In addition to saying goodbye to analog television on February 17, Peoria Public Schools Board of Education said goodbye to Controller/Treasurer Guy Cahill. Cahill won’t be making the transition to digital at the school district. 1470 WMBD radio reports:
The District 150 school board Monday, without comment, voted unanimously to give the Comptroller/Treasurer his 60 days notice. Cahill, who was making a base salary of $125,000 a year, has been placed on administrative leave the next 60 days – then his contract will be terminated. Cahill’s contract allows the district to terminate Cahill’s employment with 60 days notice and payment of six months salary. Cahill had been with District 150 since 2005. The board has selected Business Manager Carla Eman as temporary Comptroller while interviews for an interim Comptroller are conducted.
I had been hearing rumors that Cahill quit instead of being fired, but I don’t believe he would get the 60 days notice or paid administrative leave if he had quit. All appearances are that he was shown the door. And since there was no comment from the school board when taking that action, it doesn’t look like we’re going to know why… unless Cahill wants to tell us.
Regular commenter “Without Malice” wins the prize for correctly predicting Carla Eman would be the temporary Treasurer while the search is on for an interim replacement. Congratulations!
Eric, any one that is percieved as “representing” the district is going to bear the brunt of the publics frustration with the district. We give it good to Jim, too ;). Don’t take it personally. Believe it or not, you have more admiration than you realize for your willingness to engage not only on the blogs but with your committee participation as well. Hang in there, and if it gets too frustrating then take a break.
Sorry, it’s Erik, not Eric.
Erik – Thank you for your willingness to offer your skills to the District and community and for engaging in the conversations on the blogs. I agree with your observation that, if these are the neighborhood fences, we need to reach over and work together to address our communities problems. I look forward to your input and observations.
Ok Erik, let’s start with this: “test class size to operation expense hypothesis”
What are you looking for? The point of diminishing returns? How many students can we cram into a classroom under the supervision of the minimal amount of payroll recipients, before people notice that we are just trying to save money at the expense of the students? Faaaaaaascinating study for accountants… but highly unethical and unproductive for those interested in education.
A better approach? Absolutely. Eliminate the bureaucracy and start teaching. Put a principal in charge of each high school region in the city. 4 principals. (5, if you want someone in the alternative school programs) These principals are responsible for their schools and the elementary schools that feed them. (Wouldn’t it be nice if principals actually had something to do with education) These principal jobs would be 1 year positions selected from and by the faculty and would rotate with no one being allowed to “administrate” for more than 1 term every 5 (10, or any arbitrary number of) years.
When classrooms reach a point where there are more than 20-24 students per teacher, either an aide is added (to save expenses) or classes are team taught.
The school district MUST not be in the real estate business… it must not be in any business at all. It can not concern itself with profits and losses. It can only concern itself with teaching children.
Wow… anticipating your thoughtful queries… school budgets are what they are now… if you have 100 students you get 100 x $15,000. If you have 200 students, you get 200 times $15,000 (or whatever the state expense per student is right now)
If you run out of money… too bad. Someone, starting with the principal, doesn’t get a pay check. OR you sell wrapping paper and Christmas Cards, have car washes and bake sales… ask local businesses to “bail you out”.
This also means vouchers. If your school sucks, no one will go there and they will take their vouchers somewhere else.
Next question… unions? buh bye. There are plenty of qualified and interested teachers around. Each school and satellites will become its own community, concerned with operating successfully. Unions will be unnecessary, because there is no capitalist bean counter at the top raking in the profits.
Erik: I’m certain you won’t be solving all of the problems mentioned by Kcdad, but I will speak to the class size one–which will be affected by any of the cost-saving measures.
This is the problem. The figures 150 always gives are very misleading. The class size is always an average–which translated means that some classes can be 35-45 while classes such as special ed or enriched can be 10 or below.
