Why Now?

After the neighbors came over yesterday evening to inquire why I was yelling out my window, I had time to ponder why it is that I'm starting this now and why I wasn't mad enough before.

Wasn't Susan Reid's open letter to the board maddening enough?

Wasn't it maddening enough that Josh Garvin and Deirdre Erb were both, as determined by the ERA board of directors on advice of legal counsel, to have "participated in a plot ... to create the open letter that Susan Reid sent to the Board and to use that letter and Ms. Reid’s resignation in a manner that would be disruptive to the school ... [and] to take action to undermine the school’s Director ..."?

Isn't maddening enough that parents actually believe (based on their comments during open board meetings) that somehow Reid and Garvin and Erb were doing a service to the school? Just because someone pens a letter or files a lawsuit makes them right?

Nope, I guess I wasn't mad enough. I was plenty mad, but actually had hope that things would start to simmer down. Folks would start to see through the BS and realize what a gem we have in ERA.

But, I received this email this weekend. Sigh ...

From: "Paul Middleton" paul.l.middleton@gmail.com
To: "Middleton, Paul" paul.middleton@ieee.org
Subject: Eagle Ridge Academy Board Meeting Tuesday 11 March 2008 7PM
Date: Sun, 9 Mar 2008 00:04:52 -0600

Eagle Ridge Academy Board Meeting Tuesday 11 March 2008 7PM

Parents, please attend!

I believe that the next few months are critical to the health of our wonderful school, and we need the attention and support of parents regarding the issues facing the board. Current issues include:

1. On February 19, 2008, the Minnesota Department of Education sent a letter to the Eagle Ridge Academy board requesting that the board composition be immediately corrected to comply with the law – two of the current teacher members of the board are not licensed teachers, and therefore do not meet the requirements of the law.
2. A complaint has been filed before the U.S. District Court sueing the school for in excess of $500,000.
3. Results from the investigation into actions of the director and 2 other teachers are expected to be available.
4. By April 30, the contract for the director will either expire or be renewed.

As of the time of this writing, the board has not made available an agenda for the coming meeting, so I can not be certain as to what will be discussed by the board. However, I want to be sure that parents are aware of the serious issues facing our school, and I want to encourage parents to take advantage of the expected time for public comment to exert a positive influence on the board.

Information on some of the school issues is flowing only by parent-to-parent contact. If you are not receiving sufficient information on some school issue, please let me know what you are interested in and I may be able to provide or lead you to further information. If information such as this e-mail is not helpful to you, please accept my apologies. I have no desire to be the source of unwanted spam. If you would let me know via a reply to this message, I will be careful not to send you further updates.

Best Regards, Paul Middleton

I guess enough folks didn't attend the board meeting in February, so it was time to stir the pot again. But, I'm not going to take it any more. It's time to stand up for ERA, stand up for the staff, stand up for the director. I love ERA, and I'm not going to be quiet any longer. If we love what we have, it's time for us to stand up to those who want to take it away from us. Where can we start ~ Attend board meetings, write letters to the board, write letters to the Minnesota Department of Education, post comments here. We have a school of nearly 300 hundred students and could have 350 next year! Can it really be all that bad?

I don't think so, and my contributers and I will try in the coming weeks to make a case for ERA and to point out the flaws in the arguments from the other side. Join us for the ride.