Petition and brochure from "Support Our Schools"

PACT members,

This is regarding the "petition" and a pamphlet from "Support Our Schools" that is circulating and is attached. This is not sponsored by GuilfordPACT.

While it states it is a petition, it is rather a survey. As a survey, it would work fine incorporated into the Community Commitment Survey sponsored by the PACT. This is something we can work on doing. As a petition, it should state specifically what solution is being supported and have people sign. At this point the PACT cannot support a specific petition as it risks fracturing the group too early around a specific solution, but I completely understand if persons united around a specific solution want to petition, but not as part of the PACT at this time. (I would hope that people who support a specific solution would still participate in the PACT as well). If the group as a whole is willing to support a petition we can discuss on June 3.

A petition is only really going to change things if there are several thousand signatures around one specific solution.
While I am awaiting written confirmation, Bill Bloss continues to tell me we have a bit more time and that a decision will not be made until early Fall.

Our best approach to this is to hang together as a group and present a united front to the boards.
If we are united on the solution, or can unite around at least one part of it, all the more powerful, and we still have some time to do this.

Legally, as a PAC, we need to include recognition that whatever we print is sponsored by the PACT.
Perhaps this is obvious but want to be clear that until we agree at a meeting (or perhaps via email if time is tight) that other petitions, surveys, handouts, etc. that are not sponsored by the PACT should not be represented as such, and would appreciate it if this is communicated.

Attached is a letter to the CTFSF, BOE, BOF, and BOS from the PACT that will be mailed out today.
If we can all hang together around what we have in common rather than what separates us I think we will have better chance of getting this done.

We also need to understand that we are working within a community and a process, and that pushing something too fast too early in my view may ultimately damage reaching a community consensus.

If people are going to petition, they should articulate clearly exactly what they are petitioning for.

I encourage discussion on this on the listserve and on the forum if the discussion is lengthy, and also hope that all interested parties will attend the next GuilfordPACT meeting on June 3rd at the community center. This meeting will be much more open to the group and where it wants to go in this challenging first phase of the process.

Chris