Actually, I thought about doing a FOIA request asking for the size of all English classes in all 4 high schools and doing that average. Every student has to take English–sometimes students takes 2 at a time to make up classes they failed. Therefore, class size is usually higher for English classes (my guess). 150 figures the averages in such a way as to justify losing teaching positions. I would ask for a bit more honesty so that class size in all classes is kept to the number required by the contract. In ther 1970s I taught classes of 35+ and didn’t complain (although grading papers, etc., required way more time), but today’s discipline problems and the wide range of abilities in one classroom make large classes an impossible task.
Erik & Jim,
I am listening. Thank you for your service. I am very interested in what you have to share and offer.
Erik – I am interested as well. Your comments to date appear to demonstrate that you are objective and that is something that seems to be lacking in many of the exchanges to date. There is a lot of passionate vocal proponents of the status quo but that does not mean that is the right path for the District to follow.
Erik, to answer your question directly, unless someone has developed “Multiple Regression Analysis for Dummies,” most folks aren’t statisticians or six sigma black belts and won’t comprehend the equations, scatterplots, etc. involved in whatever statistical tools and methods you choose to use. Most folks will, however, know if the conclusions and proposals are logical, data-driven, and derived from accurate underlying assumptions. As such, the methods aren’t as important as the outcomes.
That said, I’m thrilled that that you intend to address the budget issues in a more sophisticated and analytical way. Thanks for your willingness to serve.
Nontimendum – very well said! Many of us don’t have administrative background (or want it) but there is plenty of “street smarts” represented here and that is where I would put my money. Someone commented once that they didn’t want the “soccer moms” running the district, but if they did things would be in much better shape! Common sense is becoming increasingly under-rated.
MR Stowell wrote: “The irony is that the same who criticize a top heavy admin. structure are often the same who want more from them. Erik – Thank you for voluntering your time and talents.”
“if these are the neighborhood fences, we need to reach over and work together to address our communities problems”
Jim: Are you running for office? Your first statement is such a spin job that Lee Atwater would be proud (and envious). We don’t want MORE from them, we want SOMETHING from them… ANYTHING. If what Erik is doing is so important IT SHOULD BE PAID. (Irregardless of what his ethics statement says… he can donate it to a charity if he wants…)
Your second statement (referring to using blogs to communicate) is so condescending, I might have to dig out my thesaurus to find a new word for it. There is a real difference between wanting to solve problems and trying to protect bureaucracies. When the bureaucracy IS the problem, it doesn’t help to go to Atlanta, California or Colorado to look for solutions.
Sharon responded (regarding FOIA requests for consultant info): “However, the time was extended so that the material could be gathered.” How long would that take? An hour? Go to the Human Resources files and compile them…?????
That is one aspect of the problem… See, I know where my check book is, I know where my money goes… I don’t use Quickbooks or have accountants and experts working for me. I know what bills I pay. District 150 seems to have NO CLUE whatsoever. These consultants are not miscellaneous expenses or petty cash expenditures are they? They are documented… right?
Kcdad: My thought was that maybe C.J. asked for job descriptions as well as salary–just guessing. Then I might be able to understand the extra time–the descriptions might be a bit harder “to find.”
“the descriptions might be a bit harder “to find.”
… if they even exist. (Normally the job description is posted right there on the job announcement… oh, right, these weren’t announced jobs, they were just appointed)
CHANGING SUBJECT:
I was reading the District’s “making the grade” magazine (improper use of capitalization… what are they thinking?)
1) No school closings THIS year… ok. old news, no surprise. They need more time to think it through (like this is a new solution that hasn’t been considered for many years already) What are they thinking?
2) School uniforms… Uniforms? Are they kidding? This isn’t clear. Can students wear their own clothing if it meets the color and style requirements? Will they be required to purchase specific clothing from school suppliers? HOW WERE THOSE SUPPLIERS SELECTED? What are they thinking?
3) The new budget committee…. sigh… only 1 out of the 8 appointees have any educational background… and since he is retired, I presume he hasn’t been in a classroom as either a student or teacher for more than a few years. WHAT ARE they thinking?
4) CSSS… a data based decision making process…. WAIT! STOP right there! We are talking about students… children… in our care, under out tutelage. Decisions need to be made based on PEOPLE, not data. People are not data. WHAT ARE THEY THINKING????
