Prior Lake American - Board spots split among incumbents, new faces - Comments

Chris may have been there

Rational Thought — Thu, 22 Nov 2007 10:23:27 -0600

Chris may have been there for you, or some poeple you know, or maybe even many others, but there are people that have been in that high school for 25+ years that have touched countless lives over those years. Don't disrespect them by saying that in 4 years time, Mr. Lind did more than any other teacher in that school. That's rediculous.

Don't Diss Chris! I went to

bekind — Thu, 22 Nov 2007 07:44:56 -0600

Don't Diss Chris! I went to school with Chris and as far as I remember...I looked up to him...He was very active in School acivities and a very intelligent person...I am sure he knows what he is doing....Hello Chris from an old school mate! To give you a clue....My best friend was Nell...Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family...

It is my understanding that

Robert Thibodeaux — Wed, 21 Nov 2007 22:19:56 -0600

It is my understanding that Chris never spoke to a student at length without parental notification and consent.

That is a huge difference, and the inference of an adult talking with a student about sex without that context is irresponsible.

The key question about

Nancy Huddleston — Wed, 21 Nov 2007 14:57:18 -0600

The key question about Chris Lind is this -- was he licensed to give students guidance? You might wonder, "Why might that be important to parents, students and the school district?" Mr. Lind was employed as a campus supervisor. And although I'm not a district administrator (nor to I play one in a TV series), it seems to me that if he was dispensing advice and was not licensed to do so, then there might be a liability issue for the school district. Although not much has been released about this situation, people need to go back to the basic facts. Mr. Lind was employed as a campus supervisor -- period. He was reprimanded on several occasions for doing things that seem to have been outside of his job description. It seems he continued to do that and was warned not to do so -- which in the work world is called "insubordination" and is sufficient grounds for dismissal. As well, Mr. Lind supposedly talked with students about topics involving sexuality. When is that appropriate -- especially in a school where the person accussed of talking about sexuality is an adult and the person they are talking to is a student?

Chris Lind has done more for

squirlboy42 — Wed, 21 Nov 2007 11:45:56 -0600

Chris Lind has done more for the students at PLHS than probably any other teacher in that school. He has helped many students through a lot of hard decisions and he has been a great role-model for all of the students at PLHS. He is an adult that is trusted amoung the students. A lot of students went to Chris Lind for guidance and instruction.

Okay LeftRightCenter and

NotOnTheSideLine — Tue, 13 Nov 2007 22:56:44 -0600

Okay LeftRightCenter and Cares about Education I agree with you that Mr. Lind hasn't a clue about school funding, etc. He, however, did legitimately get voted into office - most likely because he was the most known of the NO candidates and he was able to get the younger adults to come out and vote for him. But we all have to live with this outcome.

So, how do we educate an entire community that this man was fired rightfully and not because of his religious beliefs. Ironically, we have a Christian (Dr. Westerhaus) firing another Christian (Mr. Lind). That being said, how do we educate them that it is okay to like Mr. Lind but that at this juncture we need school board members who know the score and what is ahead. More critical, we cannot afford to loose our superintendent over this situation. If Mr. Lind cannot see why he was fired in the first place, I doubt he will be able to understand the costs to the community with Dr. Westerhaus' departure. Yes, Dr. Westerhaus is replaceable - but do we want to incur more costs at this time and more delays training in a new Superintendent when we have the State's best employed right now?

Tonight, the School Board stated they would glady reconsider Dr. Westerhaus' resignation if he changed his mind. Dr. Westerhaus stated clearly he could not work for a man he believes he rightfully terminated for the district. He stated he did not make the decision to fire Mr. Lind lightly and that many had thought Mr. Lind should have been terminated sooner. In over 20 years as a School Administrator, he has only terminated 4 people - Dr. Westerhaus knew what he was doing was in the best interests of this district.

So it is clear, Dr. Westerhaus is gone unless this community can convince Mr. Lind that just as he ran for this election because of his concern for kids - he should resign for the exact same reason. Our kids and this district need Dr. Westerhaus.

I agree...and for this we

Cares about Education — Tue, 13 Nov 2007 21:56:10 -0600

I agree...and for this we lost one of the best superintendents in the state. Thanks voters!

Let me Get This Straight So,

LeftRightCenter — Tue, 13 Nov 2007 21:28:39 -0600

Let me Get This Straight
So, if the people in favor of the referendum are going to make contributions, should we just allow their kids to participate in the programs that are surely to be cut? Should we just start a school within a school and have the kids of the people that support education in one wing and the rest in the other? He is delusional and he has no idea what he is doing.

Not creative, but instead

laker_time — Sat, 10 Nov 2007 10:29:44 -0600

Not creative, but instead putting the entire burden on a smaller subset of the population. Read Chris' platform. He claims that he's tired of all the fund raising that comes home. Well, when the district is under funded and we receive $500 less per student than the average district, how is he going to balance the budget? He can't have it both ways. You can't claim you don't want to see so much fund raising but you don't want to pay higher taxes. Basic economics my friend.

I don't see Chris' comment

g-o-man — Sat, 10 Nov 2007 10:12:42 -0600

I don't see Chris' comment as delusional, I think it is being creative. Why let a failed referendum stop a dedicated supporter from funding the levy? They don't need a tax hike to send money to the district, they can give the district all the money they want.

Mr. Lind - this is your

laker_time — Fri, 09 Nov 2007 23:40:05 -0600

Mr. Lind - this is your solution to the problem of under funded education? Have the people of this community that supported the referendum pay for it? Are you delusional? It will be interesting to see you fulfill your campaign promises - more teachers, more programs (world language and extra curricular), less fundraising, lower fees, more money for staff development, fiscal responsibility, with no additional levy money. And as you promised in your campaign and was reported on in this paper (see http://www.plamerican.com/node/3550), if you can't, you'll resign.

Board spots split among incumbents, new faces

Joanna Miller — Thu, 08 Nov 2007 12:58:51 -0600