Week of June17

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Week of June 17

-- Anonymous, June 17, 2001

Answers

This letter from Joe Doan was in this week's Woodstock Times. Anyone who has the facts and would like to respond should email a response to news@woodstocktimes.com by the Monday afternoon deadline. Note that they have had a lot of letters recently, and are being strict about a 300 word maximum.

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"Geddy’s Secret Agenda Revealed" [Woodstock Times header]

Last July, the present Onteora Board of Education voted not to approve the Woodstock Times as its official paper because of its inaccurate and misleading reporting of our school board meetings. No positive changes have occurred and the news continues to be published in a biased and misleading way.

After the June 4, 2001 board of education meeting, the Times published a story in its June 7 issue concerning that meeting but left out two very noteworthy matters that were addressed to Dr. Hal Rowe, Onteora’s superintendent of schools, that night. What was not reported was the fact that our district recovered $329,216 in lost state aid over the past two school years because our chief administrator and the past business administrator never applied for it. It could have been much more except that the state education department will not review claims beyond the 99/00 school year.

Another issue was that the legal representation of four out of five matters that are currently being litigated in the school district would have been covered under our insurance policy. All we had to do was notify our carrier of the lawsuit and the district would have had legal representation at no cost to the taxpayers of Onteora. Instead, our chief administrator, without the knowledge or approval of the board of education, had turned these matters over to our school attorney. He charges the district $160 per hour and has wasted thousands of your taxpayer’s dollars. These are just the current matters and it raises the question, how much of this fiscal mismanagement has gone on in the past?

It is apparent that the Woodstock Times publisher, Geddy Sveikauskas, has an agenda to omit the derogatory news that portrays some of Onteora’s past and present administrators in their true light. It is also a documented fact that some of his employees are recipient of Onteora mentoring funds, which are paid through the approval of our administrators. You have to ask yourself why there is such an effort by the Woodstock Times to constantly misinform the readers?

The definition of the word journalism is "writing characterized by a direct presentation of facts or description of event without an attempt at interpretation." If the Woodstock Times spent more time practicing good journalism, then the publisher might be able to convince the readers that his readers is a credible source of the news. The issue here is not whether I or anyone else likes or agrees with what is being published. The issue is that the story gets reported in an honest, accurate and complete way. The truth, like oil in water, eventually surfaces!

Joseph Doan Onteora Central School District Board of Education member Bearsville

-- Anonymous, June 17, 2001


BOE meeting, monday at Woodstock School...They will go into exec session at 6PM to attempt to move forward the "charges" against Hal...be there or be square. Tobe

-- Anonymous, June 17, 2001

So, ok, call me uninformed! There has to be more to these two story/accusations of Doan....yes? What are the missing pieces to the puzzle please, anyone. Also, if board members make public statements that are not factual what happens?

Thank you Tom and Phylis for the "thank you " picnic. My sons had a blast in your pool.

-- Anonymous, June 17, 2001


"Also, if board members make public statements that are not factual what happens? "

Not factual = either wrong, or lying.

Answer: oh, nothing much. Go to hell upon their death for lying? Irate letters in Woodstock Times? Citizens staying up past their bedtimes to speak out with corrections in late-night second Public-be- damned session? Enormous karmic weight upon their shoulders? Roses from CARE on "National Suck Up to Board Members Day?"

-- Anonymous, June 17, 2001


The time has come to submit applications ASAP to the district office. Please include a letter of intent to fill the vacated board position and a resume. Thanks.

-- Anonymous, June 19, 2001


URGENT-

Please remember to vote for the Onteora bond propositions TODAY from 2-9pm at your local elementary school. Bennett desperately needs to receive a yes vote on the bond to improve the school with a capital project. Please vote yes on both propositions. Thank you.

-- Anonymous, June 20, 2001


Bennett School capital improvement bond and the roof proposition passed. Thanks to all those who helped.

-- Anonymous, June 21, 2001

Freeman article on how the propositions passed.

Really squeaked through on the Bennett proposition.

25 candidates offered applications for the Onteora board. How many are ours?

-- Anonymous, June 21, 2001


Staff at Phoenicia School got a notice Monday that we weren't allowed to have any political bumper stickers, buttons, signs etc at the school concerning bond issue because building was a polling site. That's OK, but I found out Doan was upset w/buttons on staff and parents at Bennett, so, he stated if anyone wore one he would discount the vote. This is after he was caught pounding "Vote No for Bond" signs into the ground in Phoenicia. The person who caught him asked "why are you doing this?" and his reply was that he believes the taxpayers have not gotten all the information. What the hell is that? Are board members allowed to do that? Thank G-d the bond passed.

-- Anonymous, June 21, 2001

Doan can and will do whatever he wants...for or against any issue...He is certainly never to be trusted or believed, however. Last year he voted in favor of putting up the budget and then worked his ass off to get it defeated. This time he was unsuccessful even though he pounded signs all over the district...and put up flyers too. He got help from Glenda, etc. to leaflet cars, but thankfully to no avail...The only way to stop him is to make sure we dump him in May when he's up for re-election.

