Gosh, I'm shocked, shocked, I say, to learn that Jenny Greenwell plans to vote "No". but perhaps I shouldn't be since "No" is surely her favorite word just as the quotation mark is surely her favorite piece of punctuation. No matter how her blog-generating program spins it, the bonding proposal on the May 8 ballot is quite reasonable. The high school it funds will not be a factory and the students who attend classes there will be able to take advantage of a curriculum that is both broad and deep. It is long past time to vote "Yes" and move on.

The design of the consolidated high school will be far less like a factory than our existing schools. There will be a variety of spaces where students can congregate for collaborating on projects, presenting in small groups, and work individually. Those same spaces connect the classrooms and will provide spaces for eating lunch. Our students need flexible spaces for the way today's classes are taught and our current high schools do not provide that. The proposed plan does.

I do agree with Jenny, that at the time our existing high schools were built, they were built by people who knew what was best, in the 1960s. What was best then, is not best now.

I encourage voters to look at the plans and look at the price. This is a reasonable plan for a reasonable price and now is the right time to vote YES.

VOTE YES on May 8. One small note Elizabeth -- the planning for the existing schools most likely began in the 1950s or even late 1940s. I like to think that -- as a community -- we are looking not only at the "now" but at the long term future. I find Bloomfield a wonderful place to live. I think it is that way in part because preceding generations made considerable sacrifices for the future. I am happy to follow that model

Yawn...the only thing re-heated is this BOD (Blog of the Day) from you, Jenny. We know you will be voting NO since you have negatively campaigned for every school proposal over the past 8 or 9 years. It appears that nothing will please you short of forcing the district to operate 2 schools it cannot afford and ultimately sacrificing programs and education quality in the process.

Look, you and your cadre of 2020 folks asked for a reasonable plan and now we have one. You whined about needing more communication and input and voilà, a community driven plan that was created from 14 months of listening and reacting to
the concerns of voters, parents, students, staff. You demanded value for taxpayers and before us is a bond request that is prudent and responsible and necessary.

Voters, let's not settle for "pretty good" as Jenny says. Let's raise up our district by providing a high school facility that matches the quality education we expect and is currently delivered in the Bloomfield Hills School District. Let's join together on May 8 and send a message that a thoughtful, committed, value-driven plan can benefit all our students now and for decades to come. Let's show that this community can work together and focus on what is best for our most important resource...our children!

See the plan for yourself at www.bloomfield.org and please join me and my family in voting YES on May 8.

It's fairly clear that a lot of mistakes were made in the initial stages of the high school issue. It seems, however, that Ms. Greenwell thinks that only a life sentence (I will vote "not" and nay say any proposal) is appropriate. I don't believe that to be the case (Is that how you treat people in your family and other connections?) and I don't believe that's a value held by our community. I do believe in hope over fear. It's what I teach our two third graders. That's why so many previous "no" voters have changed their position. It is time to move on from the mistakes, not wallow in them and make new, possibly worse ones.

I am glad, too, that the blogger liked the signs. I am sure she will join me in asking all to discourage teens or adults from stealing political signs. It tends to upset young children; many are actively aware of this political debate. At least 5 signs were stolen from my neighborhood the first night they were allowed up. I am happy to meet with any 2020 supporters to debate the wisdom of this kind of campaigning.

Charles,
I agree. I should have added in this instance neighbors checked with both the Police and the neighborhood association. They were assured that "they" didn't take the signs and that, in general, they don't remove political signs. These signs, unfortunately, were stolen. Please feel free to verify this with the police. And, yes, there always issues with signs. That they get taken in this instance -- as I said -- is just especially depressing as many kids are acutely aware of the situation.

And, Charles, I also would agree with the "boomerang" political effect. I saw -- and to a certain extent -- still see some merit to the 2020 arguments. In looking for a home several years ago I started tuning in to Bloomfield School Board meetings. I was mortified by what I perceived to be an arrogant and dismissive administration. So I can easily imagine that many have very strong leftover feelings about that time. I also think smaller schools (if possible) are better and that educational systems in general are caught up in spending too much money on "things" (technology, buildings, and so on) rather than teaching. That is, if you were doing a profile, I was set to be a 2020 supporter. But I have been persuaded by the open way in which Rob Glass and the current board have acted; convinced by the numbers that 1 bigger school is necessary; and utterly put off by the arguments and mode of argumentation I have heard on the 2020 side. The sign stealing, indeed, was motivating.

Charles,
No problem and no need for an apology. Your point is spot on. The hard part of these debates is to maintain a degree of civility with neighbors and other members of the community. It is unfortunate that many of us can forget sometimes that schoolboard members, in particular, really put themselves out there. I certainly don't agree with every school board decision I have seen. But -- to my mind -- to begin a "recall" process without having clear evidence of negligence or wrongdoing is, as you say, "bizarre" -- and sad.

Ken, I applaud your open-mindedness - Just one point though, These facilities NEED to be updated with the latest technology. The world is becoming more high-tech every day and these capabilities need to be available to the students as tools in their learning. Our office building was unable to be wired for wifi due to the age of the building, so we are moving offices. this is a huge expense for a company, but it is required that we have access to it. I feel the same way about these students - its required in this day and age - that is where innovation is going to come from. Learning is no longer about sitting in a classroom for 45 mins with a book in front of you listening to a teacher lecture about it.