There have been several articles regarding the aftermath of the election results. Mostly the topics on education have focused on Bennett and Ritz. But recently there was an article written by Matt Tully that focused on one of the newly elected board members, Sam Odle.
It was an interesting article. It talks about his enthusiasm and ideas. There have been other articles that mention Cosby and Hannon as well. And with them things will change in IPS. I have no doubt about that.
Let me be quite clear. I am really looking forward to January 1. I have talked to all of the new board members and I like what they have to say.
I'm not sure if I have ever really shared why I ran for school board. I usually say it was because I was a pissed off parent. I came to meetings and fought the good fight, but I needed that vote. And though it is partly true, it's not the whole story. I ran because I saw hope. I saw three board members that spoke out and asked questions. I received return emails from those three board members. I saw there was a fight for change. And I wanted to be apart of it. I wanted to be a board member but I made sure I wouldn't be running against one of those three board members. I didn't file my paperwork until I had confirmed that the At-Large member Michael Cohen wasn't going to run again. He was one of the three. I was sad to hear Kelly Bentley wouldn't be running again either. I wanted to serve on the board with her. And though I didn't get that chance she has become a great mentor and a dear friend. I still keep in contact with Cohen as well, he is a good advice giver and supporter. And of course Diane Arnold who is still a board member, is one of my most cherished friends. To know Diane is to love Diane.
I would like to think that these three new board members ran for a similar reason. Because they saw hope. I would like to think the three of the minority (me, Arnold, and Adair-White) convinced those running that change can happen. It's just a number game. For the first time, those numbers can come out right. I am not saying what they have to offer doesn't matter, because it does. When I came on the board I was put in a holding pattern, told that my time would come. But come Jan. 1 we all need to hit the floor running. All of us. There's no time to make them wait to pay their dues.
One thing in the article really hit me regarding Sam Odle, " And he doesn't care where the ideas come from, or who gets the credit." That is so true. There's going to be a lot of successes and some trial and errors. And no time to point fingers or gather praise. And no doubt change will happen, I just hope that people will understand the ripple effect. The reality is that passion has been alive on this board for years. It's just been held back by a majority. Change will be visible now. But it started some time ago.
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