WHITEHALL — Some 40 Whitehall District Schools parents and stakeholders turned out Wednesday, Nov. 13 to participate in the first of at least two planned community engagement nights as the school attempts to address local concerns.
The engagement nights were made public following November's operations non-homestead millage renewal being voted down by district voters, though interim superintendent CJ Van Wieren said a steering committee had the evenings in the works prior to the election. Another event took place Thursday, Nov. 21 and Van Wieren said there may be a third in December if the committee deems it would be beneficial.
Van Wieren has stated multiple times since taking on his new position that he's deeply invested in making Whitehall's schools as successful as he can, in part because he has three children of his own who are or will soon attend the school. However, he noted he wants all kids to have a great experience at the school.
"That's really, really hard to achieve,
but it's worth trying," Van Wieren said.
By a large margin, the most common issue discussed at the meeting was communication, as Van Wieren and meeting attendees alike considered the best ways to reach local people. This was a discussion point in part because several meeting attendees shared that they did not even know a millage renewal was on the ballot until they saw it there, and others didn't realize how crucial the renewal is to the school budget; Van Wieren said the non-homestead millage - which could return to the ballot as soon as May for another chance at approval - accounts for about 20% of it.
Showing how fragmented the communication landscape has become, some said that social media did not work for them as they did not have Facebook, while others said mailers to keep them informed would be unlikely to work as many people do not read unsolicited letters in the mail. Van Wieren noted that it costs the district about $1,500 to send a mailer to each home.
Some parents expressed continued dissatisfaction with the school board and district leadership that dates back to a spring 2021 incident in which an email with a link to material many district parents found inappropriate was sent to all students. Some parents have maintained ever since that their voices were not adequately heard during the ensuing controversy, and it was mentioned by those in that corner that the board's composition is largely the same as it was at that time. Some said they believe district leadership took on an "us versus them" posture when dealing with public dissatisfaction with the incident.
Van Wieren, who was middle school principal when that event took place, conceded there were mistakes at that time and emphasized that an open line of communication was one of the priorities he has now that he is leading the district. Other members of the steering committee concurred and hoped parents and staff alike will be able to put the issue behind them going forward; White Lake Fire Authority chief Pete McCarthy, who's on the committee, said of these public meetings, "There doesn't have to be an elephant in the room anymore."
A few attendees questioned why no members of the school board were at the meeting, though it was noted that if a quorum - at least half of the board - is present at any public event, it is required to be considered a board meeting.
Going forward, parents also hope building facilities are addressed, with things like security and even bathroom soap dispensers mentioned by name as things that need attention. (At least one parent did mention that those are items that a millage request from the school that was twice voted down over the past year could have affected that.) McCarthy pointed out that the current maintenance staff for the district is only a few people, and adequate personnel is essential to ensuring facilities are operating as they should.