Kcdad: I definitely have the same questions about the uniforms. There is absolutely no clarity in this announcement. This is a decision that can’t wait until late summer–the hurried time frame in which District 150 usually makes decisions. With every primary and middle school student looking for uniforms at the same time, much more specific information is needed immediately.
And what is the point? If they aren’t allowed to demonstrate their “superior” class and style in their clothing, they will do with it shoes, bling, or hair or tats… or some other way. The uniform thing dehumanizes the student in the exact same way it does for prisoners, police and military personnel.
WHAT ARE THEY THINKING?
Sharon, kcdad, I disagree. Our oldest daughter attended a private school for three years where uniforms were required; she liked it, and so did my wife and I. It was set up the same way as District 150 is setting it up — they set the parameters (colors, style), and we were free to get acceptable clothing from whomever. We have to get new clothes for our kids every year anyway because they grow so fast, so it really isn’t a hardship, and it actually makes it easier to buy clothes for school because of the limited options. It’s really nothing more than a strict dress code, not really a “uniform,” per se. I don’t see how you can think it’s dehumanizing. Do you think all rules of decorum are stifling to one’s personal expression? Police officers and military personnel that I know are proud of their uniforms.
C.J.–if that’s the case I’m not complaining. I didn’t intend my comments to agree with the dehumanizing angle. I wasn’t sold on the idea of uniforms but am not that opposed. My question was what type of clothing is acceptable. For instance, in the winter can kids wear corduroy pants, sweaters, etc., as long as they are the right color and style? I was concerned about that–especially since the 150 has made the decision to turn down the heat; some of the schools are already cold.
I just think 150 should make the code clearer. I thought (but with no proof) that the 150 schools that presently wear uniforms were limited to the school unifom type clothing sold at J. C. Penneys.
Uniforms: I forgot to mention another reason for my questions. At a board meeting over a month ago, Mary Spangler asked Hinton about unforms because people we asking her. Hinton stated that he had been contacting suppliers about getting a logo on the clothing. He didn’t make clear if that logo could be “stuck” on the clothing of if clothing with the logo had to be purchased. Maybe all that has been given up–but that idea has not been retracted.
I don’t know what it is about school uniforms. I can see it in a private school… I just don’t get it in a public school system. Can’t really define it.. the whole idea just makes me squirm. A lot.
Uniforms are a statement about belonging and loss of individual identity. THAT is their purpose. (Really examine the reasoning for wanting uniforms in the school… to undercut the difference between rich and poor kids, to control sexuality, to eliminate “gang” or clique associations, etc)
Of course, in a private school it is a status symbol. In public schools, especially district wide, it is a dehumanizing control mechanism. You may remember the lengths students at The Academy and Spaulding used to go to “make personal statements” within the uniform code. Often those statements expressed themselves through behaviors that had nothing to do with clothing.
Soldiers and police are proud of their uniforms… they BELONG. Their individuality and subjectivity is stripped away during training and they become cogs in the machine to which they BELONG. Is that what you want for our children in school?
I do agree that uniforms (say at Peoria Christian, Notre Dame, etc.) are status symbols. But I don’t think that the same pride (and generic uniform) will be elicited for District 150. My biggest problem with uniforms in District 150 is that it is just one more rule that the district won’t know how to enforce.
I can think of a thousand reasons uniforms would be the way to go.
If anything teachers, instructors, professors, etc. would not have to look at belly-buttons and students wearing their pajamas to class.
They either wear their uniforms…or go home.
That’s the problem–150 won’t be sending them home–that’s my guess. 150 never considers what to do if their rules aren’t obeyed. They just assume compliance.
New Voice, then why not just have a rule that says no bellybuttons or wearing pajamas to class?
A thousand reasons… ? You mean a thousand excuses. That’s all you got; excuses, no reason. BWAHAHA! I love you, man.
Oh yeah, CJ, your comment reminded me of another point in that paper. They mention part of the graduation requirements will be or is now “Pass an examination on patriotism and principles of representative government, proper use of the flag, methods of voting and The Pledge of Allegiance.”
