Are Online Attacks Against School District Majority Opinion? Or Vocal Minority?

Among the questions the League of Women Voters posed to School Board candidates during a forum Wednesday was one about the many negative comments frequently posted online—Greendale Patch, in particular—about school-related issues.

From the resignations of a principal and outreach coordinator, to a late call to cancel school, the criticism of school district leaders is not in short supply.

But do they match the general consensus of the public? Or do those comments represent the views of a minority, albeit a loud one?

Most of the candidates believed it to be the latter and blasted commenters for using anonymous names.

The incumbents up for re-election said they rarely get criticism through phone calls or emails—a far cry from the comment sections on some Patch stories.

"If people have an issue, come and talk to us," said Vicki McCormick, who has been on the school board since 1998.

"It's unfortunate because it gives the community a bad name."

Added Roger Dalkin: "I'm not really sure what the issue is. I have not seen a coherent post saying, 'Here's my problem. Here's how I want it fixed.'"

Kathleen Wied-Vincent said the comments reflect a "bully mentality" that's opposite the example adults should set for children. Wied-Vincent, who is active in the Greendale Against Bullying group, said children deserve better leadership.

"I would ask the community to help with this," she said.

The candidates also acknowledged, however, the online criticism often contains at least some legitimate points that should be addressed.

Anonymous comments are bound to happen, so the district needs to do a better job of making residents feel like they have a place to go to air grievances, said Katie Mevis.

"We need to be transparent and be engaged with the community and find new ways" of doing so, she said.

Melanie Kuzmanovic said comment sections are a lot like "looking at a car crash"—it's hard to turn away. The most important thing board members can do is communicate and make sure residents know the good things happening in the district, she said.

Still, it's hard to reconcile the negativity with the district's success and positive face-to-face interactions with community members, longtime incumbent Tom Slota said.

"Test scores are fine. I talk to principals and they say things are wonderful. I talk to parents—probably the best barometer of all. To a person, we have not had a complaint," Slota said.

"We've put together a great school district here, and I think what (anonymous commenters) are doing is an insult to ... the reputation of the district. My advice is: don't read it."

Read more about the candidates' positions on the issues in this previous Patch story, and see Thursday's story for more coverage on the forum. For more on the April 2 election, check out Patch's Election Guide.