By Brian Moreno
Member, East Aurora School
District 131 Board of Education
I first knew East Aurora School District 131 as a seventh grader at Waldo Middle School. Today, I serve on its Board of Education. That journey is why I believe our district’s history deserves to be told in full—even when doing so is uncomfortable.
I came prepared to share that perspective at the November 2 Board meeting, during the Board’s formal discussion about Annette Johnson. I was prevented from delivering my prepared remarks. So I am sharing them here, in my own words.
I first met Annette in 2010, when I participated in Boys II Men, a youth mentorship initiative founded by Clayton Muhammad, then the district’s public relations director. I also took part in Connect 4. Through volunteering and neighborhood cleanups, I began to understand that leadership could start with a student who cared enough to show up.
Growing up on Aurora’s East Side, I knew our schools faced challenges. I also knew our community could never be reduced to a statistic or a headline. I saw hardworking parents, dedicated teachers and students with enormous potential. What we needed were opportunities that matched that potential.
I remember walking to school in every kind of weather. I remember how difficult transportation and childcare arrangements could be for working families, especially when a parent had to leave work early to pick up a child. Those memories shape the way I evaluate decisions made in a boardroom today.
During my school years, District 131 expanded educational opportunities. In 2013, a $660,000 grant supported individual learning devices for approximately 750 students at Fred Rodgers Magnet Academy. Annette, then Board president, publicly spoke about the importance of technology access for families who could not otherwise afford it. To me, that investment said East Aurora students deserved the same tools and expectations as students anywhere else.
I graduated from East Aurora High School in 2014, completing high school in three years. I credit the teachers, mentors, family and community who encouraged me to see a future beyond the limitations others sometimes placed on our neighborhood.
Some of the district’s most consequential changes came after I graduated. In 2017, District 131 introduced general-education school bus transportation. For generations, many East Aurora families had managed without the service that other communities took for granted. Contemporary reporting described Annette as a driving force behind that initiative.
For me, school busing was never just about yellow buses. It meant children could travel to and from school more safely and parents could spend less time scrambling to arrange rides. It addressed a problem I understood from growing up here.
The expansion of all-day kindergarten and preschool opportunities mattered for similar reasons. More time in school meant more time for young children to learn, while giving working parents greater stability in arranging care. Investments in East Aurora High School and its athletic facilities, including a new stadium, also strengthened a sense of possibility and pride in our community.
I remember wanting people to look at East Aurora and say, ‘Look at what those students are accomplishing.’ Whether it was academic recognition, athletics, magnet schools or STEM opportunities, each step forward challenged the idea that our district should be defined only by its struggles.
None of this was the work of one person. It took educators, administrators, staff, families, community partners and successive Board members. Annette was part of that leadership, and her role in the transportation effort in particular deserves to be part of an accurate account of the district’s progress.
Annette now faces serious federal allegations. Our community has every right to demand accountability, transparency and a careful examination of the evidence. I do not ask anyone to dismiss the allegations, and I do not pretend that public service places anyone beyond scrutiny. The courts must determine the outcome through due process.
But recognizing the seriousness of the present does not require erasing the past. We can acknowledge meaningful public service while insisting that any wrongdoing, if established, be addressed. Accountability and gratitude are not mutually exclusive.
That is what I wanted to express at the November 2 meeting. As an elected trustee, I believe there should be room for a perspective grounded in both the district’s history and its responsibilities today. People may disagree with me. They should still be able to hear what I have to say.
I was once a child walking through these schools, hoping that the adults making decisions understood what families like mine needed. Now I am one of those adults. I take that responsibility seriously.
East Aurora’s story is larger than one Board member or one controversy. It belongs to generations of students, families and public servants who kept pushing this district forward. Annette Johnson is part of that story, as are many others whose contributions should be remembered.
Long after today’s headlines fade, our students will still be here. They deserve leaders who can confront difficult questions, respect differing voices and keep building a district worthy of their future.
The statement was sent on behalf of Brian Moreno by Vision M.A.I. Consulting.