December 2 2000

To: Ronald.Forrest cc: Donald.Billingsley

Subject: The disquiet of a professional colleague

Dear Ron,

Following the ECGA last Tuesday, and in advance of your next Board meeting, I should like to express to you my profound disquiet.

I was present last Tuesday until after midnight, but kept silent.  Initially, I was agnostic about the 10-13 plan, but I am now resolutely opposed to it, mainly for the pedagogical and social reasons that many speakers spelt out. The views they expressed were representative of the silent majority. Here, though, I want to make some more other points. 

If the Board persists in imposing the 10-13 exam factory model in the face of such massive opposition from students, parents, staff and alumni, it risks triggering an institutional crisis.  In my view, the only course now is for the Board to announce publicly that it is abandoning the 10-13 option, or any other plan that would alter the natures of the existing campuses.

If the Board is not in a position to halt the architectural competition, the instructions to the architects should be changed to exclude the 10-13 option, and to make proposals for the 6-13 and 1-13 options.  In fact, after looking over the Saconay site, and knowing its size compared to that of La Chataigneraie, I am not convinced that it is viable for any of the options you are considering. Moreover, there is apparently local opposition. I think that you should reopen the whole site question. Many concerned people are now ready to help in an expanded site search, and preliminary contacts with some communal mayors have been made, with interesting responses.

In view of the above, I think that you should freeze the potential award of any consultancy contract to Streuli. As Tuesday's meeting will have made apparent to you, he does not have the community's confidence - also for various other reasons. 

If you wish to discuss any of these or other points, I am available (......contact info withheld by Webmaster) Alternatively, we could meet at CERN on Monday if you prefer.

Best regards,

John Ellis

Mr. Ronald ForrestChairman

Board of the Foundation of the International School of Geneva
Route de Chêne 62
1208 Geneva

Mr. Chairman, Members of the Board,

This letter is written in reaction to the appalling attitude of the majority of Board members who spoke at the CGA on November 28th. Faced with nearly 1000 parents, staff and students present demanding that the Board immediately withdraw the proposition of truncation of La Châtaigneraie and LGB, only one member had the courage to stand forward and say that he would do everything that he could to support the majority opinion. If the Board does not make the decision at the next Board meeting to direct the architects preparing for the competition to change their plans (to create either a 7 – 13 campus, or a smaller 1 – 13 campus at Grand Saconnex or some other solution that leaves the parent campuses intact), I propose that those members of the Board who truly represent their consituency, resign immediately and make known publicly why they have done so. This is the only way to restore the community’s faith in the Board of the Foundation of the International School as being a truly democratic institution representing the needs of parents, students and staff of the Schools.  Furthermore, it is imperative that the creation of this new campus, whatever its form, be done in line with Board regulations which state the need for public consultation and final approval of the Swiss authorities for any major change to the make up of the Foundation.

Yours sincerely,Philippa Romig

Subject: FW: A few notes on the Extraordinary Consultative General
Assembly - November 28th at the United Nations in Geneva

About 900 persons attended the meeting which took place at the Palais des Nations, November 28th from 7.30 pm to 00.30 am., many of whom were anglophone parents from La Chat. (Simultaneous translation was provided).  The audience was almost exclusively composed of people against the 10-13 Campus project and supporting a 1-13 new campus. Apart from the Board, the heads of the CDGs (i.e.,"Campus Develpment Group"), PTA members, and students from La Chat who gave a powerpoint presentation indicating that 75% of students were opposed to a 10-13 campus that they would have to move to, 30 inidviduals took the floor of which 8 were alumni (Matt Cooper, Robert Schmoll, Deborah Henly, Dany Konikoff, Jeniffer McDermott, David Rimer, Jeremy Lack, Hlne Durand Ballivet, and the president of the CDG Pregny/Rigot).

The Chairman of the Board insisted on the fact that the final decision had not been taken.

Les membres du Board ont t sur la dfensive pendant toute la soire et ont fini par tre diviss sur les suites  donner cette soire. Une grande tension motionnelle a emprunt les dclarations des parents comme celles des professeurs et des eleves.  Le Board a conclu en dclarant qu' sa sance de dcembre il examinerait les consquences tirer de cette runion, qu'il fixerait la procdure de consultation des 3 CDG ainsi que de l'Association des Anciens. Plusieurs anciens membres du Board qui ont assist la sance ont demand au Prsident que "in the days to come" des rponses claires soient apportes aux questions financires, de procdure, ou d'opportunit pdagogique et socio-ducatives souleves par les participants. C'est de ces rponses que doit dpendre le choix entre les deux options en prsence [un campus conviviale de 1 13 permettant une ducation diffrencie et dcentralise (qui est largement dfendu par les parents prsents la soire) et un campus spcialis et centralis "une usine  examens" (tel que propos par le Board)] et non pas le contraire.  Trois membres du Comit central des Anciens ont pris la parole :
Hlne : Les anciens sont trs intresss par cette assemble gnrale extraordfinaire; 200 d'entre eux ont pris part un vote; 166 se sont exprim contre le projet du Board. Elle a demand donc ce que les anciens soient reprsents dans les procdures de consultation avec les Campus Development Groups. Rponse du Prsident : Je suis d'accord; vous serez invit   participer la procdure de consultation avec les 3 CDG au nom de tous les anciens.

