I know that Mary Drew has been hit the hardest and these families are right..we can't know how they are feeling unless we are part of the MD community.
This is their home and with having young children they want their best for them...
They have experienced the best these past four years and they have invested in their school community...the best in not only a newly renovated modern building but also the kindness and caring of the great staff who are educating their kids. So I can understand this great disappointment and the impact on them and their young kids. I am confident that the administration will work very closely with Mrs. Klein and the families to place their kids in the right setting. I know that parents can request teachers.. I don't know how realistic it is for everyone getting a teacher request and how quickly this info would be given.
I also understand your feelings of being diregarded by not having MD specifically listed on the agenda for closure and the perception that this was not transparent as well as insensitive especially by some of the comments. Everyone makes mistakes of how we handle ourselves when feeling attacked and frustrated. I believe that was acknowledged by the Board as well. I appreciated all the Board members comments prior to voting, specifically to this issue apolozising with the way it was handled. We don't see behind closed doors but these Board members tirelessly have tried their best to find a different solution.

Tracey...
for next year if you need help with getting your kids to school as you are a single parent and and work so far away from home if you need help with the issue of transportation i am here for you...This is how we can help our district is by volunteering to help each other, so not to carry the burden by ourselves.
I believe you had the bad experience at Rogus as well... that was not acceptable.
I hope that you do have a 504 plan in place with your child with Leukemia..Your children's needs will be met...!!!
I know MD staff will work with families to give recommndations to administration for each of their students as they know them so well so they are placed in a setting with specific teachers who would be a good fit for each child..

Finally Kelly what an inspiration you have been to start a fac ebook and how much was accomplished through this website and you opening it up to the community as a support. I am proud that so many families got involved. This is how we keep each other accountable and help one another do and be our best.
I know that this is going to help our district... I may not agree with the otbursts but I understand how emotional and stressfful this has been. Great things will come out of your efforts.
I hope this has been an encouragement and not causing any more re-injury.Praying for strength and Healing for eveyone at MD as well as our Board and our administration.

Joe.
Thank you for your important role in our community.
You are entrusted with priveledged information. I know you are just giving the facts but is it possible to not use quotes that make people look bad and seem uncaring because they are perhaps venting to you.
Please that negativity fuels peoples anger. I would hope that is not your goal.
Just sharing my thoughts.
thank you for you helping keep our board and administration accountable and the community informed.
Thank you for giving me specifically a forum to share with others my thoughts and feelings. It really means alot to me...

Tracy
You are seriously angry at the wrong people. This person Stella just offered to help you in any way she can with your children in the up coming year! And all you have to say to her is Shame on you?! It sounds to me like your the one who should
be ashamed! Stop feeling sorry for yourself and accept change gracefully!

@Tracy and @sensible:

No need to get riled up over @Stella's question. I didn't take any offense nor did I think she was asking me to censor the news. Having talked to parents and been to these board meetings, I certainly understand her feelings. There are a lot of people who are very angry over what's going on and @Stella is concerned about adding napalm to the forest fire. I don't together stories in order to provoke an angry or outraged response. Those might be the responses, but it's from the facts of the story, not me "stirring the pot," so to speak.

Also, @Stella's entitled to her opinion, and even though I might not agree with it, I certainly understand where it's coming from, and she has every right to share it. I'm glad she's engaged in what's going to the point where she's asking questions about how the news on it is gathered. That's great!

Plus, she shared it in a respectful manner, and I'm never going to get on anyone who does that, even if I think they're completely off-base (well, maybe I wouldn't be so kind to someone who respectfully shared his or her racist views, but I think you get my point).

Joe Vince
Local Editor, Frankfort

I sincerely care about what is happening and the huge sense of loss the MD community is experiencing. These are our friends family and neighbors including the staff (they have feelings too) and ofcourse the children. This decision has impacted a huge part of our community. So we have to be sensitive to that fact and try to support them They have every right to be angry..
Well I am telling you that each one of you matter very much. This really should have been handled differently. I have a feeling we all learned from this and future decisions will be made more slowly. I care about our Board members too and I support them in their efforts to get all of us to a point where we can all catch our breath. They have been putting out fire after fire since elections! nonstop...
I would hope that we could give them a chance to lead.
If our anger is channeled in the right way we can accomplish much. Look at how much our community is now paying attention.
The MD community has been given a precious gift these past 4 years and noone can take that away from you.
Tracey you are a person of great strength and courage thank you!
Joe you helped clarify your role as a reporter...I really don't know journalism. either.
Sorry for my lengthy e-mails, I just wasn't paying attention when they taught this in school!! I think I was trying to adjust being new to this country as an 8 year old who didn't know how to speak the language either!
Thank you for encouraging me as well.

Does anyone know why the Finance Committee meeting scheduled for 9am today was cancelled???

