To the Editor:
The Lincoln-Way School District 210 Board would have us believe that they are operating in the best interests of the community. They have provided reasons for doubt.
The board told us that talk of closing a school was a hurtful rumor, then voted to close Lincoln-Way North. There was a deficit spending scandal, a water bill scandal, and so much more. Pretending to investigate themselves, they approved a forensic audit, then later decided against it.
The board is being sued over the Lincoln-Way North decision. They believe their actions are beyond the reach of the courts. "Courts cannot question the wisdom of the final action," attorneys wrote in their motion. "Right or wrong, it is the decision of the board." (Daily Southtown, January 22, 2016)
Following that logic, there is no legal recourse to board actions, even if they voted to close all our schools.
Jefferson thought differently in 1776. When government works against the consent of the governed: “…it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it…”
And an institution named after Lincoln should consider his resolve: “… that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.”
Our schools have been called the lighthouses of our communities. Close a school and dim the lights of our society. Maybe we’re already losing our way.
Driving down St. Francis Road, I look out past the farmhouse, where I see our Lincoln-Way North lighthouse. This beacon has become our vital center of education and community.
Lincoln-Way North, though, is to become a vast, darkened shed squatting on ninety acres of failed leadership and broken promises.
Our path must be well-lighted. Establish a citizen’s advisory committee to the board. Answer questions. Open the books and let everyone see the math.
Keep all our lighthouses open.
Tom Kaminski, Frankfort