May 05 2008
Once again, D150 parents’ pleas fall on deaf ears
Note to District 150 parents: The next time you feel compelled to express your concerns to District 150 board members, just go find a brick wall somewhere and talk to it. There are a number of benefits: you can hit it and not get arrested, you can do it any time instead of just 6:30 every other Monday, and the most important thing of all — you’ll get the exact same results.
The school board voted 5-1 (Linda Butler was absent) to shorten the school day by 45 minutes next year. Jim Stowell was the lone dissenting vote. Kudos to him.
Feel free to use that brick wall to beat your head against after yet another poor, ill-advised decision from our illustrious school board.
What would these folks act like if there was no competition, like Peoria Christian and the Catholic Schools?? Wonder why there is such vehement opposition to vouchers by some? It’s pretty basic – Monopoly=bad; Competition=good. Same thing with health care and everything else. Power tends to corrupt and absolute power corrupts absolutely. We forget that truism at our peril.
Trow out da whole sheebang!
Ah yes The #150 wall, built with taxpayer money and somthing the board can hide behind. Without public support #150 will fail in anything they do. But as long as there is the “wall” they are happy and isolated in there land of oz. Face it the public is always wrong and #150 knows better than parents and us taxed to death taxpayers. Long live the king!
During her diatribe, Spangler mentioned she would be leaving the board next year (HALLELUJAH!) and challenged members of the audience to become part of the political process by running for the seat she will vacate (north of Forest Hill).
I propose Diane Vespa for School Board. Any seconds out there? Think we could pull together a good group to work on her campaign. How about it, Diane?
Fantastic idea PrairieCelt! Diane… the public has spoken!
Julie
It was my understanding that each primary school principal would have some flexibility on how the new reduced schedule will look. Did they mention at the BOE meeting if PTA representatives and parents were going to have a voice in this process? I think parents and community members should continue to press the Administration and their schools as how this will all play out. Perhaps PTAs should take the initative to set up parent meetings before the school year is out to solicit feedback that can be presented to the principal of each school.
Kudos to Jim Stowell – yeah, except he knew it was passing so why not put in a vote to the huddled masses that had to sit through Seussical the Musical.
And then there’s this:
Stowell: “I’d ask you as I have others, point to data that reflects the top-heavy nature of our administration.”
Data? How about arithmetic. One, two, three, four superintendants.
He implied said last night that these people (the superduper- intendants) are educated/qualified therefore we should have them on the payroll. And that we aren’t paying them more than the going rate. But the point is: we have three more of them than – like one of the speakers said – her former city of 800,000 needed. 800,000 is a major urban city – Peoria – maybe not much.
If, as some say, this re-structuring is being used as a tool to avoid federal mandates and to get rid of some tenured teachers, 150 better get their lawyers ready. How shallow can they be?
Tenure is an anachronism. There is no such thing as tenure. Anyone can be fired. If you have to hide behind tenure then you probably are not doing your job very well.
It isn’t just too many administrators, it also includes too many consultants!!
Does anyone know what the exact fee was for taxpayers of Peoria to pay tuition for one student to be sent to Youth Farm? Tuition for Youth Farm is a new expense since last year. What happens if 5 kids from Peoria are sent to Youth Farm?
Was it just me or could anyone else hear King Hinton breathing and sighing into the mic when Stowell was asking questions? He seems upset to me that anyone would question his authority.
With the new way principals are going to be rated and given raises, would any dare disagree with administration? For a while I thought this district was being run in panic mode, now I think it is through fear and intimidation from administration.
ImaSwede – fear and intimidation are Hinton’s favorite strategies. I didn’t hear him breathing into the microphone but he doesn’t have much tolerance for any opinion that differs from his.
Did you phone Jan Deissler? I, too, would be interested in her informed opinion on this issue.
Mahkno and I agree 100% on the tenure issue. It’s a practice who’s time has passed.
RUN FOR SCHOOL BOARD!
You seem to know everything and not care about money
To Ryan: You missed the point. The school board IS part of the problem.
Ryan — You’d actually make a better fit with this school board with a cop-out comment like that.
“Mahkno and I agree 100%”
Hell freezes
This may be the time to restate that you don;t have to be in the restaurant business to know when the food’s bad and the service stinks.
Since we are floating names of potential BOE members permit me to suggest Terry Knapp. He’s a retired educator and certainly knows the administration, staff and the very corridors of the buildings having been a vocal and avid past union president. While I have not agreed with Terry on all of his stances I do know would not toe the line to King Hinton! One by one that current BOE needs to be replaced. Their action last night proved once again they do not care what the public wants!
