To the Editor-

First, I’d like to thank everyone that supported me for the School Board.  I’d also like to thank the people who took the time to vote.  I was surprised to see there was only a 10%-14% voter turnout in this last election.  We are lucky to live in a country where we have the ability to vote for elected officials. Based on all the comments I’ve read in the papers, online, etc. it’s surprising that people aren’t exercising their right to vote in order to resolve their grievances. The only way to change issues that affect you directly is to vote for the elected officials that share your interests.
This current School Board has been labeled by the news media as dysfunctional and maybe we were at times.  However, we have accomplished some important changes that made a positive financial impact to the district and tax payers.  These changes allowed the District to keep various programs and eliminate the need to layoff District personnel.
Here are a few examples of the changes we have made:

 
1. Long Term Care Benefit in the District. This change has saved the district and tax payers over a million dollars per year.
2. District Health Plan. This change has saved the district and taxpayers over a million dollars per year.
3. Post Retirement Benefit.  In 2010 the district and tax payer liability was $84 million dollars. Today with the changes made by the current board, the district and taxpayer liability will be $0 dollars in five years as long as the new board doesn’t change anything.
There are many other positive changes that were accomplished by this current board, but these were just a few that stood out in my mind as major accomplishments. There is still more work to be done and I hope the new board will work together to keep the district moving forward.
Since this last election, I have already heard comments from the Teachers Union that the new School Board is 6-3 in favor of the Union.  I hope these comments are false.  If they are true and the School Board starts going backwards and we return to our 2008 status, it will impact the students, district and tax payers negatively.
I hope this new School Board will be 9-0 and not 6-3 when it votes on anything that impacts the children, district and tax payers.
I cannot emphasize enough to listen to the administration and remember whatever programs you vote for must be sustainable.  We still have contracts that are not yet settled and they will impact the school budget. For example:  A 1% increase on teacher wages is equal to $780,000 increase in the school’s budget.  If the School Board does not listen to the administration regarding sustainability there will be big financial problems for our district.
Lastly, I believe that our current superintendent Attila Weninger is the best superintendent this district has ever had since I have been involved with our school district.
During the campaign some school board candidates stated if they are elected they would vote no to renew the Superintendent’s contract.   It’s time for the School Board to start fresh and keep an open mind.  I truly believe if the board does this it will become evident that we have a great Superintendent and we need to keep him as our leader for our District.
Again I want to say thanks to all the people who supported me in this last election.

Bob Larson