any facts that make sense. Missadd my A**.
I agree more than ever that an independent audit needs to petitioned for and done now and right now. Then if the issue passes, one during and after construction. And by independent, I mean the public choose a group to choose the auditors. Not one chosen by the board or admin. or the state. Personally, I would choose a Drake acct. prof. and see if he/she could get about a half dozen final yr. acct. students to come out and climb all over the finances. Not just a cursory examination.
As I see it, we, the taxpayers, are shareholders and have every right to do this, and we shouldn’t need a petition!
I read somewhere that the supt. mumbles at meetings and when people say they can’t hear what he is saying they are chastised because it isn’t public forum??? If that is correct, I also disagree with that totally.
The meeting is open to the public and if they want to discuss something privately they need to call a break or go to closed session, but they need a good reason to go to closed session and it has to be recorded as I understand it, plus be on the agenda. The freedom of information act comes into play here I would say, if I’m understanding the situation correctly. I know that board pres. has the right to control the meeting and he must use that power, but not abuse it. Use, but not abuse.
7:22 you may have just come up with the missing piece, that has been staring everyone in the face.
I applaud you. It’s sure worth asking about and discussing.
I hadn’t thought about that issue, either and it does make one wonder why the bond issue is for the maximum amount allowable. I know what they will say. You always bond for the maximum amount. Well, if they say that, I don’t agree!!
Does this mean the bid was negotiable. Oh, I know they will say they cut this and this and that to make the numbers fit. Guess I’m not buying into that.
This is like them telling the contractor that ‘well we have $13.3 million at the most we can spend’. Well, what do you know the contractor just so happens to be able to do it for that, mind you it’s going to be a hardship for him, but he will do it because he wants to help school districts, or some other line of bull.
It’s more like, damn, we can do this for $10 million, but they can bond up to $13.3 so that’s what the bid is going to be or we’ll put it up to say $13.75 and negotiate down to make it look like good faith on our part.
I have to think that this is a very good possibility of what is going on and why the cost has gone up so much.
Where is Nulph when you need him?
I sure hope these guys aren’t that gullible, but it does look pretty obvious from the outside here. Plus, two weeks until the vote and no detailed information coming from anyone.
I think the person several posts up said it right. We need time to study this to make an informed decision if this is what we want or go back to the drawing board and get your stuff together and have a vote asap after you do. You being the board, and negotiating with contractors with an iron hand rather than just go for the entire amount.
I, for one, am sick of paying for studies and opinions, etc. They should have in mind what they want and not need study groups to do their job for them. They’ve been thru it enough they shouldn’t need outside input all the time from expensive “consultants”!
What’s the first thing a car salesman(sorry Tom) or a real estate agent or any salesman ask you most of the time?
What are you looking for and how much were you planning on spending. If you tell him or her the last, you’re not thinking well.
I would also bet the contractors knew the maximum bonding allowance and it looks like they got all of it!
Something is getting smelly here again, sorry I have to say that, but it really is adding up that that might be exactly what went on.
Good thinking previous posters.
I too am sick of paying for expert opinions!! It reallly ticks me when they get these opinions and the report tells them YOUR IMMEDIATE ATTENTION NEEDS TO BE AT THE MENLO BUILDING FOR THE ELEMENTARY STUDENTS. They did a study at the Menlo and Redfield buildings at the tune of $4,000 each but didn’t see the need to do a study on the Stuart building. If they had they might have discovered the almost broken sewer pipe that no one is talking about, if there is one you can bet there is more. Now the little kids will just be moved from the Menlo sewer smell to Stuarts sewer smell. Oh yah i have heard it was a broken water pipe but I have never smelled water like sewer smell before. THey wasted $8,000 on reports they ignored. How many books would $8,000 buy??? I bet enough so only 3 students would have to share.
I’d like to know about the $600,000+ for dirt work. I’ve had some dozer work done and just got another estimate. It is roughly $1000/day for each dozer. So that gives them 600 dozer days to do earth work.
Seem like a lot to you?
Oh sorry they may have to haul away some dirt too. Guess what? They will haul it and sell it! They sure won’t dump it in a fill hole!
This is the type of explanation we need. The whys as the person stated before. Plus I agree about spending money for opinions, over the years I’d like to know how much has been spent on consultants? I know Guy Ghan made a good living off of us for awhile at the start of sharing. and on and on!
And the engineer/whatever is getting $900,000+
Holy crap. Do some shopping.
Board and Supt. you have a lot of explaining to do to sell this to people.
Not just an outline of costs.
Do you buy a pick-up with package 3XZ for $3500 and not know what you’re getting?
I really doubt it.
So why should we not need to know.
Because we can trust you?
That’s been proven not to be the appropriate thing to do when the figures don’t even add up right. Not to mention the cost going up like it has in such a short period of time.
To one less customer. I farm and have never heard anyone call me a dumb old farmer. I try to find the best deal on equipment also but from people I know and have dealt with before. Your one comment though, “If I have to pay extra to keep small businesses alive then they ain’t gonna survive.”
If I didn’t get a check from the feds each year I wouldn’t either.
So if you could save money by going somewhere else, you wouldn’t?
Where do I sign up to get these checks?
Maybe farming isn’t so bad after all!!
I think, and am only guessing, that the dumb old farmer comment was used for effect.
Are you one of the infamous three or related to them?
Plus if all you do is shop local, maybe you could have another piece of equipment with your fed. checks if you checked around.
I have family who farm and have heard them going out of state to auctions and to buy.
Guess you are just another STUART supporter who can’t take any kind of comeback at you.
Or maybe you are Mr. Godwin!!!!