I say rally around Terry Knapp – he will be no rubber stamp for Hinton!
^oo^~
And, as many of you may remember, I supported Beth Akeson for school board during the last election cycle. Hopefully she will run again next time around — she’s another free thinker who would listen to parents and not toe the Administration’s line.
It’s a glacial turnover of school board members at best. I’m guessing Beth Akeson isn’t eligible for the next opening – Mary Spangler’s seat in District 3 in 2009 – since she ran for a District 2 seat.
You’re right. They have five-year terms, so it takes a long time to turn things over. Here’s the bad news list:
This may be a dumb question, but how do they assign the districts in size? Why does district 1 have only 1 representative and the other two have three?
Seems like someone is getting the short end of the representation stick (and I don’t mean because of the board members performance…that’s another issue).
It would be very interesting to see what the voter turn out was for the elections of the current board members. If someone could find that and post it here, it think we would find it quite suprising. I would bet that the turn out for any of the elections would have been in the teens or possibly even single digits. That means that odds are many of the people who attended the meeting, and even some who are very vocal critics on these blog pages, did not even bother to vote in the elections. The old saying “if you didn’t vote, you don’t get to complain” may be particularly relevant here.
I vote and I will congratulate or complain as the case may be. I also have worked on the campaigns of good candidates – whether in my district or not, or whether Republican or Democrat – and will do so in the future.
Last night’s BOE meeting has provided plenty of grist for the rumor mill. But the one rumor that is particularly scary is that Sandy Farkash, former District #150 administrator who was brought out of retirement by Hinton to continue feeding out of the public trough until recently, is going to run for Spangler’s seat. According to the PJS, in April Farkash purchased a home in Edgewild, definitely in District 3.
If the voters of Peoria allow this travesty to occur, they will simply be trading one rubber stamp for another.
So asking for public input was just a dog & pony show? Hinton and the entire board have taken something very crtitcal away from the children and should be ashamed. They don’t care about the kids.
Anyone know how common it is for schools to be only 5hrs and 45 minutes? I am wondering if 6 1/2 hour school days is still the standard…
My grade school and high school went 8am to 4pm every year I went.
PrairieCelt…. seems like we have something in common….
The scary part of this whole thing is that I see no way out anytime soon. The damage that is being done is not just to students but also public trust. Is there anyone that is not afraid of Ken Hinton that can make a change?
*city takeover*
[quote]If the voters of Peoria allow this travesty to occur, they will simply be trading one rubber stamp for another[/quote]
As God is my witness, this will NOT happen! The wounds inflicted upon our children last night will not soon be forgotten.
Diane, from your mouth to God’s ear.
Maybe the board knows what it is talking about. I don’t know but then again, I don’t know a thing about education. I do know that everyone saying they are going to pull their kids out of D150 isn’t going to help the schools. I can’t blame them but the actions called upon by people here are going to make things worse in the short term.
Al, are you related to Ken?
“The wounds inflicted upon our children last night will not soon be forgotten”.
NO WAY! WAKE UP PEOPLE! I have problems with the way elected officials in Peoria disregard the wishes of the people, but let’s not make this to be such a tragedy for the kids. A lot of school time is wasted anyway. It is YOU dear parents who need to be taking the lead in your child’s education. This gives you kid more time outside of school to do something constructive! There are a ton of resources out there. Don’t let the Board of Education stand in the way of your kid’s education. You don’t need some overpaid pointy-headed bureaucrat telling you what your child needs to learn. You could start by taking them to the public library, for heaven’s sake.
They have not just books, but educational videos, audio books, all kinds of stuff. And it’s free!
Join Boy Scouts or Girl Scouts. There are a wide variety of low-cost clubs in the area that would love to have new members. Lakeview has programs, even – dare I say it – the Park District. The list of possibilities is long.
GET MOVING!
Did King Hinton’s son keep his job at Manual?
Al: Not going to help the schools? Are you kidding us? “The schools” are just a bunch of stupid buildings! We are talking about our children. You (and the administration and BOE) are talking about a business, capital investments and employees.
Mouse, all of what you say is besides the point. Do we let the entire district go to Hell in a handbasket because we are perfectly capable of educating our own children at home? Also are you saying that the school curriculum is irrelevant since we have the Park District and Girl Scouts? I’m just not following your train of thought.
What’s this about Hintons son working at Manual?
Mouse,
My husband and I intend to send our 5 year old to Whitter and will make up for any lost activities that Dist. 150 has decided to take away. He will be playing t-ball and soccer and we are very good about visiting museums and musical activities. But what about the individuals who can’t do this type of thing? Those who work and/or just simply can’t afford it. And of course, there are the parents who just simply don’t care. Those are the children that this really hurts.
