LAKE FOREST – A group of residents here has created Lake Forest Schools Watch, an independent watchdog organization following Lake Forest School District 115 and District 67. Jennifer Neubauer is parent-coordinator of the organization and webmaster of its website, www.lakeforestschoolswatch.com, and some 25 local people are named on a running list of supporters of the organization.
The group’s mission statement is:
Lake Forest Schools Watch (LFSW) was formed to ensure that administrative and school board decisions on curriculum, personnel, fiscal, and other issues are fully informed, completely transparent, ethical and solely in the best interests of Lake Forest students in helping them obtain a world-class education.
LFSW exists to ensure that parents and taxpayers may band together, share information, become informed, speak truth to power, and engage in concerted action. Most importantly, we seek to ensure the transparent slating and election of School Board Members who are competent, reasonable, and courageous critical thinkers who embrace the LFSW mission. We want School Board Members who will serve the best interests of Lake Forest public school students and taxpayers, exclusive of their own social or political agendas, and who will comply with the legal and fiduciary duties they owe to the districts they serve and the people who elect them.
A press release issued by LFSW on July 21 said the organization was created in the wake of the recent controversial hiring of Lake Forest High School Principal Chala Holland and the board’s approval on July 14 of a new teachers’ contract. According to District 115, the contract included a 3.8% average wage increase in its first year and a 4.4% average increase in year two.
The LFSW website includes a section called “Discourse on the Issues” for reader submissions, FOIA results and links to Youtube videos of school board meetings. The group stated that it welcomes written submissions from the community on relevant events and issues, both from supporters of the LFSW mission and those opposed, and that it also welcomes open debate.
The public is asked to submit comments, questions, essays or general information to:
lfschoolswatch@gmail.com.