Heating Things Up For Fall

OPINION GUEST COMMENTARY

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Board president invites District 181 residents to get involved

Heating things up for fall yawn. Maybe this I’m back! With will spike the ratthe summer hiatus, ings. I’ve missed my outCampaign signs let to unload. So are already starthold on tight. ing to sprout in Summer was a front yards. Isn’t it bust. It just never a tad early since materialized. the election isn’t Instead, we had a until February? drawn-out spring. And for those Good thing the posting signs, take community pool Mike Neiman note. Placing more sells summer passthan one sign in your yard es early or we’d need the doesn’t increase the chances stimulus package to pay the of your candidate. It only bills. Speaking of bills, I’m annoys your neighbors who sure our friends at ComEd have to look at them daily. are looking for ways to And one last political note; squeeze extra cash out of us is there anybody from to make up for what we didHinsdale not running for n’t spend on air conditionsenator or governor. Fill the ing. potholes and find me a And now fall is upon us. decent cell signal and you’ll Just like you can count on a get my vote. Heck, maybe I’ll new mysterious neighbor run myself. moving to Wisteria Lane, Wow, all this spewing is you can smell the drama warming me up from my brewing on the streets of summer chill and making Hinsdale. Potential budget me hungry. Good thing cuts in District 181 seem to there’s life downtown! Il have everyone in a tizzy. Poggiolo finally opened its There are lots of ideas floatdoors and people are lined ing around, some good, some not. So before the hys- up to get in. And the Fuller empire will soon expand teria begins, let’s wait for a with Dips & Dogs. Hopefully plan and in good ole my wife Nancy’s prayers for Hinsdale fashion, debate it, debate it again, make a deci- soft-serve frozen yogurt downtown will be answered. sion and then sue. As the leaves fall, I’m tryOn a positive note, coning to forget about the seagrats to our Blue Ribbon winners: Madison, HMS and son that never was. Many feel since we missed sumCHMS. Truly impressive! mer, Mother Nature owes us The circus is also coming a mild winter. But being the to town. Not only is Central getting new artificial turf, but skeptic that I am, I’d recommend you get your snow a tent to practice in to boot. blower tuned up as soon as And under the big top in possible. center ring, we have the District 86 Board vs. the — Mike Neiman of Hinsdale Hinsdale Village Board. is a contributing columnist. Good to see the new village Readers can e-mail him at board stirring the pot a bit, [email protected]. as they have been somewhat boring. No raucous battles or undercover intrigue. Channel 6 has been a big

Recently there has been much discussion regarding the future of our schools. In the last year, the economy has affected many organizations worldwide. District 181 is a large organization, with 4,000 students, nine schools, 600 employees and a $55 million budget, and we constantly face new issues. However, our mission “To be a school district where all children experience success and exhibit excellence” never changes. Your board is working to ensure outstanding education of our children. We are proud of recent achievements: three district schools

named Blue Ribbon Schools, all schools on the Illinois Honor Roll and the accomplishments we see in our children daily. These are consistent with our legacy and our plans for the future. The board has recently discussed goals and values. In the coming months, we will engage in long-term planning, including the evaluation of changes to manage our resources. All of these discussions have occurred in open meetings, where we welcome community participation. As an outcome of these early discussions, our administration is researching a variety of alter-

natives. We will not make any decisions until we complete the research. In the comments we have received from residents and through the superintendent search process, it is heartening to hear that so many residents are pleased with their children’s education and our schools’ performance. I encourage you to be involved as we plan for the future of our district. Our next meeting is 7 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 13 at Oak School. — Marc Monyek, president, Community Consolidated Elementary District 181 Board

Hinsdalean has accomplished much in its first three years Congratulations to Pamela Lannom, Jim Slonoff, and the entire staff of The Hinsdalean at the beginning of your fourth year of publication. Yours is a singular accomplishment, for three reasons at the least. 1. The paper started with the intent to take a local focus, and you have sustained this. Depth and nuanced understanding of our community flows from your decision, and your

readers benefit. 2. The content of the stories is sensible, and the editorial views are proportioned. This provides a tonic during times when such commodities can be in short supply. 3. You love what you do. It is evident throughout the paper, and perhaps most especially in the cover photographs that most often celebrate that which is important above all: the children

of our community, their healthy development, our mutual responsibilities to them all. Thank you. May we all continue to wake up Thursday mornings to the welcome sight of The Hinsdalean on our driveway for many more years to come. — J. Richard Spatafora and Catherine A. Kinney, Hinsdale

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Questions? Call (630) 323-4422 The Hinsdalean • October 8, 2009 • Page 11