Dear editor,
I have worked for the Lake Orion School district for 31 years. I have certainly seen the good times and the bad.
I am familiar with the fact that when we have budget cuts we will have parents complaining about how we do it (rightfully so). Depending on what we are cutting we will have a different set of parents complaining.
Again I am very familiar with this and I completely understand their feelings. In the past I have felt that The Lake Orion Review has taken a neutral stand and reported the events factually and fairly.
The area marked ‘Letters to the Editor? is the place for all speculation. Speculation and attacks should not be found in a column written by a Lake Orion Review employee.
People feel that this employee has checked the facts, interviewed both parties and has come up with the closest thing to the truth that can be found. I can tell you that Megan Collier (The Hammer?) has not even attempted this.
Her comment about how teacher e-mails are monitored is a joke and her comments that administrators are either ‘willing puppets? or ‘frightened sheep? are extremely offensive.
How do I know this? I am the Director of Operations for the district (this includes technology). We have never ‘monitored? teacher’s e-mails.
I have about 100 days left until I can retire and I can tell you I have never been anyone’s ‘puppet? and those that know me can tell you I have never been a ‘frightened sheep.?
When a staff member states that they have been ‘wronged? by the district, I hope that everyone realizes that any type of disciplinary procedures are kept in the strictest of confidence (as it should be), so the only version you will ever hear are from the employee’s perspective.
Your comment in last week’s paper about ‘poor business etiquette? is ludicrous! Did you even check to see if we had responded to the local business owner?
The answer to that is a resounding ‘NO,? because you would have had to talk to me. Just for the record, my department returned his call and did request a price list for comparison.
I could go on about the inequities and untruths in these articles but what would be the point?
The very loud minority will never believe and the very quiet majority already understands. So after 31 years, I will not be renewing my subscription to your paper, I know this is no big loss for your paper but I will be encouraging others to do the same.
If you ever return to reporting both sides of the story fairly and not just from the point of view of a few angry people, please let me know. As I do not believe that you will report the facts as they are mundane and do not sell papers, please do not contact me regarding this issue.
-Tim Smith
Director of Operations
Lake Orion Community Schools