Emily BerryOct 5, 20193 minSix month checkupIt's been six months now since I won a seat on our school board back in April. I wanted to give myself some time to find my place on the ...
Emily BerryApr 10, 20193 minComments on the work ahead.Below is a written version of comments I made at the board meeting tonight, April 9. Tonight will be one of the last times I speak to you...
Emily BerryMar 30, 20193 minWanted: Business Manager Thanks to public documents released to Shorewoodian and seasoned reporter Geoff Davidian, we know that the district business manager Patr...
Emily BerryFeb 5, 20193 minThere are facts and then there's FACTTime for another installment of "things you might be assuming..." about our district's facilities planning, financing and taxes. This tim...
Emily BerryJan 19, 20193 minWhat does it mean to "Say Yes" to our schools?I see there's a campaign to tie the referendum question to the idea of supporting our schools and community: Catchphrase, "Say Yes to Sho...
Emily BerryJan 16, 20194 minIt just got real...Tonight the school board officially placed two questions on the ballot for April 2, 2019: one asking voters for permission to borrow $65 ...
Emily BerryJan 14, 20194 minAre you assuming your taxes are set as low as possible?It's time for a second post challenging assumptions I think folks might be making about our school district. The assumption: That the sch...
Emily BerryJan 7, 20192 minWriting racial equity into policyJust a few months ago, our fall play was cancelled after objections to the racial slurs in the play. Suddenly systemic inequities that ha...
Emily BerryJan 3, 20194 minI'm in.Shorewood, welcome to campaign season 2019! This year I'll be on the ballot as a candidate for school board, and I'll be knocking on door...
Emily BerryDec 18, 20184 minWhat happens when you assume?Whether you support a potential $65 million bond issue to pay for facilities improvements in our school district or not, I hope you will ...
Emily BerryNov 14, 20183 min"Please don't say 'this is a journey'"Three of our five school board members are professors, so if there is one way to reach them, it is with an academic study of something. M...
Emily BerryNov 13, 20186 minSchool leaders hear what they want to hear: a "yes."Tonight's school board meeting will include a review of survey responses from the community gauging our tolerance for borrowing and spend...
Emily BerryOct 19, 20185 minUnequal access to powerThere's a phrase that people use now, sometimes jokingly: "all the feels," that describes Shorewood right now. All of us watching or part...
Emily BerryOct 15, 20184 minWaiting for leadership The last few days of "To Kill a Mockingbird" controversy in Shorewood have swirled to the surface a lot of resentments, assumptions, prej...
Emily BerryOct 12, 20183 minWe failed. Let's get out of the way.I'm lucky, I guess, to have a blank page here to draft my thoughts about the district cancelling its production of "To Kill a Mockingbird...
Emily BerrySep 12, 20184 minHow do we define good character and citizenship? Should schools even try?I mentioned in my preview of this week's school board meeting that our board was taking up some of the most substantive questions and iss...
Emily BerrySep 10, 20185 minTake your pick of topicsEvery parent I know has a certain thing about their kid's school that they are passionate about. One dad may not think school lunches are...
Emily BerrySep 5, 20183 minFacilities plans are crystallizing - are you paying attention?There were a good two dozen people in attendance at Tuesday's annual meeting, present to listen to the highlights of the school district'...
Emily BerryAug 30, 20183 minCheers to showing upThere were a good two dozen people in attendance at Tuesday's annual meeting, present to listen to the highlights of the school district'...
Emily BerryAug 24, 20181 minYour meetingOnce a year, the school district is required to call a meeting for village residents to consider and (usually) approve a tax levy to supp...