Whether for wrong or right, people have been and will continue to pull their kids out of Dist 150 schools. I did and I am not ashamed to admit it. Sure, we can all fight the “good fight,” but I am not going to do it on my childrens’ time!!!! They grow older, pass from grade to grade, make plans for the future… The clock will not stop because idiots in Peoria cannot or will not do something about area education. I have written my letters, attended meetings, and been thoroughly ignored. My kids no longer attend Dist 150 schools…problem solved.
Now. We can all focus on that multi-million dollar museum.
With all the rants and raves that appear on this blog, it is beyond me why others do not question how the school disperses it funds to each school. You can go on and on about outrageous compensation of administration, too many administers, and the misadventures on Prospect (which I understand come out of a different fund than those that go to educate students), but at the end of the day, District 150 chooses the schools it supports and the ones it allows to get by, as best they can, because these schools are making the grade, in one form or the other.
It is no coincidence that the hours were cut at the primary schools just as the new Manual Academy becomes a reality. And, oh! – news flash – it is going to cost more to operate than expected. What was the thinking of the BOE and the Administration when they were revamping Manual? Was it just carte blanche, whatever it takes, and damn the rest of the student population? I understand the District was under a mandate to restructure, but that should have been done within a budget that allowed for the successful operation and enhance of others schools. And who among you watch dogs of the District does not believe that the new and improved Glen Oak School will not be more costly to operate than other primary/middle schools in the District.
Why does the District never consider enhancing primary and middle schools that have acceptable ISAT scores but that still lag behind the scores of surrounding communities? Why do the parents of these schools and the taxpayers that own property within the boundaries of these schools not demand more? With a small infusion of dollars, enhancement of curriculum and perhaps limited additional staff, schools like Whittier, Kellar, Lindberg, Charter Oak, Mark Bills and Hines would be capable of competing handedly with the suburban schools that so many families are fleeing to.
You may retort that the District cannot afford to spend dollars on the aforementioned schools. I would suggest they cannot afford not to. You can complain about the tragedy of primary students missing out on learning opportunities, but . . . the real tragedy is yet to be seen. With the rising cost of Peoria property taxes, those that are looking for real “choice” and have the financial means, will opt out of District No. 150. Why not? The District has made it perfectly clear what its priorities are and for many that is just not very appealing.
Since the children in the schools are going to take “a cut” in hours, how about the fat cats in the District offices taking “a cut” in pay? Tit for tat. You cut us we cut you? I don’t advocate this for teacher’s salary because I know they spend part of their salaries right back in their classrooms. This is for those upstairs making these ridiculous decisions and getting big raises.
Look. I am going to say this one more time. That’s it. (until the next time)Look at the school budget. How much is spent on Wisconsin Ave? How much is spent on outside contractors? How much is left for the schools themselves… buildings, food, supplies, administrations, football uniforms, etc? Now… what is left for teachers and students in order to participate in this magic event called education that parents and children apparently can not do on their own?
How can we say that “education” is about students and learning? We certainly are NOT arranging our budgets to reflect that.
SD… where do you teach?
ImaSwede – are you referring to his son, Landrian, who is a speech pathologist? I really am not sure if his work assignment is MHS, but I am sure that he has an extra-curricular assignment at MHS as an assistant baseball coach. Whether it is a coincidence or not, I’m told the head boys baseball coach has not been selected to remain at MHS.
That brings up another interesting point. How is Hinton’s son able to leave his contractual position as a speech pathologist early to coach baseball? There was a policy prohibiting this practice at one time – after all, it is a form of double-dipping – receiving pay as a coach while still on the clock as a speech path.
Frustrated you are absolutely correct. How often does new construction come in on or under budget? And their estimates for the cost of running a restructured MHS were always too low (and they have finally admitted as much). To be fair, MHS does receive (because of their poverty rate) significant Title I monies. Not all the schools you mentioned are Title schools, but your main premise is correct.
They should be looking at ways to improve all schools. But you may be asking too much of this administration and BOE. They can’t even figure out how to turn around the failing schools – their solution is to keep on closing buildings. Do you really want them to try and improve the schools making AYP – there may be no schools left in Peoria if they do that!
Prairie Celt, Landrian can coach baseball because the hours of speech-language pathologists reflect the schools in which they work. Landrian’s schedule matches the high school’s hours, so he’s able to take part in athletics. I was an SLP for the district for 10 years…this is how it’s always worked.
