There is a propensity to paint a broad stroke in the assignment of generalities, which is sometimes of benefit and sometimes not.

I want to make certain that the position taken by Mr. Michael Waldron (a school board member who recently resigned) is not assigned to me by others through association on the Board of Education, and provide clarification as concerns myself only (this is not on behalf of any other member of the board, and reflects my opinion alone).

I agree that a lot of innovation happened within Niles Community Schools while Dr. Richard Weigel was Superintendent. To assign all of the innovation to a single source is misleading and incorrect.

If it takes a village to raise a child, it takes the same village to change schools. There are a countless number of people to whom credit should be given; far too many to name in a letter here. Parents, teachers, administrators, community members, and even students spent a lot of time giving to the district for the credit of which Dr. Weigel has been assigned.

Those same people continue to work, even after he has left. While he brought a vision that helped to create some of the changes, there are many people who initiated projects, spent time working to implement, and spent time away from their family to achieve, all in order to provide new opportunities to our students.

Those individuals are still as dedicated, still working, still achieving, and still not satisfied. Mr. Waldron’s letter seems to ignore those countless individuals serving, paid or unpaid, for the benefit of the students.

I have always taken an interest in the schools, going back to when I was a student, and then when I returned to the community.

I had the honor of serving on a long-range planning committee for the district, and was one of the original individuals involved in forming the education foundation (an idea that came from the long-range planning sessions). I share this not to memorialize my contributions, which are minor in comparison to so many people before me and currently working in the schools; rather, I share this as a basis for the deep interest I have for Niles Community Schools. I continue to serve, and our children continue to attend Niles. These are choices my wife and I made; we could have made other choices.

The students come first, and yet sadly, these letters take the headlines. We have work ahead of us, but I’m confident in the people we have dedicating their time and talent to the students of the district.

The innovation isn’t over, and the execution continues. Initiatives are dynamic, not static, and the people driving innovation — our teachers, administrators, parents, and Board — are not satisfied.

No one wants to work or attend a “good enough” school; any suggestion to the contrary, or proposition that innovation will come to a screeching halt, is counter-productive babble.

 

Jon Martin is an insurance professional who has lived in Niles for 30 years. Originally appointed to the Board of Education in 2011, Mr. Martin was elected to an eight-year term in 2012. He can be reached at jon.martin@nilesschools.org.