Lots of interesting rumors flying around these days:
- The Word on the Street column reported yesterday that the rumor is that former mayor Dave Ransburg is trying to buy the Journal Star. When asked if there was “a nugget of truth in all the speculation,” Ransburg replied, “I have no idea,” which means “yes, I’m definitely trying to buy the Journal Star” in Ransburgese. I just hope he doesn’t outsource it to China.
- Several people have told me that the worst-kept secret at District 150 headquarters is that Superintendent Ken Hinton is planning to retire (again) in February 2007. Speculation is that Herschel Hannah would be the next Superintendent. If that’s true, and as long as they don’t fill the Associate Superintendent vacancy left by Hannah, then I say that’s a good thing. In fact, why wait until February?
- The aforementioned Word on the Street column also said that City Manager Randy Oliver wants Public Works Director Steve Van Winkle fired for leaving town during the big snowstorm and approving a ridiculous amount of overtime pay for a salaried employee. That seems like a bit of an overreaction at first blush, and it appears the council feels the same way. According to the paper, “a majority of the council seems to be more open to allowing Van Winkle to retire — something he was, we hear, likely to do this year anyway.”
I heard one other rumor (tongue-in-cheek here): that Ray LaHood was planning to run for an at-large seat on the City Council. Seems he’s more interested in local politics than national issues these days….
What is the significance of February?
It’s the shortest month of the year; only 28 days.
As far as its significance to Hinton’s re-retirement, I have no idea.
Hinton should be terminated, immediately. If he were employed in the private sector as CEO of an organization and made a unilateral decision to expend over 85% of the organization’s limited funds earmarked for replacement and upgrade of plant and equipment, undertook the acquisition of several parcels of real estate for his planned development (without prior board approval) based on a nonexistent agreement with another organization, and then had the whole undertaking blow up in his face, he would have been fired on the spot.
In fact, if the BOE is unable to replace the hard-earned taxpayer dollars expended on the purchase of the Prospect Road properties, dollar for dollar, Hinton should write a check to the district to cover the shortfall. Hinton is the one in the position of “public trust†and should be held to a higher standard of behavior/performance. Why should Peoria’s children have their educational futures mortgaged once again because of Hinton’s poor judgment and disastrous financial management skills?
The rumor of his pending retirement is rampant. If there is any truth to one rumor floating about, two board members have agreed to accept his resignation/retirement, effective 02/01/07. Of course, Hinton has one caveat – he wants to name his successor. That any of the BOE members would even entertain that thought for a second is mind-boggling. Given his appalling administrative performance, why should anyone trust his judgment in choosing his successor?
As for the February 1st date, my understanding is that is Hinton’s choice. Perhaps it may have something to do with pension rules. Or, maybe if he waits until February 1st he will get another big retirement bonus – who knows?
Of the three remaining assistant/associate superintendents on Hinton’s team, the least offensive choice for an interim/caretaker superintendent is Dr. Fischer (who has already announced her retirement). With an interim in place, the board could undertake the search for a new superintendent to start July 1st. Of the other two potential candidates, one carries the nickname “bobble head†given the individual by her direct reports (building principals, teachers, etc.). Sorry, but who among us would have confidence in a Superintendent called, not deferentially, “bobble head“? The other candidate’s administrative background is not as extensive or diverse as Fischer’s and this person has no immediate retirement plans.
Whoever eventually is selected to replace Hinton, let us hope it is soon and that the appointment is only for an interim basis.
Wasn’t it February 1st when Hinton officially took over as the sole superintendent when the duo of Fabish and Hinton folded the tent? I just imagine the date is pension related. What the taxpayers really should ask is will Hinton receive yet ANOTHER SIZEABLE lump sum retirement bonus from 150 similiar to the one he received the first time he retired. One would think not after the $877,500 he blew toward his now failed Glen Oak legacy temple.
As for the cast in the wings I vote for the interim Dr. Fischer. As for the rumored front runner Dr. Herschel Hannah who happens to be Hinton’s cousin by the way I say heaven help Peoria if the BOE taps him to be the interim, let alone the permanent superintendent! Peoria’s children and taxpayers deserve far more than Hannah can ever bring to the table. His tour of duty as the principal at Woodruff was a joke only ended by kicking him in to the administration building! It pays to have your cousin covering your butt when demands for accountability and leadership are surfacing. ^oo^~
Would someone please review the D150 budget in category (60) Site & Construction/Capital Improvement and explain what those red numbers and so on mean?
http://www.psd150.org/fiscal2007budget.pdf
Yes, One Feral Kat — still working on the taxpayer lump of coal from 2006 for a carryover to 2007 (unfortunately)!
