District shrinking, so why the bond?

Every day when Oak Park students line up for class, more than 600 students cut in line. These spongers live outside Oak Park and their parents have neither bought a home here nor paid taxes here. Were it not for the spongers, for every six classrooms and teachers, we'd need only five. The currently requested $30-million dollar bond could well be only $25 million, were it not for these freeloaders. It is human nature to resent those who take advantage of the generosity of others. The voters of Oak Park never approved a free private school for 600 outsiders.

It is immoral for the OPUSD to steal students and state money from neighboring districts that are suffering just as much from declining enrollment as we are. The board has thumbed its nose at non-parent constituents who protest the transfer students, never once having offered any recognition of the opposition to their viewpoint.

Why does the OPUSD real estate need $30 million of repairs? Homeowners are expected to maintain their property in an on-going fashion. Why hasn't OPUSD maintained their property in that way?

The superintendent was just given a raise—was this a reward for letting the property entrusted to him fall into disrepair?

Until the board reckons with the non-parent segment of their constituents, every bond issue is going to be a referendum on transfer students and mismanagement of budgets, leading to the need for a repair bond. The property should have been maintained continually, just as our homes have been.

It would be a blessing to see a slate of two fresh candidates for the board—people who are willing to recognize all of their constituents. Glen Wilcox Oak Park