ImaSwede – just checked the MHS staff roster on their website, and yes, Landrian Hinton is a speech pathologist assigned to MHS. Will try and find out if he was rehired for next year but think I already can figure out that he was.
Thank you, JC, that is good to know. I’ve been asked about that by several people.
PrairieCelt, yes, I am referring to Landrian. I thought he was “stationed” at MHS, but I have been wrong before. Seems King Hinton has a set of rules for some and a different set for others. I hate to see Landrian get hurt by any of this for I understand he is very nice.
Mouse, I would like to know what you are thinking, also. When I was raising my children, the things you refer to were excellent resources and still are, but they were certainly not the mainstay of my children’s education. I, myself, was a GS til I was a senior in high school, but trust me, earning badges did not take the place of algebra!
My main concern regarding all of this is that Hinton’s management style, “fear & intimidation,” will cause the good employees, teachers and principals alike, not to voice nor share their opinions any longer. Sharing thoughts helps concepts to grow, but when thoughts are stifled creativity dies. The BOE does not stand by the teachers, as evident by the grade change at RHS, and they also do not stand by the parents who elected them.
It is a sad situation because I truly believe District 150 has wonderful employees, great teachers and good principals who absolutely care about the children. No school district is perfect.
In my personal opinion, this whole mess starts on Wisconsin and filters down. We need to elect people on the board who will not buckle to King Hinton. I have not seen it in writing, but if it is a fact that he gets a bonus for cutting costs, on top of the one he received when he retired once already, this district has not seen the end of cost cutting.
BTW, does anyone know if Hinton has donated any of his monies to any of District 150’s foundations or endowments?
Frustrated, great post! Please take it upon yourself to ask the good folks on Wisconsin and the BOE all of the aforementioned questions. Type up a letter and send it. If you would like people to sign it, let me know if you need help getting signatures.
I asked what the price was for the people of Peoria to pay tuition for one student at Youth Farm, but no one seemed to know. Does the public have a right to view the same information the BOE views since it is our tax dollars at work?
ImaSwede: Submit a FOIA to D150 for the documents (payments made or contract with the Youth Farm) to determine the cost per student. You can view the documents and decide which documents you would like to purchase or you can purchase all the documents you request.
http://www.psd150.org/BOE/FOIA.pdf
ImaSwede you could file a FOIA request for the Youth Farm tuition information. I don’t think that is data that they can withhold from the public.
I believe the Manual reorg is mandated by the No Child Left Behind legislation.
Someone wanting school board election turnout numbers. Here they are:The turnout city-wide for school board elections for the last twelve years is
1997 – 41.02
1998 – 21.33
1999 – 24.93
2000 – 23.52
2001 – 32.15
2002 – 29.54
2003 – 25.55
2004 – 24.46
2005 – 32.63
2006 – 18.49
2007 – 22.64
2008 – 41.16
These turnout numbers are city-wide and not for the districts that were holding elections.
I think one of the problems with the school board elections for D150 is that there is an election every year. No other school district in Illinois has elections during even year elections. This past spring one board member was elected to a five year position which is a long time to remember and insulates the school board. Most school boards turn over half there membership every other year and allows a slate of new candidates. An example is Illini Bluffs that had some issues and had a slate of board candidates run as write-ins with one even winning.
Why doesn’t the Journal Star post the budget in their newspaper since it is public information? They post what everyone pays for their home.
kcdad, I never said I taught anywhere. Although I hold a doctorate I am not a teacher.
Diane, my comment was directed at the notion that this decision “inflicted” some terrible wound on our kids. My point was, there are good alternatives. I’m not saying close the schools and everybody home school, but let’s not overblow this decision. Yes, unfortunately, some parents don’t care, and teachers will tell you that adversely affects school performance too, but I don’t buy for a minute the “can’t afford it” argument. Sure, having money helps, but as I pointed out, the library is free. Lots of things are free or nearly free for those of limited means. “Can’t afford” is a very poor excuse.
I hear that Hinton’s son has the best office of all in “Blaine Sumner School”
ImaSwede:
http://www.psd150.org/BOE/appr.....budget.pdf
Try page 7 — Special Education — I am not expert — perhaps Prairie Celt or one feral kat will be able to help …..
Questions abound — Balanced budget, no defecit reduction plan is required. So, on paper the budget is always balanced to turn into the state each July. The year progresses and the D150 actual budget runs million plus dollar deficits on an annual basis? Is there something wrong with this picture?
Who Cares…his office is in the speech-pathology office at Blaine, which to my recollection he shares with the department’s secretary, the supervisor of speech-language services and approximately four other speech-language pathologists that work in more than one school building and don’t have a place to call home.
