CARE Only Cares About Its Own Interests: Letter

Written and submitted by Pru Hoffman

Relying on CARE’s candidate endorsements for the upcoming school board election is careless. Don’t let the acronym fool you - CARE supports nothing other than saying, "Don’t change anything. Don’t close MY school.” I implore us all to educate ourselves on not just the issues but also the qualifications of the candidates and who is best equipped to provide the necessary leadership and independent thinking our school district needs.

CARE is not looking out for our entire community’s interests, but rather its own. Its stated purpose, as filed most recently with the Illinois State Board of Elections, is “To support candidates who share the ideology of our organization.” What is this “ideology?” Later in the same filing, some additional color on its purpose: “Opposition to the proposed reorganization of NSSD112.” Guess what? There is currently no proposed reorganization of NSSD 112.

The truth remains that the status quo is not financially sustainable; failure to study and understand the harsh realities of the financial challenges our district faces could be perilous. Maintaining the status quo and continuing deficit spending will not only result in a loss of our current good financial standing but also will lead to further cuts in staffing and curriculum. CARE either doesn’t understand this reality or chooses to ignore it. While CARE is busy, carelessly stirring the pot, our District’s expenses continue to outpace its income, further damaging its finances, diluting the education of our children, weakening our ability to attract new young families to move to 112, and negatively impacting our property values.

We need school board members who thoughtfully study the issues; we should hold ourselves to the same standard. Please do your homework before voting. Please vote for the best, most experienced, and independent candidates.

Pru Hoffman