This letter is from Teri Marguson and has been submitted to local papers. It is in response to tonight’s board meeting where the four board members continue their efforts and display that they’re not interested in working with the other board members or at the request of the public that is willing to stand and speak out in public in support of Dr. Williams.
If the four members of the Perry Township School Board had approved Steve Maple’s motion for mediation with Dr. Williams on Monday evening, I would not be writing this letter. I would be hoping, along with the rest of the township, that sanity would soon return to our school district. I would have been looking forward to seeing adults behaving as adults, trying to work through differences and doing what they pledged to do, which is to put children first. Instead, I see four stubborn women still refusing to see and hear so many in the community who vehemently oppose what they have done to Perry Township.
So I ask Susan Adams, Barbara Thompson, Rubie Alexander and last but certainly not least, Nancy Walsh..What exactly was the downside to mediation? What possible harm could have come from trying to settle differences? If your claims against Dr. Williams are true, you should have jumped at the chance to bring in a third party to show this community why you contend he is not fit to work in our township. To date, you have still not provided any answers. If you conducted yourselves in an appropriate manner leading up to Dr. Williams being placed on leave, a mediator would only confirm that to your “constituents”. But the fact that you have refused the offer of mediation is most revealing. I believe you know what the outcome would have been. Your shallow complaints and underhanded methods would have become obvious, and you did not want to hear that your handling of this entire situation has been pitiful.Â
I’ve known Nancy Walsh for over 12 years. As a PTA President, I was fooled by what I thought was enthusiasm, and invited her to serve in a PTA chairman position many years ago. She did a good job until the time came to vote as a group as to how fund raising profits should be spent. More than once, Nancy threw a fit when the vote did not go her way. Several spectators stood by as she used profanity and name calling to chew out two building administrators and other board members. This behavior was repeated year after year under the direction of many PTA boards, and is exactly why Nancy Walsh was never elected by her peers to be president of the elementary school all four of her children attended. She wanted the job for years, but we all knew her too well, and none of us wanted her to be in charge. Even in those days, she was controlling and divisive, and I see no difference in her behavior today. The Nancy Walsh I know does not like to be told “no”. Dr. Williams told her what he thought of her actions, and this is her way of retaliating.
To Nancy Walsh, and the three of you who listen to her: This community will not back down. We detest the fact that you have Perry Township in a temporary strangle hold, and we will continue to fight back with everything we have. You have chosen the wrong battle to fight, and you have definitely chosen the wrong township. Nancy, you constantly remind us how meaningful it is that you have been here for 20 years, but I submit to you that many who oppose you have been here for 30, 40 and 50 years or more. I have lived here 33 years, I am a PM graduate, my children are past and present Perry students and I am here to stay. All of us who believe in process and democracy are here to stay, and we will be watching every move this board makes. We will be there, week in and week out, protecting the Perry Township we know and love. This community is too strong and too proud to be silenced by a small group of women who feel that their own agendas are more important than listening to the overwhelming majority in this township who want them to resign. The four of you have started this fight. You had better be ready for a long, hard battle.
Teri L. Margason
“The board” needs to tell us why they are so adamant about this. If there is a good reason for everything that has been going on then tell us. I can only make a decision on the information I have.
The information I have is that the board is divided and the majority of the board speaks only about what “the board” needs and not what my children need.
The information I have is that the board is not representing me in the way I expect.
The information I have is that the people who care enough to speak up and have their voice heard is overwhelmingly in support of mediation and the majority of the board had deaf ears and closed minds last night.
What a well written letter. Thank you! I have been attending these meetings and have watched and listened to the board members. Your insight regarding Ms. Walsh explains a great deal. I do not know her, but I now have a better understanding and it meshes with the behavior that I have witnessed first hand. Note passing, lectures on behavior that epitomize the old saying “Do as I say, not as I do!”, and so on. The only good I can see that has come out of any of this whole mess is that my children have learned a terrific civics lesson on the importance of voting and being an educated voter.
That letter does a great job at expressing what so many of us are feeling. We are not going away! The Board needs to wake up and smell the Maxwell House, because the longer they fight what we want for our children and our community the more we will fight! They work for us and with the job they are doing there should be certain members that should be fired for insubordination! They are stealing money away from my childrens education by paying $205.00 an hour for an attorney especially when we already had a very qualified attorney who only charged $75.00 per hour. They are stealing money by buying out a contract on a wonderful superintendent and replacing and paying a new one.
If Dr. Williams has done something so horrible that he needs to be dismissed, I want to know NOW! We have that right and withholding information from us is “deplorable”.
I also would like to see proof of these so called threatening emails that the board has been receiving.
Give me proof! They haven’t proven anything to me except that they are unwilling to listen to the true majority. If they have so many followers, where were they last night????