Seriously…what’s your beef with Landrian Hinton? He’s very good at his job and is well respected by speech-language pathologists in the area. He’s a nice guy who’s totally qualified for the job that he does…I’d say if you have issues with his dad and how he operates, fine. But to just attack his son for the sake of being anti-Hinton seems a bit much.
JC read what I wrote… “I hate to see Landrian get hurt by any of this for I understand he is very nice.” I was questioning if he also was affected regarding the displacement of people at MHS during the reorg. Stop jumping to conclusions and making crap up.
ImaSwede, I wasn’t actully responding to you but to the person identifying themselves as “WHO CARES” who was insinuating that Landrian Hinton has the “best office at Blaine.” I neither jumped to conclusions nor made crap up. In all actuality, I was happy to see you defend Landrian earlier. I was in no way calling YOU out. My comments were directed to someone else entirely and I am a bit surprised to be jumped on in that manner.
PrairieCelt, earlier you was speaking of double-dipping. In your opinion would you think it right or wrong for the Chief of security at District 150 to leave his job at the district and take the school district’s car and go to his second job as an officer in Chillicothe?
He has been seen in route before quitting time to head to his second job.
Someone mentioned earlier, why are the district cars allowed to be taken home or driven to work to their second job? This is common knowledge,why is it allowed to continue?
des: Based upon the information you provided, if the Chief of Campus Police was leaving his job before the end of his work day to go to a second job, that definitely would be an infraction. If he leaves at or after quitting time, it is a little different circumstance. As to whether he should be taking his district vehicle to a second job, my question is does he use the district vehicle to discharge the duties of his Chillicothe officer’s position? He may well have received permission to use the district vehicle to drive to Chillicothe. But if he is using the district vehicle on the job in Chillicothe, that would be a problem.
It is difficult to compare the Chief to maintenance & transportation supervisors with respect to district vehicles. It is not uncommon for the Chief to answer district police calls before and after his normal work day. But is it really necessary for a maintenance or custodial or transportation supervisor to have a district vehicle to use after their shift? It is conceivable that a building problem could come up late at night, but not as likely as a police call. I have witnessed Buildings & Grounds supervisory staff (with their spouse in the passenger seat) driving a district vehicle to the grocery store and shopping center on the weekends. That is pretty blatant.
JC, My apologies…. geesh, I take things so personal!
I agree with everything you said about Landrian, I have ONLY heard good things about him.
I think they done pissed Barbie off…
http://askewednews.blogpeoria....../#comments
Did anyone hear the latest? On WMBD this morning, there was discussion over what to do with the old (closed) school buildings. I missed some of the details, but I did hear Pat Landes was in discussion with the BOE and administration. They seek (gasp) PUBLIC OPINION — especially in the neighborhoods around the buildings that have been closed — to determine what the best use would be.
Now, I’m no expert, but does anyone but me see just how absurd this is?
Yeah, and I hear Ken Hinton’s response to that idea was, “we’ve never done it that way before.” Seriously.
I was hoping Aggie’s would buy Loucks, expand, add Italian ice cream to the menue and a HUGE BEER Garden!
Seconded!
What kind of training is it that District 150 is going to ask the public to pay for soon? Does anyone have a clue? It may have been mentioned in the blogs already and I missed it. I understand it is going to cost over $1 mil and they are going to ask taxpayers to help pay…..
It probably is the Pacific Institute Training. Members of the Dist. #150 Foundation are trying to raise $600-$800K to train all district staff.
Recently I read something about some creative individuals who purchased an old school building in Portland, Oregon and turned it into a small hotel/inn. They left a lot of the original school ambience in tact and have enjoyed great success with the business venture. Just another thought . . .
PrairieCelt, yes, Pacific Institute Training is what I heard bantered around. I thought the Dist. 150 Foundation was for scholarships to send children to college, I must be wrong. It must offer more thn one type of training, do you know what #150 is interesting in, in particular?
Many local artists are in the Murray Building at present, some even living there, and I would love to see something like that at Loucks. With two gyms in that building it might make a good recreation center for kids too.
[...] From Diane Vespa’s blog: Conditions are ripe for the city of Peoria and our once grand old neighborhoods to make a comeback. There is a renewed interest in walkable “urban-ism“, crime stats appear to moving in the right direction, and I sense a renewed pride in our city. With gas well over $4.00 per gallon and no end in sight, there is a compelling argument to be made for urban dwelling. It seems the only thing stopping us is the perceived quality of our city schools. Unfortunately, the attitude of D150 is if you don’t like it leave – and they are serious! They view it largely as their own, for the district, by the district – community be damned. [...]