Really? All that and we aren’t concerned with their ability to choose their own mode of dress?
Diane,
They have a rule against showing belly buttons or wearing pajama pants to school, among other things. There is a dress code. Is it enforced? Not always. Do the students follow it? Barely.
Different teachers enforce the same dress code in different manners, which is a problem. When a student comes to class second or third hour in, for example, pajama pants and wearing a coat over a shirt with drug references on it, they will often use the objection, “But I was in Mrs. “”X”‘s room last hour and she didn’t say anything. Y’all thirsty.” Et cetera.
When we see students in violation of the dress code, they are sent to the deans, where they are given an opportunity to fix what they are wearing to comply or they can be sent home. The problem with this is that it removes students from the classrooms and the deans usually have weightier manners to deal with. They don’t like having to deal with such “small potatoes.”
Sharon, I was not aware of the logo issue. I believed the uniform was similar to what some of the schools do now, with certain colors and styles of pants and shirts they can buy from any retailer.
My kids both did and did not wear uniforms (different schools.) As a parent, I preferred uniforms to fighting with them about what was appropriate to wear. It was a good thing, IMO, for there to not be the obsession with clothes, shoes, etc., that existed at the non-uniform schools, where having the “right” styles was used by the kids in a very judgemental way. At the uniform school (colors and styles, not one supplier), the school has a resale store where parents can buy uniform clothes (donated) for just a couple dollars.
I even wish they could get away with having uniforms in the high schools and here’s why (I know it won’t happen!)–
1) It is easier to tell if a teen is a student versus someone who has entered the building. I have seen “students” I don’t recognize entering or in the building during class and sometimes wonder if they really are students. Yet I know students enter and leave during the day for legit reasons. I long for the days when students were required to wear their ids for the same reason.
2) It would decrease the sexualized dress of the female students and the gang/thug attire of the (mostly) male students. And compliance would be easier to moniter, versus the hit-or-miss enforcement of the current dress code, and free up the deans to deal with more urgent issues. As another poster said, wear it or go home. No arguing. The school can keep a supply of basic uniform clothes available for a nominal “rental” fee, as some do now with PE uniforms.
3) Believe it or not, it can (note CAN not necessarily WILL!) foster school pride if utilized correctly, even in a public school.
Gosh, come home from school and can’t spell —
“judgmental” and “monitor.” Sheesh! Sorry.
Hot in the City: Are kids allowed to wear corduroy and sweatrs in the winter? Am I wrong in assuming that the district should provide more specific information–not just about color but also about style and material? Hinton did make that statement about the logo. I guess that’s the problem when he talks off the top of his head when he can’t give a straight answer. At the time it was brought up, it appeared that uniforms had been put on the back burner. However, his suggestion (and when a superintendent makes a comment, it’s probably more than a suggestion) has not been retracted.
One man’s reason is another man’s excuse.
One man’s junk is another man’s treasure.
From experience in both private and public schools, uniforms work great in private schools. However, in public schools principals become the “uniform police” and much of their day and discipline issues are spent dealing with uniform violations. Consequences have to be established for students who do not follow the uniform code. This usually includes some kids being suspended etc. We don’t need kids out of school because their shirt was not tucked in three days in a row.
Serenity: Your assessment is totally accurate–especially, at the high school level. The kids who will be the problem will be the ones who look for ways to rebel–dress codes are always the easiest outlet for rebelling. Every “dress code” violation takes five to ten or more minutes away from teaching time. In this day and age, it usually involves an argument–usually joined in by other students with more time to write the referral–and often difficulty getting the student to leave the room. Then once the student gets to the dean, the inconsistency or failure to issue meaningful consequences makes the policy meaningless. You’re right kids don’t need to be out of school for 3 days in a row. Of course, I am not asking that the dress code be ignored–the dress of high school students is deplorable, but I am not convinced that uniforms would solve the problem. And realistically, I suppose I have to admit that those who violate the dress code now would be the same ones who don’t obey the current dress code. 150 won’t know until it tries, and then hopefully they won’t give the results the usual “everything is wonderful” spin.