I'm sorry, I'm just so tired of being told to accept MD is closing, and having to explain myself that I am ok with a school closing, it's the way the board is handling things that I disagree with. I read Stella's comments, and when I got to the one at Joe, I took offense that this was just a way to excuse Kenny and her words. Kenny can't take those words back, and I don't think it was appropriate to ask a journalist to sugar coat, to say, so the fiire isn't fed. Joe didn't start the fire. So I apologize. Kenny is an adult, if she says something, she leaves her own tarnished legacy. I'm also tired of people stating where were you before... sorry, I was seeing my 4 year old daughter through 2 1/2 years of chemo so she'd make it to turn 9 this May. I had to trust the board and schools were doing the right thing, and I did. Call me a rotten person, but while my son was in Mr. B's class, I spoke only once to the man, and was at a hospital on the scheduled conference nights, and my son turned out wonderful. I wasn't involved - and I'm the first to wave my hand, but I am now. Overall though, I think I'm done participating on the boards, my concern and passion gets pascified or I'm told 'get over it'. Well, I'll battle this in other ways. and align myself to support those willing to run for the board next time. And yes, I am angry at this board, you all should be, in some what of a way, too. Past board's fault, current boards fault - don't care, I'm worried about the future here.

@Joe, thanks for the update, appreciated. Tracy, you have every right to feel the way you do. All of us do. Kenny's words should not be accepted nor will be any longer. Her true colors have finally come out. Even tho shes been on the board 35 years does not excuse her behavior, nor should we excuse her behavor or words! Parents are mad because of the obvious. Im not forgiving anyone. I have heard certain board members have their own personal agenda...sure seem that way to me. And Im sick of hearing "its a volunteer position", "you do it then", blah blah blah. They wanted to be a board member of 161. They choose to run in a election. This was their choice. And after spending 9 million on MD just a few years ago and now close it just does not fly with me. Why havent we heard of any other cuts?? nothing!!!
Also, why have we heard nothing from any teacher or staff member of 161?? That tells me something is very wrong here. I have waited at every board meeting for a teacher, secretary, nurse, anyone who works within the schools to say something to the board. And I've even asked a few why they dont say anything, and they told me they are afraid to because of retaliation. This is a big RED flag. They have told me working in the schools is like walking on egg shells and its hell. I understand how they could feel this way with all that has happened. So go ahead Stella, keep praying. Pray really hard.

We should all remain focused! This board is a walking nighmare. They have proven that over and over again. They have only worked off of their own personal agenda and again another proven fact. No one in this community could deny the fact that closing a school is necessary, it's the way in which they handled it that is the real issue here. The way they've handled everything. They tried to cancel full day kindgarten one day before registration, what the heck is that?? They hired a superintendent without interviewing any candidates, they hired a prior board member that has the same bad attitude and behavior as those running the board, they went on a hiring spree this year even after repeated mentions by Joy Murphy that we started out in the red and they purchased themselves all Ipads because watching the HUGE monitors wasn't good enough. Oh and they scold the community, whom they answer too, for pointing out their bad behavior and decision making, had enough yet? TIME FOR THEM TO GO!!!!

Does anyone know the answer to this...........is there a way that we can have our Board Members serve a maximum of terms?? The fact that Mary Kenny (and I have had no beef with her up until I've witness her outbursts) has been on the Board since 1985 is too long. To her defense, I want to give her ALOT of credit for all the years she has served our community for the good. When our community wasn't paying attention, Sean Doyle pushed through a raise and contract extention or Keith Pain, They were trying to make cuts last year, and giving Keith an extention and raise on our tax dollars was wrong. Mary was there to say NO. She was over ruled, and it was passed BUT, she was our voice that said NO. Had the previous board and/or previous Super Intenden listened to Mary when she indicated she didn't want the old Summit Hill Jr. High turned into MD, we wouldn't be in this position of closing it down. That 9 mil. could have been funneled into our childrens schools and education. Sean didn't try to stop it, he went along with Keith Pain to get it renovated at our expense. Mary has done so much good for our schools, she was the voice of reasoning. I just feel that it is time for her to retire, and enjoy her life. Times are different now, and not like when she was raising children. Also, don't let Sean fool you, he is playing into it all. If we were still under Keith Pains rule, Sean would not have batted an eye at closing schools or kindergarten.

Amen Taxpayer! I am sad that Mrs. Kenny has put all of this effort into our community and our schools and now, because of the situation she has been left with, SHE is the one being persecuted for the sins of the past. I wish it was possible to show the community all of the accomplishments she has made to make Summit Hill one of the best districts in the state. As for Mr. Doyle, I think he is enjoying this, which is sad to say. And I wouldn't be surprised to find out that Mr. Pain listens to podcasts, writes his opinions on the Patch and had he chosen to stay and do the heavy lifting - he might have pulled a Meigs field to AH & FS without one public comment until after the fact.