There was a time when school board members operated with a unified mission to educate and prepare students for the future. Today, it is apparent that a subfaction of board members, consisting of Monica Dziesinski, Sarah Costain, AJ MacArthur, and Eric Lawson, is driving an agenda of personal interests and gains.

An example of this was apparent at the March 24 board meeting and the much-anticipated vote on establishing a rain garden on school property. The grant-funded rain garden project, which was widely supported by students, educators, and community members, had a dual purpose of engaging students in ecological processes while filtering pollutants from our drinking water.

The pre-vote discussion, led by MacArthur, diverged into a bizarre and convoluted presentation where he ultimately proclaimed the engineers who assessed the feasibility of this project were “wrong.” This despite Superintendent Rabbideau’s statement the engineers had twice assessed the project. MacArthur brought what he claimed to be architectural renderings proving his assertions, although he never revealed those to attendees. It’s presumed the rolled-up sheets of paper he had were merely props.

Following MacArthur’s baffling and theatrical address, he called for a vote on the rain garden project. Perhaps not a surprise, Dziesinski, Costain, and Lawson voted “no,” apparently incapable of independent thought or consideration. When the members were asked for reasoning driving their decisions, Lawson provided no comment. Dziesinski and Costain had, at best, weak and irrelevant rationales.

So why did this band of four crush this popular project? Is MacArthur placing self-interest over the best interests of students, and like lemmings, Lawson, Costain, and Dziesinski follow along? Time will tell what their underlying objectives are. But what they reveal about themselves now is their primary interests are not rooted in best outcomes for our students.

DIANE O’CONNOR,

Alpena