And unfortunately the Bonanza has taken Morrison's side on the IB issue

Both of Bonanza’s IB articles printed 9/23/10 are very one sided.  Morrison, ibiv, and PTA are not held accountable for their statements and are allowed to change the facts at will.  The District is not transparent, spreading misinformation, and continuing to use the smoke and mirrors approach.  Morrison, ibiv, and the PTA should be held accountable for changing the facts!  To find facts and a compilation of articles from those of us who realize IB is not a good fit for Incline go to: www.MyInclineVillage.com.

The Bonanza reported in its most recent IB article,

http://www.tahoebonanza.com/article/20100919/NEWS/100919927/1061&ParentProfile=1050

The facts were changed from:

“Ibiv will attempt to raise $210,000 for 3.5 teacher allocations… including P.E./sports, arts/music, and foreign language”

To the “new facts”:

“Ibiv will attempt to raise ‘up to’ $150,000 for foreign language teachers and an IB coordinator.”

Anyone who gave to ibiv believing they were giving for P.E., arts, or music, could ask ibiv for their money back.  As of 9/25/10 ibiv’s website still has the “old facts” posted.  The written agreement (online only) says if ibiv cannot raise the $150,000 per year the District may drop IB.

The Bonanza did not fully cover this part of the story, but according to KOLO 8 we are talking about funding the P.E. teacher for NEXT YEAR.  The P.E. teacher has been paid for this year.  If you gave to jog-a-thon because you thought we may lose the P.E. teacher this year, you were tricked.  The question is who will pay the District back?  Pedro changed the facts to IB does not require P.E.  He is wrong; IB’s PYP programme does require “personal, social, and physical education,” twelfth bullet,

http://www.ibo.org/pyp/curriculum/index.cfm

No one objects to P.E.  It is the personal and social education with the UN ideology, the downgrade to the high school and the threat to current successful programs that people object to.

The article also states Nancy Porten from ibiv: “$150,000 was ‘always the budget’ but the organization has presented it differently over the past few months so as not to interfere with other community fundraisers.”  In other words, ibiv decided it best to mislead the community.  It goes on to say: “In talks with Incline Elementary School Principal Kathleen Watty and IES Parent Teacher Association President Sandy Soli, Porten said: “we felt it was the best strategy to say $210,000 so we could serve as a backdrop for the elementary school PE position if it was needed.”  In other words Watty, Soli, and Porten decided it is acceptable to mislead the public because it was the “best strategy.”  The District was also quoted as saying: “Once we made the decision for 2.5 teachers, we kept moving forward with the plan. We knew about it, the teachers knew about it, IBIV knew about it.”  In other words, the facts were changed but no one told the community.   

 
How do we know what Morrison, Watty, Soli, and Porten, now say is the truth and not simply the “best strategy?”  If ibiv would have been able to raise the $210,000 what would the “facts” be now?

 
Morrison, ibiv, and PTA are not held accountable by the Bonanza.  On the other hand in this Bonanza article,

http://www.tahoebonanza.com/article/20100916/NEWS/100919962&parentprofile=search

I ask the questions prompting both new Bonanza articles and point out the obvious, and according to Soli and Watty, and reported by the Bonanza I am sabotaging the fundraising.  If fundraising is being “sabotaged” it is because Morrison insists on forcing IB on all our students.  IB has divided communities throughout the country even when not forced on all students. 

The District, ibiv, Soli and Watty are allowed to make false statements, mislead the community for months, and change the facts at will, and the Bonanza does not hold them accountable.  I make the statement and ask the questions to get the facts, and the Bonanza finds it acceptable to allow Soli and Watty to demonize me!

 
In a recent meeting Nancy Porten said: “ibiv wanted to cooperate in fundraising efforts with Jog-A-Thon and Star Follies.”  Some of us in PTA are against IB, but recently I got an email from Sandy Soli in relation to IB she said, “PTA does support what the school and county support.”

 
Morrison is not interested in what is best for our community; he is just interested in forcing IB on our students.  If one person wrote a check to cover the costs for three years the IB debate would be over, the 300+ who signed the petition would not matter.

 
In February 2010 Heath Morrison told me IB would not be required for all the elementary students; he was wrong.  In Incline IB will be required K-8, and because of scheduling probably K-12.

 
We are in this dilemma because Morrison chose to ignore the task force and skip the investigate stage.  The only way to get him to listen is to slow the fundraising; therefore, I stand by my original statement: “It is difficult for me to say this, but unless you are pro IB there is no reason to donate anything to Incline schools.”  On 8/27/10 Morrison told KUNR, "we have had some amazing people in the community, tremendous community support, who have offered to raise the funds for the programme,... so we have been able to implement IB up in Incline much sooner."  It is common throughout the country to rush IB implementation.  Many times once parents realize what IB really is they attempt to get rid of it, but it can be difficult.  In one instance a district wanted to drop IB, the ACLU got involved and forced the district to keep the programme.

 
Our community deserves to know all the facts and implications of IB before it is implemented not just Heath’s “new facts” every time he wants to change them.  Superintendent Morrison should stop IB implementation and start the investigation stage immediately,

http://www.tahoebonanza.com/article/20100331/NEWS/100339982&parentprofile=search

 
Our community is in an interesting predicament because we cannot trust our Superintendent to do what is best for our schools; and unfortunately we cannot rely on the Bonanza to cover the story in a balanced manner.  Now more than ever we need everyone who realizes IB is not a good fit for Incline to speak up.

 
John Eppolito