GURNEE — VOICES, a citizen-led effort aimed at improving communication between Gurnee Grade School District 56 and residents, will meet from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Monday to discuss how staffing, class size, technology and facilities affect student achievement.

The meeting, which will be held Viking School, 4460 Old Grand Ave., will also inform residents on how the district hires, trains and evaluates staff, how much teachers in the district earn compared to neighboring districts and statewide and how state and federal mandates have changed teacher accountability.

Led by seven community members, VOICES is studying the issues and challenges facing Gurnee School District 56. A set of recommendations will be created by the community and presented to the Board of Education.

The District is paying $40,000 for this program run by a Public Relations firm our of St. Louis. Where is the District coming up with this money when they are supposedly in such financial trouble? Wouldn’t the money have been better spent on the kids? What about the message being sent to the District after 7 failed referendums? Why doesn’t the District get the message that the resident so Gurnee want alternatives to a tax increase. They want a stop to the wasting of their money. This is another $40,000 down the drain and all in the hopes that they can convince enough taxpayers to take more money from their neighbors.

As Kevin Killion of illinoisloop.org said, VOICES participants have been Delphi’ed. This is a technique that’s been around a while to rid issues of dissenters and shove through agendas that have significant opposition. Google “delphi technique”