Parents are in control at the primary school level–and for a while at the middle school level, but the high school students who will violate the code do not consult parents before they leave home. I realize 150 hasn’t made a decision about high school, the recent newsletter indicates that it is being considered.
Sharon,
Sorry for the delayed reply, was at a freshman basketball game tonight.
My experience with uniforms (at a school on the south side) was that students could wear sweaters, sweatshirts (plain), and heavy pants in the winter. I believe they could NOT wear corduroy but I am not sure. The main issue was colors and styles, not fabrics. Also, shorts and skirts had to be at least a certain length.
BTW, the D150 HS dress code has a length level for shorts and skirts but it is rarely followed. Some of the shorts and skirts the girls wear are one microsecond from a free show. And the shorts are so tight …. well, you get the idea. I actually feel sorry for the boys who have to see that all day long! (I raised boys.)
I’m not saying uniforms are the answer at any level, just that I see some of the advantages to them, even at the high school level.
Gotta go listen to the President now.
Serenity – good point. Tonight we had a PTO meeting and I asked our school principal what the policy would be if children arrived not dressed in uniform and it stirred quite a lively debate!
Also, School board candidate Sandy Farkash floated the idea (very preliminary) of closing all 4 high schools and building one giant one out by Peoria Stadium, with multiple campuses but all one name. What do ya’ll think of that?
Hot in the City: You forget I taught at Manual–I am well aware that the dress code is not followed–and, in our case, we just wasted time reporting the violations because nothing was done, and teachers would made the fools as students returned to class wearing the same clothes. Uniforms might solve the problem, but I fear they might create even more problems. But that is a fight I no longer have to fight, so I don’t care one way or the other. I know it may be viewed as a ridiculous reason, but there is one other reason I would object to uniforms. Frequently, teachers see some very bad behaviors in the hallways–and kids flee as fast as possible when they know they have been observed. Clothing is often our only means of identification.
At the high school level, there is still a chance that girls will wear clothes that are too tight or short or revealing. I’m not sure whether or not boys could wear pants 3 sizes too large. So a high school dress code would have to include specifics to avoid those indiscretions.
Diane : Ill go ya one better. Let us consolidate all schools in Peoria County under a single Superintendent and a single Board of Education that is elected by the entire county voting population.
The funds collected county wide will be used across the district and a more equal share can be administered. The school board will be from all across the county and be equally represented by districts representing like sized units.
I’d like to start a petition to stop the mandatory uniforms. Because, I am so knowledgable in that department, having an art degree. Not that I think protest will do any good, but I am interested in seeing how many people would be on board. I think the way students are dressing should really be the last concern of District officials. The first day we mainstreamed my “Asperger’s” son, he came home and showed me how everybody is supposed to walk in line with their hands behind their backs. For a second, I thought he might have gotten arrested, but compliance training really does start setting in when kids are in kindergarten. If I want him to wear a Tony Hawk skateboarding shirt to school, it’s what he’s going to wear because he’s my son. As long as it doesn’t say f-you or have naked ladies giving satan the middle finger, there really shouldn’t be a problem. He goes to TJ, so I am considering setting up a tent on the playground and just living there to avoid the bickering over the parking lot issues.
How about we go ahead and put the students in orange jumpsuits? Let ’em know exactly what we think of school and their reason for being there.
Erika – Go for it!
Erika: Why would you wait to protest until after parents have already started buying uniforms–the decision was made quite some time ago? The time to protest would have been when the board first brought the subject up.
I agree with Erika that school uniforms are just a distraction, a way of acting busy but accomplishing little. If uniforms are not going to fit into a larger scheme created by the school, of discipline and respect, then it seems like a useless exercise. One of my children attended kindergarten at a parochial school and as a parent I had to frequently volunteer in the lunchroom. It was a very strict, yet nurturing environment in which children were expected to act like ladies and gentlemen and yes, the Principal walked around all the time to check if they were complying, and if their shirts were tucked in. I wasn’t crazy about the education my child received but the expectations for conduct were great. I think a lot of families are looking for this type of school environment as evidenced by the growth of many of the private and parochial schools in Peoria, but District 150 is not going to achieve that end by uniforms alone.
