Parent and former Trustee Dale Rutstein writes.

From : Dale Rutstein
Sent : Saturday, September 9, 2006 12:41 PM
To : info@ismstakeholders.com
Subject : Our diversity and unity are our strength

To ISM Stakeholders:

I am overseas but have followed the dramatic events at ISM on your excellent web site. The events of the last few days have brought us all together to make a fresh start for ISM. Together, with an unprecedented sense of unity and common purpose, parents, administrators, faculty, students and Board members took risks that had to be taken to strengthen our educational community.

We now have a window of opportunity to make changes to our constitution so that we do not face a similar situation again. Last year I was a member of a Board that sought to make changes to our by-laws that we believed might save us from the experience we just went through. We didn't get it right at that time. But last year's and this year's experiences can help us to get it right this time around.

One of the mistakes of last year's by-laws change initiative was lack of participation of all stakeholders. I truly believe we will not make the same mistake this time around. Although it may take some time, we need to find a way to engage the whole stakeholder community in a consultative process. We need to seize the moment and weld together the different communities of ISM into one which is unified in love for its children and desire to provide the best for them. The diversity and unity of our community is our strength!

Yours sincerely,

Dale Rutstein