News From SWW

April 30, 2002 - Crisis Averted (We Hope) - Latest Developments

To: Friends of School Without Walls
From: Dan Drmacich
Re: Latest Developments

At approximately 4:30 pm today, I received a telephone call from the Superintendent's Office, informing me that the Superintendent had decided that SWW was such an important, vital force in our community, that there was no way that he could recommend that it be cut from the budget.

The Asst. Superintendent, David Silver, then told me that we should plan to accept our 9^th grade class and that he was sorry for any stress or grief he and the other Asst. Superintendent, Hilda Ortiz, had caused me and the SWW Community. I asked David if we could expect a reversal of this decision in the next few days and he replied that the Superintendent was strongly against that ever happening, BUT that anything was possible, given the fact that the decision is ultimately the Board's.

So...I'm left feeling relieved, but a bit unsure over what might happen next. After analyzing the last 48 hours, I'm sure the following variables played a part to some degree:

• Silver's and Hilda's recommendation to Janey on SWW was just that- a recommendation. It had to clear Janey before it could become part of his recommendations.

• Janey either is a true supporter of ours or he took a straw vote among the Board members in town and discovered that at least four were against cutting SWW. I think Bowers, Vargas, Porter, and Thompson were in our corner. Perhaps it was a bit of each.

• Last night, Board member Jim Bowers called me to suggest strategy, and informed me that he had already received several calls from SWW supporters. I also just received a copy of a wonderful letter that Gretchen Van Ness (SWW '76) wrote Dr. Janey, in opposition to cutting SWW. Simultaneously, the entire SWW School Community was getting ready to speak and demonstrate to the Board tomorrow night.

Perhaps, the combination of these efforts was becoming evident to the Board and Dr. Janey and that they would be facing a formidable, persistent force in SWW.

So it looks like at this point we can relax, for the time being. We don't need to speak at the Board meeting tomorrow night. However, I do think that letters to Janey or the Board praising this decision to not consider cutting SWW and any other praise for SWW would be worthwhile. It certainly might be preventative in influencing Board members not to consider SWW for any future cuts and at minimum is good PR.

So–thanks to all of you for your efforts and thoughts. If this experience has proven anything, it's that we do have a wide , strong group of supporters who see, without question, the value of SWW and who are willing to take action to protect and preserve it. We are truly a community that takes responsibility for itself.

I will immediately contact you again should I begin to sense things moving against us.

Thanks for supporting SWW!!

--Dan Drmacich

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