Another thing that was very offensive to me, besides the fact that there were 2 certain board members who didn’t have the common courtesy to look at us as we spoke and decided to write and pass notes back and forth, was being called a minion (sp). I am nobody’s minion, I didn’t get paid for my attendance and nobody called me on behalf of Dr. Williams to be there. I came out of concern for my childrens future in Perry Township.
Be assured that I will not go away, I will be watching every move the board makes with a microscope and at the next election there will be new people in certain seats on the Board. This isn’t a threat it is just a plain reality.
How sad that certain members of the board have represented themselves in such a negative manner. Refusing mediation is like refusing marriage counseling and going straight for a divorce! It’s juvenile like a toddler throwing a tantrum….just like the note passing and eye rolling.
As I sit at the board meetings, I notice Mrs. Buffie, Mrs. Houchins, and Mr. Maple make eye contact with individuals who are speaking. They are attentive REGARDLESS of what “side” the speaker is on. And by the way…isn’t it sad that there are even “sides” to be taken?? Shouldn’t it be our children’s sides we are all on? That simply cannot happen with a divided school board and without mediation!
My heart ached as Mrs. Buffie pleaded to AT LEAST make a motion for mediation within the board, and Mrs. Adams simply turned her down without the slightest bit of emotion. It’s quite evident that certain individuals have NO desire to work things out. Whew!
These same individuals keep boasting that they were voted into their positions and that the silent majority are on their side. Hmmm! I doubt it. I’m quite certain that no one voted them in to their position with the intent of giving Dr. Williams the boot! It would be quite interesting if we could hold another election and see if they still received those votes!!!!
Teri, thank you for your honesty and for letting the public have a glimpse into the real Nancy Walsh. It is unfortunate that this information wasn’t made public before the elections. It IS important to have educated voters.
As for mediation, it only makes sense for the board AND Dr. Williams to go through this process together. If the board wants to compare this situation to a bad divorce, then let me do just that…if a married couple was having problems in their marriage, wouldn’t it only make sense for BOTH persons to attend counseling? Would anything besides finger-pointing and back-biting come out of mediation without all parties present?
It seems to me that the four undermining members of the board are taking the coward’s way out. Nothing would be lost, but everything can be gained by having a third party mediator come in to settle the many differences between the board and Dr. Williams.
I am proud to know you Teri. Thanks for speaking out for us!
Thank you Mrs. Margason! Your voice is being heard by all those who support Dr. Williams and we appreciate all you are doing for this cause. Keep up the good work! We need more people like you.
Teri,
Why not tell the citizens of Perry Township why you are so bitter?
Teri’s candidate for School board last election was THUMPED, by Nancy Walsh and Barb Thompson.
She and her husband spent countless hours in the campaign of F. Lee Robbins, and now can’t deal with the facts.
I still want to know why Dr. Williams hasn’t made a statement that 1) He didn’t make any statement consisting of house burning or guns( whether he thought it was a threat or NOT.) 2) That he is an employee of the school board.
Mr. Bean, there is 2 sides to every story and I think that it would be in your best interest and the interest of you children to learn them.
I will be called a Williams HATER. I have a video tape of me giving Dr. Williams many compliments at a Statewide meeting.
If he broke rules(I don’t know if he did), he must be held accountable. Plain and simple.
Dear Richard,
The problem is that we have the right to know what rules he supposedly broke and the board is giving us nothing but huge attorney fees!
Give us the facts NOW so that we can see what is soo wrong with Dr. Williams. Until then the fight is still on!
Mr. Tuber,
I would urge you to read my comments under the board bio of Nancy Walsh which were in response to your earlier comments. I think you are missing some factual information.
Additionally, I read, after the election, that the margin of victory for Mrs. Thompson was 24 or 27 votes (I can’t recall the actual number, but I am close). Could you please explain what you mean by THUMPED????
You continue to state there are 2 sides to every issue but you continue to personally attack people…..bad form. I personally do not agree with that tactic. I support Jason in his efforts to get to the truth, but I don’t hear any of the 4 board members stepping up to the mic and answering your questions either.
You suggest to Mr. Bean that there are 2 sides to every story, but you fail to understand his whole purpose is to get those facts.
You’re right, Mr. Williams has not made any comments. Think about it, if you were in his shoes, would you? Oh, just for your information, I did not work on anyones campaign and I do not personally know Dr. Williams but I do know that board policy has been broken. I have continually watched this board follow the policies that work for its agenda and ignore those that don’t. Please continue to attend the meetings and pay attention.
I agree with you if Dr. Williams broke any rules then he should be held accountable, but allow me to ask you one simple question. If you were pulled over for speeding, do you feel the officer should give you a speeding ticket or haul you to jail and put you on trial for reckless homicide??
Teri’s letter didn’t make the newspaper Star, but it was on-line at their site today, slightly edited.
Teri Margason and Marcia Casey - what a terrible example you are setting. You both make me sick.