Mantua – In the public comment Drema Herron asked the Board to put focus or more a focus on retaining excellent staff to preserve the quality of the district. Her concerns stemmed from a large amount of recent resignations at the June Board meeting.
Next, she shared her concerns relating to the higher cost of school lunches, which have increased by a dollar. She noted that a typical pizza lunch includes just one slice, which causes many students to purchase ‘extras’ to supplement their meal. She raised the point that many students, as well as student-athletes with strenuous after-school practice require more sustenance and worried that this could be a financial drain. She noted that while she didn’t want the District’s Food Service Department to run at a deficit, in her opinion, it shouldn’t be making a profit.
Herron’s final comment was related to Social Emotional Learning (SEL). She observed that a number of Crestwood students come from less-than-ideal home situations. As such, they may require emotional support to help foster their ability to learn. She noted that if their ability to learn is ‘in trouble’ then the students’ classmates’ ability to learn is often impacted as well. She speculated that the inability to address situations like this may contribute to the district’s loss of teachers and staff.
At the June 28th meeting, several impassioned members of the community urged the Board to vote against the inclusion of Critical Race Theory in the District curriculum. One community member commented that the concept was not a social or emotional issue, but a political issue. At that meeting, the Board adopted legislation rejecting CRT by a vote of three in favor, with two not in favor of rejecting CRT from District lesson plans.
The next regularly scheduled Board meeting will be held on Tuesday, August 9th at 7 pm in the Administration Building on John Edwards Drive; the community is encouraged to attend.