Oh, in case you haven't heard, Meg and Tom were successful in getting the Appelate Division Judge to decide NOT to sign Millman's appeal to end the stay order that the state supreme court (Judge Kavanaugh) put on the baord, halting them from ramming Rose down our throats. Now the supreme court judge, Connors, to whom it has been assigned, will have to judge the case on its merits...hopefully AFTER July 1st...one week to go... Thrilled to see 25 candidates for the board seat...what great community spirit. :-) Tobe

PS anyone notice the bad grammar and such in Doan's poster? The Woodstock Times points them up...he he he... Anyone else besides me intend to speak about his secret taping at the next board meeting (july 9th)???..let's keep the heat on. Whenever you speak with Doan (!) you have to assume your conversation is being recorded... Be aware.

-- Anonymous, June 21, 2001



Doan didn't seem to feel he wanted to antagonize his Olive supporters, because I didn't notice any "NO" signs on the Route 28 corridor up to Boiceville, or in Olivebridge. Good for Rudy.

I'd worn my button supporting the proposition all day when I stopped in at Bennett for the stream watch program on Wednesday. A staffer stopped me in the hall and very apologetically asked me to remove it, because of the polling place regulations. I did so, and reassured her I had no problems, that it was a good rule that serves our needs too. I thought she sounded a bit more furtive about it than was called for, now I see why.

Rudy missed one of those classic Kodak moments. Ever since concerns about vandalism etc at mascot-oriented Board meetings last year, I've usually carried one of those little Kodak Advantix Access disposable cameras in my purse. It is quite lightweight, has a flash, and takes decent pictures for what it is.

-- Anonymous, June 22, 2001


Many cheers for Meg and Tom and their judicial adventure: perseverence furthers!!! It's really wonderful to think that we are a beat away from a balanced school board. Even though we've got to put up with jd for another year, good things will begin to happen right now.......

ps Wasn't this move another stupid-inspired bad-guy strategy that backfired in their faces??

-- Anonymous, June 22, 2001


Yes..it was arrogance squared. They had the votes to do this board stuff all legally, and we couldn't have stopped Rose if they wanted her badly enough. (The word is that Fred was pissed at the way things went at the CARE meeting when they chose Rose instead of him!)

Anytime anyone sees Doan or others doing a stupid move in public try to reach me (657-2914) and if I can I'll put it on video! he he he. Tobe

In case you're wondering, COLOR and STAND will be presenting Erik Michaels-Ober with a cash award at graduation for his good service to democracy. Yay, Eric.

-- Anonymous, June 22, 2001


Ted wonders if Doan is "violating his fiduciary duties" toward the children on whose behalf he was elected to serve. Does Marino have any comment on that?

-- Anonymous, June 22, 2001

I might mention I know a Bennett parent/teacher who is so mad at JD for his nastiness she is not letting him or millman give her son his diploma saturday....she's giving it to him. good for her. anybody know anything more about the modulars leaving bennett and phoenicia? I'm getting from Randy and Laurie that they think they might stay. We're losing Randy very soon. Hiring committee interviewed this week and picked someone....don't know who yet. that person is going to have to deal with a difficult 2001-2002 school year! Phoenicia is next for space needs. I was thrilled when bennett bond passed!

-- Anonymous, June 22, 2001


Two points to be alert to:

1. Doan has asked for a special board meeting Tuesday night at the high school at 7PM...to go into exec session on a "possible litigation." My reading of school law does not allow exec session for such wording...another board fight is sure to loom...what's the real reason? We can only speculate, but perhaps it's another attempt to derail the "stay" order against their high handed attempt to appoint Rose, or the Eratt lease or a continuing attempt to derail the Bennett bond issue..stay tuned...come on out...Hey, it's just another friendly school board meeting!

2. Meg and Tom will be presenting their arguments against the board's cross-motion in their show cause order to stop the vacant seat appointmernt process that Marty attempted to run past the board without public debate or action by the board...in front of Judge connor at Ulster County Court house on tuesday at 1PM...It's open to the public...might be fun.

Oh, the commencement speasker at the high school graduation tomorrow at 11AM is Judge Kavanaugh...We think Doan doesn't know this and will have a hissy-fit when he sees him there...after all, Kavanaugh signed the stay order! Ha!

-- Anonymous, June 22, 2001


who needs soap operas with this stuff going on?

-- Anonymous, June 23, 2001

Help me out here -- I need to get my facts straight for a letter to the editor.

I did not see any of Doan's "NO" posters in Olivebridge, nor did I notice any between Ashokan and Boiceville on 28, though Ted thinks he might have seen a single one somewhere. Did anyone else see any of these signs in the Town of Olive, and if so, how many and where? He didn't have the guts to push this view in the town where the children would be most affected by a rejected proposition.

What a harvest of craziness to report this week!

-- Anonymous, June 23, 2001


Meg recalls seeing at least one sign in the "Shokan Square" area of Shokan...anyone else planning to go to Judge Connor's courtroom to see the proceedings on tuesday at 1PM? Tobe

-- Anonymous, June 24, 2001

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