Do you think ANYONE has started stocking their closets with uniforms for next year???
Frustrated: I agree with you. All the other “rules” have to be in place before uniforms will have any effect at all, and District 150 doesn’t do well in that department. If the district would first make a real commitment to discipline, the uniforms might not even be necessary. My only complaint about Erika is that she is waiting too late. For instance, don’t you think stores like J. C. Penney will already start stocking uniform type clothing. With every District 150 needing uniforms, the demand will be great. In this economy why would it be fair to ask them to do that and then have the whole idea scraped by District 150? Kcdad, yes, I do think some parents will start sooner than you might think–especially, if they can get some bargains.
I was homeschooling my son until January and just really caught up on all of this. I
was taking him to school for special services 30 minutes, 3x a week, so besides that, I really didn’t pay much attention to what the district was doing. I just knew that when the time came that we were ready to mainstream him, it was going to be one ridiculous thing after another. Until the school caught on fire. No one even called to cancel speech that day. We went to the school at 1:00 pm and the doors were locked. The outside looked fine.
They could care less about special needs kids until you are there everyday with pills and such. I was already fighting with the District people about hiring someone with no ” Special Needs” training to be an aid for a 6 year old with Aspergers Syndrome, OCD, etc. So, I guess I had a bit of homeschool parent tunnel vision. It’s not like I waited until the last minute to bring up a petition, I just have a randomly violent, sensory dysfunctional son that kind of limits me doing things like, going to school board meetings, watching regular TV, eating a meal without worrying if he’s going to fight about taking one of his 5 pills, or if he’ll decide he’s going to punch me in the face about something that happened 6 months ago. He also has ADHD and a mood disorder.
Thanks to kcdad for not thinking I’m just some whack job tuning in at the last second. As for the others, I didn’t even know JC Penney was a store. I last shopped there in 1997…when I bought my dress for senior prom.
Yes, Erika, I did jump to conclusions–sorry!. Sounds as though your experiences with 150 have not inspired your trust. Can’t blame you at all.
Erika Banina: The buck stops with the director of sped. Her name is Dr. Mary O’Brien. SPED is not discussed too much, only those who have children with special needs really pay close attention and many of those parents are not aware of their rights. Many people are happy with the director.
Sharon: If these uniforms are going to be mandatory, why would the distributor offer discounts and bargains? It is a seller’s market.
If the students can wear ANY navy and white stuff, it kind of defeats the purpose.
Students grow much too quickly to buy uniforms a year in advance.
Kcdad: I’m not arguing for uniforms. But any of my negative responses are not on the same philosophical level as your reasons for disagreeing. I have seen uniforms on sale at Penney’s–I don’t know why. Probably more at the end of the season than at the beginning. I think the “any” kind of of navy or white stuff might be misleading–which is why I believe the district has to more specific about style, etc.
Thanks for the apology Sharon, and serenity, I think I may have talked to Mary O’Brien a couple weeks ago when I called to complain, again, that my sons aid hadn’t recieved any specialized training about what he has, or even the sensory aspects of it. “Least restrictive environment”. I just don’t want to get sued if he has a meltdown and hurts somebody because they hire people that dont know the signs of sensory overload. Any person with general education credits and no serious criminal record could be an aid.
Sorry, back to uniforms…I think the district is breaking their own dress code with the uniforms. If each school had a different top and bottom color, wouldn’t that create a group or “gang” out of each school? What if kids got territorial? Red shirts from TJ got a ride to Hines school to start a fight because red shirts are cooler than ( insert color) shirts. After school gets out, everybody goes to the mall with their parents, kids still have clothes on from school, ” that kid lives in the ghetto because he has a “yadda yadda” color shirt on. Our kids will be colored push pins on a map of the city. Quaint.
Oops, I meant many people are NOT happy with the director. The main reason there is not proper support for special needs students is because the district does not pay them sufficiently. It is low pay with zero benefits. When will they come to realize the needs of the student within their schools? I can assure you uniforms won’t fix this.