School Board Seating New Board Members, Electing New Officers Monday Night

The Board of Education will seat three new members and vote on its new slate of officers Monday night.

It perhaps came as a shock to very few that incumbents John Graff and Andrea Schweda were overwhelmingly voted off the board. Vocal residents have made it clear in the past year that they want nothing to do with the construction of a $110 million third high school. Graff and Schweda voted in support of its construction last year. 

When Brent Lightfoot, Alison Swanson and Bill Walsh are sworn in tonight that will make Dave Behrens the only sitting board member remaining who voted with Graff and Schweda. Board member Steve Wolf also voted for the third high school, but he chose not to run again.

The individual the board selects as its president will say a lot about the future of the high school project. Many people have given me their predictions, but the best bet might be that Walsh will take the reigns. 

Walsh was the top vote-getter in the election and has made it abundantly clear that the board should reverse its decision on the third high school and start immediately investigating additions to and .

Superintendent Dan O'Donnell is wasting no time with the new board in finding ways to address overcrowding issues. He has invited Rob Schwartz of RSP & Associates to a board workshop on overcrowding following tonight's board meeting.

"We will have Rob Schwartz of RSP with us to answer questions about the report which he researched and wrote earlier this year and presented to the board. We also have asked the architects for OEHS and the last addition on OHS to send representatives to answer questions about options such as additions. We hope this will help to clarify any open items/questions you may have," O'Donnell wrote in a note on the workshop in the meeting's agenda.

A vote on whether to reverse the decision on the third high school should come quickly. The board also will have to move swiftly on addressing overcrowding issues that exist elsewhere in the district.

Work on drawing new school boundaries will be an absolute must in the coming months. With overcrowded classrooms in some schools and other buildings that sit virtually unused, many difficult decision will have to be made that will affect thousands of families' daily lives.

Supporters of Graff and Schweda vowed in the days after the election to hold the new board accountable. The first step in that should be showing up at board meetings like tonight's and having their say during public comments. How many residents attend and do just that will say a lot about what kind of accountability and resistance board members can expect.

The board meets at 7 p.m. Monday at Oswego East High School.