Outgoing Dianne Barrett: Majority Control of D86 Information 'Not Acceptable'

Dianne Barrett’s favorite experiences as a District 86 board member were her talks with dedicated Hinsdale Central and Hinsdale South parents about their kids.

“I was all ears to the parents who had issues and wanted to see them heard,” the board member who has waged a long legal fight against the district over access to records said during her final board meeting Monday night at Hinsdale Central.

Barrett, who served two four-year terms and chose not to run for re-election this spring, addressed the audience about her hopes for the new board after she was honored along with fellow outgoing board member Dennis Brennan and DeeDee Gorgol.

Barrett said she hopes board members who often vote as part of a minority will not be denied information in the future, a clear reference to the subject of her suit against the district that began after she received heavily redacted special-education-related documents the district says were prepared to protect confidential student information.

“I hope that you adhere to board policies where board members are entitled to listen to audiotapes if they miss an executive session meeting,” Barrett said to the board's new members. “I also hope that you will remove from policies that exist on the books verbiage that obstructs board members from doing their jobs.

“I hope you will see that a majority of the board voting ‘no’ to one or two board members trying to access information is not acceptable and is simply not transparent.”

Barrett said Hinsdale Central and Hinsdale South are both good schools, but that students with disabilities are not given the same opportunity as their classmates, as shown by the subgroup's failure at both campuses to make adequate yearly progress (AYP) in 2012 according to No Child Left Behind standards.

“We know the advanced kids do well and lot of the middle kids do, but during my eight years I wish I had done more for the … kids in the special ed program,” Barrett said.

Richard Skoda, who has voted with Barrett on many items during the last two years, said Barrett showed “much courage and tenacity” during her time on the board for taking stances she knew would not be those of the board's majority.

“Her intentions were wrongly and unfairly maligned,” Skoda said. “I think it says a lot about her as a person that she hung around and fought for what she believed in.”

Barrett said the new board should bring back Robert’s Rules of Order for meetings, provide the community in advance of each meeting the same materials board members get, and be more transparent with district documents in general.

Barrett, who was censured by the board in 2012 for expressing her belief that the members broke the law when they issued nearly $18 million in working-cash bonds that were immediately used for capital projects, ended with some financial advice.

“At this time I hope that you take a close look at the books, analyze the finances, re-look at the tax levy, stop backdoor referendums without voter approval for capital projects, and also live within your means,” Barrett said.

Barrett, who put three children through Hinsdale Central, received applause from those present after her speech.

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