After attending the last school board meeting and hearing school board members and the superintendent give conflicting information , we decided to do some investigating . Upon obtaining a copy of the Northwood Transportation Contract from our superintendent , we discovered that the performance bond was a requirement . If you recall, our superintendent denied that there was a requirement for a performance bond at the last school board meeting. After inquiring for clarity in this matter, our superintendent admitted that he "misspoke" at the meeting and that a performance bond was a requirement , however he and the school board never verified its existence as the bus company had been servicing Northwood for many years without issue. ( well.... now we have an issue ) This irresponsible behavior now leaves Northwood taxpayers on the hook for all expenses acquired during this school bus crisis. We are paying sign on bonuses ($4,500 each) as well as before school care ($1000 per week) as well as busing costs above those budgeted. There could be possible legal fees as well. What else was not enforced in the contract ? Liability insurance ? We inquired to our superintendent if there were any other items not enforced and have yet to get a reply.
Upon reading minutes of school board meetings past, we found that Northwood transportation had been having financial difficulties going back to August 2016 when Northwood Transportation had lost a driver and had to drop a bus run. The school board had several meetings with the bus company owner over the span of a year which documented her struggles. The bus company had set up a payment plan with the school board to pay back the difference in the run that had to be dropped due to shortage of drivers. The bus company said during that meeting she had to break up the refund into payments as she had fixed operational expenses and couldn't afford a lump sum.
April 20, 2017 school board voted to implement All Day kindergarten (even though the town voted it down 4 years in a row) starting in 2017/2018 school year, which would eliminate the kindergarten midday bus run and cause a loss to the bus company in an estimate of $43,000 . The very next day , on April 21, 2017, Northwood Transportation sent a letter to our SAU ceasing service to the Northwood school district. The loss to the bus company would be happening mid contract , in a contract that still had a year to go on it.
Our school board and superintendent are acting reckless and irresponsible , this crisis is their fault and we the citizens of Northwood are paying the price. Our school board chair , Keith McGuigan and our superintendent Gadomski need to step down so that we can replace them with competent and responsible people .
Updates
September 19, 2017
The discovery regarding the unverified performance bond highlights a pattern of negligence that now rests upon the taxpayers of Northwood. My requests for clarification regarding other potential contract lapses remain unanswered by the superintendent. We are currently reviewing past records to understand the full scope of these administrative failures.
September 19, 2017
The momentum behind this petition confirms that our community expects transparency and accountability from its elected leadership. It is encouraging to see so many residents unite in demanding a formal investigation into these contract failures.
10 Comments
They have left the elderly in a big mess when our tax bills come. They should be very proud of themselves.
Enough incompetence, its cost us far too much already . We need to replace them with competent, honest people with integrity.
This is not a responsible duo.
Contempt for the voters is the first sign of tyranny. Sound extreme? It's not.
Full day K was voted down FOUR times. FOUR times. The implication that the voters are too stupid to know what is best for them is beyond insulting. Apparently, we DID know what was best.
This man has no respect for the voters of this town.We said no to all day kindergarten 4 times ,each time a bigger margin but oh no>>>>He has to do as he wanted and got himself into this school bus mess and time for him to go and vote in some one who listens to the voters.All the parents want is a baby sitter for their children .I for one tax payer do not want to pay for theri child who should be in day care. Some but few are ready for all day but most aren't.Keep them home until ready for the whole day and learning....
All day kindergarten was voted down numerous times. That should have been the end of it!
Sign Petition
We never post to your account. Social sign-in is used only to verify your signature.
Add a comment?
Your signature will be added via . Tell others why you're signing — it's optional.
By signing, you accept our Terms and Privacy Policy and agree to occasional emails about petitions. Unsubscribe anytime.
