It is rare that this column provides current newsworthy stuff, but that is the case today. It happens to be a followup to a column written in June headlined “You don’t know what you got ’til it’s gone.”

That article delved into the online hate campaign launched against Waterloo Central School District Superintendent Terri Bavis by a vocal minority interested in getting rid of her through endorsing school board candidates that would help execute that agenda.

Bavis is proud of the improvements that were made to the instructional program during the last eight years. Given the totality of the situation surrounding her future the past few months, she decided to submit her official letter of retirement, which was approved at a special Board of Education meeting Saturday morning and took effect Sunday.

Social media is a powerful tool for good and — sadly — bad. Because school board elections and budget votes often feature low voter turnout, her opponents’ online campaign appeared to be successful.

The $50,164,414 budget given to voters in May, a 9.56% increase from 2022-23, was rejected by eight votes. The second budget of $49,992,679, a 0.34% reduction from the initial spending plan, was defeated by one vote in........

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