Now that voters have spoken handed LCS a very clear decision, will the Administration and Board listen and work with voters or double down their efforts continue to put forward proposals that will never pass?

 

  Well, the voters have spoken. Meanwhile, we hear comments from Board members and Administration officials like:

 “But you can’t make people come to the table and there are some people that aren’t interested in being informed.”, 

"Also… you know as well as I do there’s a big problem out there right now — with misinformation and with suspension of disbelief.”

“I do,” I said. “I think it’s all very reflective of our current times. There’s a lot of willful ignorance. A choice to disregard fact.”

   The fact is that this proposal was voted down by 59% of the voting public. 

While some may feel that the voting public were just misinformed or "willfully ignorant" the fact is that most voters knew exactly what this bond was about...and that was building a high school we did not want or need. 

  In reality, of the bond proposals since 2004, four have been overwhelmingly defeated. The single plan that passed in May of 07' was the one that renovated EXISTING buildings. That was the $56 million bond that renovated Zemmer, Woodside/Roland Warner. In that election, voters overwhelmingly SUPPORTED the proposal. So were the voters in 07' miraculously informed? Were they being less "willfully ignorant"? In 07', perhaps the voters must not have chosen to "disregard fact"? No. The voters then, as would be the case now, would support reasonable proposals that make financial sense. L.C.S. proposed a plan in 07' that called for fixing and renovating buildings we already had. At that time, the District proposal was asking  for what they needed, not what they wanted, and it worked. It previously took several elections for Lapeer Schools to wake up and actually listen to the majority of the voters. Will Lapeer Schools engage with the community to get the help and support of those who opposed this bond the next time around, or will they proceed as they have in the past by ignoring the majority of the voting public and putting forth another proposal that will not pass muster with the voters at large?

  Only time will tell. We should hope that L.C.S. will try to engage those individuals who had issues with this bond. Otherwise, it could be a long time until the needs of L.C.S. elementary students are addressed. That would be incredibly disappointing.