A Prickly Exchange At Hinsdale D-86 Meeting

Darien IL

20 December, 2021

2:22 PM

Description

DARIEN, IL — Relationships among members of the Hinsdale High School District 86 board are on the rocks in some cases. Last month, board member Erik Held filed a complaint with the district against his colleague, Jeff Waters, about an incident after an October board meeting. And board President Terri Walker keeps preventing her onetime campaign ally, Debbie Levinthal, from speaking her views at meetings. As it happens, the board may have one other frayed relationship — Levinthal and board Vice President Kathleen Hirsman Earlier in last Thursday's meeting, Levinthal made it clear that she dislikes Hirsman whispering in Walker's ear while others are speaking. Hirsman apologized. Later in the session, Levinthal was speaking during board comments. She said she was "very, very disappointed" that she and others were being muzzled. "Just some general thoughts about how disappointed I am about not having been able to speak," Levinthal said. "But it's clear several of you are doing other things and not interested in what I'm saying right now anyway." Levinthal did not identify the culprits. But Hirsman immediately spoke up. "If you're referring to me, I'm taking notes on what you're saying. So I take offense at that," Hirsman said. Levinthal shot back, "I take offense that you get up to whisper" in Walker's ear. Hirsman said, "I am only responding to a comment you're making about me." Levinthal then said, "I didn't indicate it was you, Kathleen." Levinthal still did not identify those who were not paying attention. It was doubtful she was referring to her allies, Peggy James and Jeff Waters. She may have been referring to others on the opposing side, Walker, Erik Held or Cynthia Hanson. Near the end of the meeting, Hirsman said she favored giving Levinthal the opportunity to present her proposal for an academics committee at a later meeting. Hirsman said she was doing so "in the spirit of compromise" and the fact that she and other members were getting "testy" 4½ hours into the meeting. Levinthal accepted the gesture. But she said she did not want to get "shot down" before she could utter a word about her proposal, as happened earlier in Thursday's meeting. Also, during board comments, James said she was bothered by the lack of support from board members when she and her allies were prevented from speaking. Earlier in the session, Walker slammed the gavel and shut down any discussion on Levinthal's proposals for two committees. "I'm struggling to determine what our role is as a board. Is it just to accept and move on?" James asked. "It feels as though we have ceded much of our authority over the administration and allow them to continue doing what they want." Waters, meanwhile, praised the administration and teachers for doing the work that allowed the board to reach a compromise last month on the science curriculum. "I would like to encourage the community to understand and fellow board members to understand it's not our job necessarily to always agree," Waters said. "But when we do make an optimal decision in the end, I do think sometimes there is a sacrifice to get there. I think a lot of us have paid that sacrifice."