Karrie,
Looks to me like Hinton/Cahill only anticipated two things in category 60. Expenditures of $1,175,000 for whatever they thought at the time vs. revenues of only $500,000 for “sale or compensation for fixed assets”. Seeing that this was the initial budget filed back in August and created before Hinton didn’t know that he couldn’t walk on water in Peoria afterall I’d guess the $500,000 was something OTHER than the more realistic sales value of properties Hinton/Cahill overspent $877,500 for in anticipation toward building Hinton’s legacy temple. ^oo^~
Does anyone know if any of the three-assistant/associate superintendents has all of the qualifications and/or certifications? If so, would this mean that one could be named superintendent and the other two would be let go? What about the roll that Cahill has played in all of this? Will he get by as if nothing had happened? I think CJ had an interesting article on how he has been paid and the bonus’s that he has received.
If you recall, in August 2004, Hinton and Chuck Fabish were appointed co-superintendents. Fabish held all the certifications/endorsements required by the ISBE for a public school superintendent, Hinton did not (in fact, Hinton’s superintendent’s certification was not conferred by the ISBE until July or August of 2006). When Fabish left, the BOE had to meet the state’s legal requirements and put Fischer and Hannah into place as Associate Superintendents because they both held the required certification. So, in effect, there were three superintendents (and three receiving very generous compensation) – but only two met the state requirements to so serve.
Sanfilip recently completed and received her superintendent’s endorsement. All three of the current associate/assistant superintendent’s meet the ISBE requirements to be employed as a public school superintendent.
Theoretically, one could be named superintendent and the other two either let go or placed into other positions. Fischer has already published her retirement date – think it was June 2007. Sanfilip was an assistant superintendent with responsibility for the strategic plan and was reassigned to a principalship when it became clear there was a need for a person with a deeper curriculum background. However, she was reappointed assistant superintendent when Hinton took over.
The question that should be posed is, do any of these three people have the background and qualifications to turn District 150 around? Some of those qualifications are depth of curriculum knowledge, experience with special education needs and requirements, experience in district operations including labor management/negotiations, a thorough understanding of public school finance and the budgetary process, and good public relations skills.
Each of the three internal candidates possess some of these qualifications, but in my opinion, none possesses all of the required qualifications.
The article on the front page of this morning’s PJS, “Hinton reverses school opinion,” was interesting.
Let me propose the following: it is a fact that the number of high school students enrolled in the district does not support four high schools; it is a fact that, because of location and population centers, RHS and MHS cannot be considered for closure; it is a fact that PHS has strong popular support and to suggest closing that school is tantamount to political suicide; it is a fact that #150 is seeking a new school site in the WHS attendance area; and it is a fact that the district’s financial position reduces the available options.
From a good old midwestern common sense perspective, why not close WHS, redistrict the HS boundaries and apportion the student population, in compliance with OCR and other governmental regulations, among PHS, MHS and RHS.? The old WHS building could then be renovated to accommodate an EC to grade 8 student population. The WHS site is large, it is situated directly across the street to the lower entrance of Glen Oak Park, and the school has a pool, ball field, parking, gymnasion, auditorium, cafeteria/commons, and other rooms and amenities that could satisfy the needs of a community school/center. And, it is usually more cost effective to renovate than build new construction.
Just a thought, but one that is sure to be unpopular.
Richard Mitchell,
Regarding your question on Cahill I am reminded of the fable that goes somewhat like this.
A girl finds a snake that pleads with her to place it in her winter coat because otherwise the snake will freeze. The girl goes “No, you might bite me blah blah blah”. Anyway the girl eventually puts the snake in her jacket to keep it warm and she continues on her walk. Then she feels a sharp pain in her side, the snake drops out and begins to slither away. The girl says something like “Why? I took care of you, blah blah blah”. The snake simply replies “You knew what I was when you found me”.
It is my understanding that the Peoria BOE was clearly informed by Cahill’s previous employers but they still went ahead and gave him an unprecedented salary and benefit package in a 3 year iron clad contract which placed him at a level just below the superintendent and well above the associate superintendents.
Interesting idea, PrairieCelt. Turning Woodruff into a pre-K through 8 facility kills several birds. From a population map I guestimate about 98K live in District 150. Peoria is no longer a four high school city. It’s time for 150 to stop ignoring the two-ton elephant in the room.
