Parents showing support for Brandywine board
Published 2:52 pm Thursday, September 4, 2003
By By BEN RAYMOND LODE / Niles Daily Star
NILES -- Sandy Neldon has started coming to Brandywine Public Schools school board meetings lately.
But Neldon, who has three children in the Brandywine school system and feels strongly about the school district, isn't the only mother to do so in recent times.
Several mothers, whose children are all Brandywine students, are coming to the meetings to show that they appreciate the work the school board members do for their children.
The demonstration of support comes at a time when five district school board members are being subject to a recall effort.
If successful, school board members are worried the recall effort may have the potential to disrupt bond issue negotiations related to improvements in the school district in March or April next year.
A board member also said during Tuesday's school board meeting recall elections related to this recall effort could cost Brandywine taxpayers $7,000.
Neldon, who said she is very involved in the school district, thinks the current school board has done a good job over the last two years.
Her remark came when the school board meeting was over as a response to a comment made by a person during visitors hearing.
The person claimed the school wasn't being kept properly clean and asked the school board to look into it.
Neldon doesn't approve of those who are only focusing on the negatives at a time when the school district is about to undertake a $14.2 million improvement project that will be benefit the district's students.
Especially not, perhaps, when her two seventh grade twin daughters tell her they feel there have been made a number of improvements in the school district over the last year.
Carolyn Ernsperger, like Neldon, also has children in the Brandywine school district.
She is critical to the motives of the people behind the recall effort.
She thinks the people behind the recall think that what they are doing will benefit the school district, when it may come back and do damage to the district at a later point.
She is also critical to board trustee Michael Armstrong continuing absence from the school board meetings.
She would like to see the people behind the recall come more forward in the community.
Ernsperger thinks everyone in the school district should move forward and focus on making the planned improvements to the school district.
Tina Newman, who was the co-coordinator for the bond issue election, also feels strongly about the welfare of the students and the future of the school district.
Newman is glad to see the Brandywine community taking a step forward for the betterment of the community by making necessary physical improvements to its school system
Her comment lending itself as to where her loyalties lie.