HMMMMMM
I’m not Tom. Sometimes I buy from him, sometimes not. Some times I buy from his brother, sometimes not. Point is, because of what one person thinks, doesn’t stop me from getting his or her price. And I’m not necessarily a Stuart supporter since I live north of Redfield.
Someone please refresh my memory on what the cost of remodeling and adding on to the Redfield and Dexter buildings cost, please!!
And that includes demolition of the old Redfield building, right?
Why is it costing so much more on this bond issue to build a new building?
I also would like to know why the board can’t attempt to max out the PPEL and ask for a vote on the other half, then use it as collateral and borrow against it and use a conservative figure of sales tax revenue and borrow against it as collateral to use in the building of a new structure? Figure out the interest expense and what would be needed for buses, etc, etc, and then try to pass a bond issue for that amount.
It should be a small fraction of what they are trying to shove down our throats now.
Does a yard of concrete cost a lot more coming to Stuart than it does or did in Dexter and Redfield.
We are being played somehow. Duped. Whatever.
Because things just don’t add up anyway you look at it.
Let’s wash this bond issue away and start from scratch, use public input in a civil manner and stop being so damn proud that we are board members and a supt. and also stop using the blanking consultants. Then when a reasonable figure and plan is presented, I have a lot of confidence it would pass.
Also, perhaps the elementaries could be used to at least somehow combine the kids when they are maybe in 2nd, 3rd or 4th grade rather than in 6-8 when hormones are flying and bullying and posturing and a pecking order has to be set. Not a good idea trying to mix that age group(6-8 grade) in my opinion.
I’m not calling for a district wide elem. Just trying to get the kids mixed at an earlier age when they don’t care and can become friends before that tough pubescent age.
OK, I know this is a post about the high school, but I just have to comment on something else: People who talk about prices being too high in Stuart (or Menlo, or Dexter, or Redfield), are people who obviously have never been involved in FAMILY or SMALL businesses. The reason (which common sense SHOULD tell most of you negative commenters)that prices are higher in small towns is because of people like YOU. Just to spell it out for you… if a hardware store wanted to stock light bulbs, they would probably buy a box or 2 because that is all they need to keep up with the demand. The big companies that sell these things to businesses prefer that you buy 100 boxes of light bulbs and they will charge more for buying things in less quantity. So, they can sell 100 boxes to Wal-Mart and they can, in turn, sell them to you for less to make their money back plus some profit. But, if everyone bought the light bulbs locally, the hardware store could buy them in bigger quantities, thus saving you money. I am the child of a small business owner and after growing up watching my parents struggle because of the people thinking they were getting something better by buying from a chain store, I have made a vow I would never be a business owner. I will work for ‘the man’ forever. My parents have been more than loyal to the town they live in, they are good people that, in my opinion, are underappreciated (and I’m not saying this because they are my parents…I think this is true for most of the small business owners in the 4 towns). So, for all of those people looking for FACTS and ANSWERS to all these ridiculous questions, maybe YOU should take the time and talk to some of those small business owners and find out the truth about why their prices have to be slightly higher than chain stores.
I am not a farmer, but I appreciate the work they do for such little reimbursement. Don’t knock the farmer until you walk a mile in his boots and do the backbreaking work he or she does each day. Coming from someone who does data entry… it’s much easier to sit at my computer all day doing my job than it is for a farmer. Their work is all day, every day. They don’t get to quit after 8 hours and they will never get paid for overtime. It is never done and is completely unpredictable.
I’m getting off my soapbox now, but have one more thing to say…
To Pekie: First, I hope you’re not someone that I am friends with because I don’t want to be associated with such a person. You try to act intelligent (and you may very well be a smart person) but all you’re doing by spouting off and blaming and hating on people, is making yourself look ignorant.
To Mr. Broman: I just hope that Pekie doesn’t ever need the rescue unit for anything. We’ll see how much she bad mouths you after you save her life. You are a better person than I, as I would probably just pull the plug on her.
That is the date, 6 months from this (doomed to failure) bond vote. You have to wait 6 months, right?
Anyway, at that time, I propose a bond vote for $3.5 million or $5 million or whatever it would cost to enlarge the Dexter elementary to hold K-5 district-wide.
That would solve the Menlo sewer problem and show good faith on the part of the board to submit a bond for less than the maximum. Then take another run at a H.S. bond vote in 3 or 4 years when things have setttled down a bit.
Probably more important than the district kids getting to know each other at an early age is the district PARENTS getting to know each other early in the game. That is where the hatred begins, and the kids learn it at home.
A district wide in Dexter will not pass. I will NEVER vote for that. How selfish are you - and I’m not talking about town vs. town? Before you promote this k-5 elementary why dont’ you go take a bus ride with the little kids that live in the western and southern most parts of the district. See how you can stand it. Then put yourself in the shoes of those little kids. It’s cruel.
I could barely stand riding the bus when I was in school. The trip was so long! And by the time I got home I was so tired. I will not subject my kids to an even longer time on the bus. Never. No way. Neither will other parents. They’ll just send their kids to A-C or Nodaway. It’ll be another open-enrolling nightmare for this district.
8:21: I believe you just made yourself look a lot worse than pekie(who didn’t at all in my estimation and your saying she did tells me your position right away).
I don’t need a lecture about where I buy things, OK?
I am a farmer and we are small businessmen too and thank you for the compliments, but your blending all of your small business things in with a school bond issue doesn’t make sense.
Why do I say you’re blending things in?
Because you said ‘for all those people looking for FACTS and ANSWERS to all these ridiculous questions’, then go on to say talk to the small business owners.
First of all, they are NOT ridiculous questions about the school issue and they have nothing to do with small business prices.
I can only guess you are on the school board, if you think these questions are ridiculous to you! So that narrows your identity down very swiftly.
I hope pekie isn’t your friend either. She seems to have her head on straight while you