Share Petition
Don't stop at signing, share the petition link with friends to multiply our impact
Copy link or share directly
After attending the last school board meeting and hearing school board members and the superintendent give conflicting information , we decided to do some investigating . Upon obtaining a copy of the Northwood Transportation Contract from our superintendent , we discovered that the performance bond was a requirement . If you recall, our superintendent denied that there was a requirement for a performance bond at the last school board meeting. After inquiring for clarity in this matter, our superintendent admitted that he "misspoke" at the meeting and that a performance bond was a requirement , however he and the school board never verified its existence as the bus company had been servicing Northwood for many years without issue. ( well.... now we have an issue ) This irresponsible behavior now leaves Northwood taxpayers on the hook for all expenses acquired during this school bus crisis. We are paying sign on bonuses ($4,500 each) as well as before school care ($1000 per week) as well as busing costs above those budgeted. There could be possible legal fees as well. What else was not enforced in the contract ? Liability insurance ? We inquired to our superintendent if there were any other items not enforced and have yet to get a reply.
Upon reading minutes of school board meetings past, we found that Northwood transportation had been having financial difficulties going back to August 2016 when Northwood Transportation had lost a driver and had to drop a bus run. The school board had several meetings with the bus company owner over the span of a year which documented her struggles. The bus company had set up a payment plan with the school board to pay back the difference in the run that had to be dropped due to shortage of drivers. The bus company said during that meeting she had to break up the refund into payments as she had fixed operational expenses and couldn't afford a lump sum.
April 20, 2017 school board voted to implement All Day kindergarten (even though the town voted it down 4 years in a row) starting in 2017/2018 school year, which would eliminate the kindergarten midday bus run and cause a loss to the bus company in an estimate of $43,000 . The very next day , on April 21, 2017, Northwood Transportation sent a letter to our SAU ceasing service to the Northwood school district. The loss to the bus company would be happening mid contract , in a contract that still had a year to go on it.
Our school board and superintendent are acting reckless and irresponsible , this crisis is their fault and we the citizens of Northwood are paying the price. Our school board chair , Keith McGuigan and our superintendent Gadomski need to step down so that we can replace them with competent and responsible people .
Updates
September 19, 2017
The discovery regarding the unverified performance bond highlights a pattern of negligence that now rests upon the taxpayers of Northwood. My requests for clarification regarding other potential contract lapses remain unanswered by the superintendent. We are currently reviewing past records to understand the full scope of these administrative failures.
September 19, 2017
The momentum behind this petition confirms that our community expects transparency and accountability from its elected leadership. It is encouraging to see so many residents unite in demanding a formal investigation into these contract failures.
10 Comments
Playing with our tax dollars isn't OK.. Protections were supposed to be in place and we trusted the job was being done to ensure that.
They have left the elderly in a big mess when our tax bills come. They should be very proud of themselves.
Enough incompetence, its cost us far too much already . We need to replace them with competent, honest people with integrity.
This is not a responsible duo.
Contempt for the voters is the first sign of tyranny. Sound extreme? It's not.
Full day K was voted down FOUR times. FOUR times. The implication that the voters are too stupid to know what is best for them is beyond insulting. Apparently, we DID know what was best.
This man has no respect for the voters of this town.We said no to all day kindergarten 4 times ,each time a bigger margin but oh no>>>>He has to do as he wanted and got himself into this school bus mess and time for him to go and vote in some one who listens to the voters.All the parents want is a baby sitter for their children .I for one tax payer do not want to pay for theri child who should be in day care. Some but few are ready for all day but most aren't.Keep them home until ready for the whole day and learning....
All day kindergarten was voted down numerous times. That should have been the end of it!
Help this petition grow
Share it with friends to help reach 50 signatures.
Sign Petition
We never post to your account. Social sign-in is used only to verify your signature.
Add a comment?
Your signature will be added via .
Tell others why you're signing — it's optional.
Signing with Google or Facebook verifies your signature instantly — no email needed.
By signing, you accept our Terms and Privacy Policy and agree to occasional emails about petitions. Unsubscribe anytime.
Share Petition
Don't stop at signing, share the petition link with friends to multiply our impact
Petitions like this
Other petitions you might want to support
Scan to share
Anyone who scans this can sign the petition.
Playing with our tax dollars isn't OK.. Protections were supposed to be in place and we trusted the job was being done to ensure that.