Another idea is to close Central and rename one of the other three “Peoria High School” to help ease the political fallout. Still would be a great deal of resistance. I wouldn’t call closing Manual a non-starter as their declining enrollment forced them to petition to remain in Class AA for basketball.
I imagine 150 will hire another consultant who will tell them the same things they heard several years ago, with no action taken again.
PrairieCelt: Interesting idea regarding Woodruff. The only problem I see is still location. One of the big arguments against the park site was that it is on the edge of the neighborhood and would result in increased busing. The neighbors want the school centrally-located so kids can walk to it and it can be more community-focused. Placing the school even further out of the neighborhood where Woodruff is I don’t think would fly.
Nevertheless, I agree that Woodruff would seem to be the most logical candidate for closure if a high school needs to be closed, based on location at least.
Dear Returned – you’re correct, that would solve several of the district’s problems. The last two consulting firms the district contracted both reported that one high school had to be closed. Enrollments simply do not support 4 high schools. These facilities were expanded to support the baby boomer generation in the late 60’s and 70’s – they were designed to accommodate approximately 1500 – 2000 students. And the district probably will hire yet again another consultant, and pay another fee, to tell them the same thing they’ve been told at least twice before.
As an aside, I don’t believe many people are aware that at a couple of the high schools (as recently as 2 years ago), it was not unusual for classes to have less than 10 students enrolled (in fact there were quite a few with 2-3 students). Now that’s a pretty good student/teacher ratio! But it really illustrates the point about enrollments.
C.J. some of the parent groups would likely object. But, if the BOE utilized existing district assets it would reduce their real estate acquisition cost dramatically. And the administration seemed quite adamant about the educational advantages a park setting would afford. Just a little exercise in thinking “outside the box.”
Perhaps someone will answer my question. Having grown up in a semi-rural environment just outside of Peoria and being transported to and from school from 1st grade on by bus, I’m having trouble understanding the advantages in having a child walk to and from school. It seems to me that being transported by bus is a safer way for the child to travel. They are not exposed to the elements – rain, snow, hail, sleet, fog, cold, etc. – and they have much less exposure to traffic. Sadly, not all the children who attend District #150 schools have parents who can afford warm coats, boots, gloves, hats, etc. and for them to walk in bad weather is dangerous. Obviously, I’m missing something here if so many parents prefer their children be able to walk.
Ideally a school would be located in the center of enrollment area, as GOS is. A centrally-located school can serve as a neighborhood anchor and source of neighborhood pride. Walking to school saves busing costs. Traffic dangers are mitigated with properly deployed crossing guards. If these mild winters persist walking in extreme cold becomes less of a concern.
Your Woodruff conversion idea could result in substantial savings. In addition to saving on land acquisition costs, or potentially significant GOS remodeling costs, there would be one less set of HS administrative salaries. Some teaching positions could be eliminated through attrition, minimizing layoffs. The rest would be distributed among the three remaining high schools.
There are my pros and cons. Your idea is intriguing, and worthy of being submitted to the School Board. However I believe they spent too much political capital on GOS to address a HS closing just yet.
Returned to Peoria,
I have to take exception to your statement that “Walking to school saves busing costs.” Logically that makes sense, but the Transportation Fund at 150 has historically operated in the black. Funds come from several sources including local taxes but primarily from State aid. The district is reimbursed based upon a formula of the number of students and aggregate miles bused. Thus the busing is more of a matter of a “cost plus operation.” These facts are closely audited each year when the Illinois State Board of Education performs their exam.
The State literally throws money at districts for transportation but is miserly for education in general! A few short years ago the State began a program whereby a district could roll over 20% of their fleet each year. Financially it was prudent to do so by purchasing more energy efficient buses, substantially lowering maintenance costs and realizing higher trade in values. ^oo^~
Again. I believe that if Woodruff was chosen to be closed and reopened as a K-8 (that was originally not planned; birth – 8th) my feeling is that the East Bluff would again arise with a venomous attack. We are looking for this school to be in the center of the Bluff, not the outskirts. There has just got to be somewhere that this can be placed that would satisfy everyone. As far as Mr. Hintons’ statement that the East Bluff people were to difficult to work with, no we’re not. We just know what we believe is good for our children and we stand up for what we believe is right for them. And it’s possible if these propisals were brought to the poeple first before property purchases etc. this whole “flippon” mess would not have occured.
Sorry about the mis-spellings; 3:30 in the AM is not a good time for me to write.