David : Si le Board n'a pas jug utile d'inclure jusqu' rcemment les Anciens dans les procdures de consultation c'est qu'il manque un Board of Trustees qui reprsente l'histoire et la vision long terme de l'Ecole travers ses Anciens. Ce Board of Trustees devrait contrler un "endowment". Le Board of Trustees, compos d'anciens serait l'interlocuteur du Foundation Board pour traiter des questions d'investissement intressant la Fondation; ainsi les Anciens seraient reconnus comme partenaires du Board au sein de la Fondation. Mais pour cela il faut que le Board donne la parole aux anciens, sinon ceux-ci ne chercheront jamais  constituer un "endowment".

Jeremy : He explained the importance of Ecolint to him, not only as an alumnus but also as a parent of two children at LGB. Although he commended the board members for their time and efforts in finding an affordable campus in an excellent location, he was critical of the 10-13 campus concept based on what he had heard that evening, and was especially critical of the consultation process, which showed a remarkable lack of transparency. Based on the appearance and reactions of the 900 people in the hall that evening, the Board should realise that popular opinion was strongly opposed to a 10-13 campus, if only on the basis that "if it's not broken, don't fix it". The LGB, La Chat and Pregny campuses should benefit from, but not be damaged by the creation of a new campus. He noted that since an architectural competition had already been initiated for a 10-13 campus in October, the competition should be changed ASAP to include tenders for a 1-13 campus, if indeed no final decision had been made. He also suggested that the Board consider using the internet to post all of its board minutes and initial feasability studies regarding the new campus, so that the decision making process could be better understood by all. Finally, he commented that the school has historically failed to involve all stakeholders in its decision making processes. This included teachers, students, alumni, campus managers and local  corporations and supporters of the school. He supported the creation of a Board of Trustees suggesting that it could could act as a "Comitee des sages".

Danny Konikoff, an alumnus, former board member, and parent of two students at LGB also added the important observation that he did not believe that the Board had the authority to make a decision for a 10-13 campus based on a simple majority of board votes, as it had done. This comment, based on the School's Charter, came as a surprise to several Board members.

Rponses : Pas de rponse au sujet du Board of Trustees; il tait trop tard pour changer le concours, et que l'installation d'un rseau INTERNET et INTRANET est en cours, mais ne serait pas pret avant 1 mois.

Overall, the evening was a very important occasion, reminding all present  of the uniqueness of the ECOLINT spirit, and what it means for all. It was clear that the Board, which is comprised of hard working and civic-minded individuals, was caught by surprise by the outburst about their decision, and realised that they had made a mistake in not consulting sufficiently.

The spontaneous "real-time" reactions of the audience to the various speakers and answers given (e.g., clapping, booing and occasional outright laughter) were the most effective form of communication, leading the Board to understand how stongly opposed the people in the room were to the creation of a new campus for 10-13 grades only, that would take all senior
secondary students away from LGB and La Chat. 

The Board concluded by saying that they would meet again next week, and take into account the important feedback that they had received that evening.

They could not comment, however, on how or when they would communicate back to the audience.

Jeremy Lack

World Council of Churches to oppose building construction, P&G to work 6M deal with CDL, Chavannes Marie says did not oppose building close to their school

Report of person who had attended the Founex meeting on the proposed McD and hotel said the school had not taken up the option on the Motel site. It appears at the meeting the Founex authorities said that the motel site had been held for La Chat even after they had refused the refuges hostel proposition. But the board had not come back to them and they had been forced to let McD have the land. They would have preferred the school to take it over. It was also said that the office admin buildings which are proposed would be taken by La Chat for the school. There is still alot of opposition to McD.

This is the letter I wrote to Jeremy Lack concerning his write-up of the 28
November ECGA:

Jeremy,

Although I greatly appreciate your effort in doing a write-up of the 28 November Extraordinary General Assembly, and I thought your intervention on the night was very strong, I must confess I don't share your overall conclusions as to the "excellent site", the meaning of the evening and the reactions of the Board.   In my view, and I believe this was the generally expressed view, the selected site is drastically undersized for the number of students contemplated, whatever their ages. In my view, though taken by surprise (maybe), the Board did not recognize they should have consulted more in advance. Rather, they tried to make it look as though they had learned something and would consult more (in a very limited fashion) in the future, while all the while confirming to most of us present (through statement and omission) that the decision has rather definitely already been taken and will simply be confirmed in March (after we get a chance to view the maquettes at La Chat). Let's not deceive ourselves. They are unwilling even to modify the request to the bidding architects: apparently this would be embarrassing for them, or some such. And yes, it was an important manifestation of ECOLINT spirit but it has not sunken in in the right places and will need to be followed up by much stronger and directed action, both political and legal.

Yours truly,

Jeff Gertler

The Way Forward