Langley School District Controversial

UPDATE Nov 30: CKNW this morning reports that for the 4th day now some confusion seems to reign supreme at Langley School District. Specifically they once again closed all elementary schools today for "resource reasons" this time! Unbelievable! After Sunday and Monday's major record breaking snow storm they kept all schools open Monday, and on the subsequent days closed most schools because of weather safety concerns despite wonderfully clearer roads and sunny conditions and now they keep most schools closed again because of undefined "resource reasons".

Meanwhile we hear through the grapevine that at least one high school that was to be open today essentially had some kids go back home this morning because of a lack of students and teachers and we also hear that some teachers are grumbling at the administration's recent decisions as well. Someone better get on top of this and find out what they been thinking of at Administration. Wonder which courageous Trustee has the guts to ask these difficult questions publicly? Let's see if there really is blind groupthink amongst Langley School Trustees.

Meanwhile over across the street rookie Councilor Jordan Bateman definitely makes this editor wonder if he may be trying to justify his recent entry into Langley School District affairs after the fact. Am I correct to assume that he is saying is his blog that because his child will attend school in the next few years he will get even more involved and be prepared to ask even more questions of the School District? In his same blog posting he goes on to suggest that the Township Council amongst others and the School District together 'show the same"can-do" spirit' to make sure that they essentially I assume work together to keep Aldergrove a strong community! I'm sure this must warm the School Trustees and Administration cockles to know that Councillor Bateman may in future become even more questioning than now of the School District activities and they will obviously also look very forward to working with Councillor Bateman's Township Council cooperatively! Way to go Councilor to motivate cooperation!

UPDATE Nov 29: Today's Langley Times quotes Langley School District who say Schools were closed Tuesday for safety reasons! So do they now want us to believe Tuesday was more dangerous than Monday for students!? See this angry letter in today's Times as well re schools all staying open on Monday. Even the Editor at the Times is being generous in his questioning comments at the end of his editorial today. Come on get real, school closed Tuesday because of the heat from Monday's decision as far as this Editor is concerned. We believe they made a mistake and they should simply admit it.

Now who wants to play Russian roulette as to whether they are closed after tonight's snow and freezing rain. My bet is they close some again just to be on the safe side politically! But who knows with this bunch. Are all their decisions as well thought out and as well justified after the fact as this one? Food for thought.

P.S. As hard as this is to say for this Editor, kudos to the Times Editor Frank Bucholtz and especially Times reporter Natasha Jones for bringing this to the public's attention as well. You guys need to do more of this reporting and more hard hitting in your editorials especially. Will you guys now do an in depth piece on the Township Orwellian Newsspeak Attempt on the $3-4-5-6 million grandstand fiasco?
Things must be popping over at the Langley School district executive echelons now-a-days. First you have a former DPAC President, Susan Semonick, rightfully taking on the Langley School Board publicly and promoting in an Advance letter to the editor a petition which we covered in our previous posting (By the Way LFP agrees with her concerns and suggest you consider signing the petition).

Then you now have a rookie Township Councillor, Jordan Bateman, once again rushing in where others would normally fear to tread by essentially sticking his nose into the Langley School District business by covering the petition on his website blog last week and yesterday. Councillor Bateman even reports that he has met with Susan Semonick as well! Maybe some one (School Board) should remind him he ran for Township Councillor not a School Board Trustee! He quotes Susan's 'main concern is dollars and cents' yet this is the same Councillor that has been moving and approving the $3-4-5-6 million Grandstand cost overruns fiasco! What's the old adage about throwing bricks at glass homes? Want to bet that that the School Board is pissed, and is probably discussing the intervention of a Township Councilor into their business? This should really help in better School Board/Township relations, Jordan! LFP predicts that the School Board may now stick their nose into Township business by suggesting Township Councilors butt out of theirs! Hey Jordan, do you think the School Board Trustees may be peed off now? In any case this LFP editor does support Susan's petition and suggest you all have a read of it.

On another front, concurrently, the Langley School District blew it big time and peed off lots of parents this week. In their inane wisdom the administration yesterday during the height one of the worst ever dumps of a foot to two of snow decided to keep all the schools open! Meanwhile just about every other school district including neighbours such as Surrey & Abbotsford and all the Lower Mainland Universities and Colleges decided to shut their schools down very wisely. Yesterday on CKNW hoards of angry parents berated this stupid decision of Langley Schools.

So what do these brianics at Langley School District do today? This Editor suggests they obviously over reacted to CKNW callers because, you guessed it, they shut down all the elementary schools and two high schools in Langley today, one day too late! What we hear are that these parents are really pissed now because after keeping the school open yesterday Langley Schools administration surprised the parents when the kids had to come back home today after being rejected at the school doors! Yup, the streets were pretty clean and dry on a beautiful sunny day and nobody would have ever thought that Langley Schools would be shut down today after being open at the height of the snowstorm yesterday! So how many poor little toddlers walked to school and back home again in minus 10 to 15 degrees? How do you spell stupidity?...